Controllers user interface encoding in scene description

Abstract

In an example method, a runtime asset delivery file includes controller syntax structures that define an association between a range of weights and respective output transformations. The file further includes user interface syntax structures that identify at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position. At least one of the user interface elements is displayed at the position identified by the first user interface syntax structure. A user input indicating a first weight is received through the first user interface element. Based on a first controller syntax structure identified by the first user interface syntax structure, a first output transformation associated with the first weight is determined. At least one node in the scene is transformed by applying the first output transformation to the node associated with the first controller syntax structure.

Description

CONTROLLERS USER INTERFACE ENCODING IN SCENE DESCRIPTIONCROSS-REFERENCE

[0001] This application claims the priority of European Patent Application No. 23306701.6, filed 4 October 2023, entitled “Controllers User Interface Encoding in Scene Description,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the encoding and decoding of 3D scene representations. 3D scenes may be represented by a runtime asset delivery file such as a gITF file. A gITF or other runtime asset delivery file can provide information on a 3D scene, including the geometry and organization of objects in the scene and information used to animate those objects.

[0003] While the gITF format has proven useful for delivering 3D scenes in their final form to users, it has been less effective as a format for use by those designing and implementing 3D scenes. In particular, the structure of animations in gITF makes it difficult for a designer to make minor modifications to an animation without requiring re-calculation of the entire animation.SUMMARY

[0004] A method according to some embodiments includes obtaining a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene, the file including: a plurality of controller syntax structures, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene, and a plurality of user interface syntax structures, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position. The method further includes: for at least a first one of the user interface syntax structures, displaying at least a first user interface element at the position identified by the first user interface syntax structure; receiving, through the first user interface element, a user input indicating a first weight; based on a first controller syntax structure identified by the first user interface syntax structure, determining a first output transformation associated with the first weight; and generating atransformed node by applying the first output transformation to the node associated with the first controller syntax structure to obtain a transformed node.

[0005] Some embodiments further comprise displaying the transformed node. In some embodiments, the transformed node and the user interface element are displayed simultaneously.

[0006] In some embodiments, the node associated with the first controller syntax structure includes a mesh.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable within a range defined by the first user interface syntax structure, and wherein the first weight is indicated by a position of the cursor within the range.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first user interface syntax structure indicates a start point and an end point, wherein the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable along a line between the start point and the end point, and wherein the first weight is indicated by a position of the cursor within the range.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first user interface syntax structure defines a rectangle; the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable within the rectangle; the first weight is indicated by a vertical position of the cursor within the rectangle; and a second weight is indicated by a horizontal position of the cursor within the rectangle.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first user interface syntax structure defines an ellipse; the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable within the ellipse; the first weight is indicated by a vertical position of the cursor within the ellipse; and a second weight is indicated by a horizontal position of the cursor within the ellipse.

[0011] Some embodiments further include: based on a second controller syntax structure in the runtime asset delivery file, determining a second output transformation associated with the second weight; wherein generating the transformed node further comprises applying the second output transformation to the node associated with the first controller syntax structure.

[0012] In some embodiments, the transformation comprises at least one of the following: a rotation, a translation, a change in scaling, or a change to a morph target weight.

[0013] Some embodiments include, after receiving the user input indicating the first weight, storing the first weight in the runtime asset delivery file.

[0014] A method according to some embodiments comprises: encoding at least one node in a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene; encoding a plurality of controller syntax structures in the runtime asset delivery file, each controller syntax structure defining an associationbetween a range of input weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene, and encoding a plurality of user interface syntax structures in the runtime asset delivery file, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position, each user interface syntax structure defining a respective user interface element for modifying an input weight of the corresponding controller syntax structure.

[0015] A signal according to some embodiments comprises a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene, wherein the scene description data includes: at least one node; a plurality of controller syntax structures, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of input weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene; and a plurality of user interface syntax structures, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position, each user interface syntax structure defining a respective user interface element for modifying an input weight of the corresponding controller syntax structure. In some embodiments, the asset delivery file is a JSON file. In some embodiments, the runtime asset delivery file is a gITF file.

[0016] Further embodiments include one or more processors configured to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0017] Further embodiments include a computer-readable medium (which may be non- transitory) including instructions for causing one or more processors to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0018] Further embodiments include a computer program product including instructions which, when the program is executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to carry out any of the methods described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a controller user interface (Ul) for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments.

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a controller user interface (Ul) for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments. At left is a rendering of a face, and at right are controllers as defined in a gITF file according to some embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 3 provides graphs indicating how the operation of controller 44 modifies the outer eyebrow morph target weights.

[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a controller user interface (Ul) for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments, where the s1 control is at the beginning of the line, leading to a controller weight of 0.5.

[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a controller user interface (Ul) for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments, where the s1 control is at the end of the line, leading to a controller weight of 1 .0.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating how the operation of controller 28 changes the "puckerOpen" morph target.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating how the operation of controller 29 changes the "AU18_lip_pucker" morph target.

[0026] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a controller user interface for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments, using Ul Control m34 (rectangle bottom-left), in a case case when first controller has weight 1 .0 (X axis), and second controller has weight 0.0 (Y axis).

[0027] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a controller user interface for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments, using Ul Control m34 (rectangle bottom-left), in a case case when first controller has weight 0.0 (X axis), and second controller has weight 1 .0 (Y axis).

[0028] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a controller user interface for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments, using Ul Control m34 (rectangle bottom-left), in a case case when first controller has weight 1 .0 (X axis), and second controller has weight 1 .0 (Y axis).

[0029] FIG. 11 provides graphs illustrating how controller 0 changes the weight of morph targets "AU61_Eyes_turn_L" and "AU61_Eyes_turn_R".

[0030] FIG. 12 provides graphs illustrating how controller 1 changes the weight of morph targets "AU63_eyeUp" and "AU63_eyeDown".

[0031] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a controller user interface for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments, using Ul Control gaze (ellipse in the middle), in a case where the first controller has weight 1 .0 (X axis), and second controller has weight 0.0 (Y axis).

[0032] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a controller user interface for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments, using Ul Control gaze (ellipse in the middle), in a case where the first controller has weight 0.0 (X axis), and second controller has weight -1 .0 (Y axis).

[0033] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a controller user interface for animating a face mesh according to some embodiments, using Ul Control gaze (ellipse in the middle), in a case where the first controller (X axis) has a high positive weight, and the second controller (Y axis) has ahigh negative weight. In this example, the weight values are bounded by the ellipse, so it is not allowed for both weights to have a value of 1.0.

[0034] FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a method of parsing an “MPEG controllers” extension according to some embodiments.

[0035] FIG. 17 is a flow chart illustrating the parsing of a controller according to an example embodiment.

[0036] FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating parsing of a user interface control according to some embodiments.

[0037] FIG. 19 is a functional block diagram of an apparatus that may be used to implement some embodiments described herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Example embodiments relate to the use of controllers encoding for 3D scene representations. Controllers are named functions that apply a transformation to change a mesh given a weight. They are usually associated with Ul components. The present disclosure describes how to encode these Ul components in scene description.Overview of Animations in Scene Descriptions

[0039] The current MPEG-I Scene Description (SD) format allows the storage of animations in animations assets in a gITF file. Each animation defines a named function that can modify a mesh given a time between zero and a maximum. A common use of these animations is to provide different actions for a mesh, for instance to provide a character with walk, run and idle animations. Another use is to provide animations that lead to different cinematics, which may be described as short movies rendered in real time.

[0040] The current animation encoding allows functions that modify one or more properties of a mesh, for example by applying a translation, rotation, or a change to mesh target weights. More properties can be changed using extensions like KHR_animation_pointers. Each animation can have a name, but there is no standard to define the meaning of these names.

[0041] The current format does not define clearly how animations can be combined. For instance, if one wishes to use two animations at a time, it is not clear how the properties they change should be updated, starting with the order of animations.

[0042] Furthermore, it is not feasible to combine animations with different time ranges, such as encoding a combination of animation 1 in range [1 , 2] with animation 2 in range [2, 3],

[0043] Finally, it is not feasible to encode an optional Ul in the gITF file that helps in the usage of animations. FIG. 1 presents an example of such Ul, where each control is linked to one or two controllers.Overview of Controllers Extension in Scene Descriptions

[0044] For the sake of clarity, example embodiments are described with reference to the gITF format and with MPEG-I SD extensions to gITF. However, it should be understood that the principles described herein are not restricted to any particular format and may alternatively be implemented using other formats, such as XML or USD.

[0045] The current MPEG_Controllers extension has the following features:• Controllers: each controller defines a function that outputs a transformation used to change mesh properties given a weight between a minimum and maximum value.• Controller weights: each value defines the weight of each controller.

[0046] Example embodiments include a component that defines a user interface for controllers.• Ul: defines a set of controls that define a user interface component that changes one or more controller weights.

[0047] Some embodiments may be implemented in part by modifying the root of the gITF file, in the "extensions" property, such that the "MPEG_controllers" property may be described as shown in Table 1.Table 1.

[0048] Table 1 describes features of the MPEG_controllers property, including a “ui” property. Note that in this and all other tables in the present disclosure, the column “required” indicates whether a feature is required by the particular syntax illustrated in the table. An indication that a particular feature is “required” by that syntax does not mean that the feature is a required feature of all embodiments. There may be other embodiments in which such features are not required. In example embodiments, the number of items in "controllers" and "weights" is constrained to be the same.Overview of a Controller

[0049] In example embodiments, each controller in the "controllers" list of MPEG_controllers defines a function that transforms one or more properties of a mesh. For example, in some embodiments, a controller changes the positions of the mesh vertices and thus models a deformation of the mesh.

[0050] The shape of the function associated to the controller is defined by a set of (input weight, output property change) values. The encoding of these values may be performed for compatibility with the keyframing scheme used in the corresponding animations (e.g. gITF animations). The keyframe timings pointed to by the samplers input attributes are mapped to the function input weights. The animated values pointed to by the channels target attributes are mapped to the output property change values. Thus, the animation framework (e.g. the gITF animation framework) is leveraged to shape up each controller as a possibly non-linear function of input weight control values.

[0051] In some embodiments, a controller is defined in a runtime asset delivery file. A controller is defined by an instance of the “controller” property. The controller property may include one or more of the attributes. The column “required” indicates attributes that are required to be included in at least some implementations of the controller property, though the same attributes may not be required in other implementations.Table 2.

[0052] In some embodiments, the Controller property has the same attributes as the standard Animation property of gITF, plus two additional ones: "animation" and "min".

[0053] In some embodiments, there are two modes for this property that depend on the definition of the "animation" property. If this one does not exist, then the controller directly defines the function, otherwise, it uses the one of an existing animation. In some implementations, the definition of a controller is constrained to be in one of the two modes, with other combinations leading to an error. In all modes, the "name" property can define the name of the controller. If it is not defined, the application may choose a name based on the index of the controller, like "controller_23" or "controller_0023"

[0054] In some embodiments, the "animation" property is not defined in the controller, in which case the controller directly defines its function. In this case, the "min" property is ignored. All the other properties ("channels", "samplers", "name", "extensions", "extras") may be used according to those of a standard Animation property. A usual animation parser can be run, except that time is considered as input weight values, and its minimum value can be negative.

[0055] In other embodiments, the "animation" property is defined in the controller. In such embodiments, the controller may not define its function but uses the one of an animation. In this case, the following properties may be ignored: "channels", "samplers". The properties “name”, “extensions”, and “extras”, however, may still be used when the animation property is defined.

[0056] The "animation" property defines the index of an animation in the “animations” asset. In this case, the function defined by the animation is used as a controller, except that time is considered as input weight values, and its minimum is shifted by the value of the "min" property. For instance, if "min" is -1.3, then animation time is decreased by -1.3, as if the animation was starting at -1.3 seconds. This property allows the definition of controllers with negative input weight values while referencing a gITF animation for which time cannot be negative.

[0057] In some embodiments, the "weights" attribute of MPEG_controllers contains an array of numbers (e.g. floating values) that define the weight associated to each controller. The weights may be provided in the same order as the order of the controllers in the "controllers" list: weights[0] is for controllers[0], weights[1] for controllers^], and so on.

[0058] These weights provide information regarding how the nodes targeted by the controllers change. In some embodiments, each weight is used to apply its corresponding controller, proceeding iteratively from the first one to the last one. For example, the function of controllers[0] may first be applied with weights[0] to update the nodes. Then, these updated nodes are modified by the function of controllers^] with weights[1], and so on. One can express these updates in the following way: sceneout= fn- wn-, fn-2wn-2, ... f0(w0, scenein)')')where is the function of controllers^], is weights[i], sceneinis the initial nodes and sceneoutis the updated nodes using the controllers and the weights.

[0059] In some embodiments, the controller changes happen at the same step as animations: they are applied on the initial nodes content, and before any transform in the other gITF properties (like the one in the “nodes” assets).

[0060] In some embodiments, controllers are not activated when gITF parsing is done; like animations, the application chooses whether or not to enable the controllers.

[0061] In some embodiments, controllers are not used with animations; the application may choose whether it enables controllers or one of the animations.

[0062] In some embodiments, controllers are animated using an extension such as KHR_animation_pointer, in which case an animation is defined with this extension to animate the controller weights (analogous to the use of morph target weights).Overview of Controller User Interfaces

[0063] In example embodiments, the ControllersUI property defines a 2D user interface that allows a user to update controller weights in a user interface. An example ControllersUI property may have the properties shown in Table 3.Table 3.

[0064] The "size" property may be used to define the main box where controls are defined. In some embodiments, the coordinates of the top-left corner is always (0,0) and the bottom right is (size[0], size[1]). The coordinates in the following controls are related to the size property and should be inside the box. The size does not need to be in pixel or integer values. In some embodiments, an application scales the user interface to any desired size, like the size of a window.

[0065] The "controls" property may be used to define the controls. Each item in this example is an instance of a Control property, as shown in Table 4.Table 4.

[0066] In this example, the "name" property defines a name for the control.

[0067] In this example, the "type" property defines the type of a control, as described in further detail below.

[0068] In this example, the "points" property defines the coordinates of the control. There are four values: (x1 , y1 , x2, y2). (x1 , y1) are the coordinates of the first points; (x2, y2) are the coordinates of the second point. The semantics of the “points” property depends on the control it specifies, and examples will be described in the following paragraphs. The points should be inside the Ul box, as defined by the "size" property in ControllersUI.

[0069] In this example, the "controllers" property lists the controllers controlled by the control. The size of the list depends on the type of the control.

[0070] Line Control. One type of control that is used in some embodiments is the line control. When "type" is "line", the control is a line on which the user can slide a cursor. The "controllers" list in this example is restricted to having only one item that identifies the controller whose weight is controlled by the control. The line goes from point (x1 , y1) to (x2, y2). The beginning of the line at (x1 , y1) corresponds to the minimum weight value and the end at (x2, y2) to the maximum weight value. Positions in between linearly interpolate the weight value. In some embodiments, the minimum and maximum weight values are defined by the input properties of the samplers (and may be modified by the "min" property). In a case where no animation property is defined in the controller, the samplers are in the "samplers" property. In a case where the animation property is defined ("animation" is present), the samplers used to determine the minimum and maximum weight values are the samplers of the animation. The input property contains the weight / time values of the controller / animation. The minimum and maximum weight value are then the minimum and maximum of those input values. These sampler inputs may be provided according to the gITF 2.0 standard.

[0071] Rectangle Control. One type of control that is used in some embodiments is the rectangle control. When "type" is "rectangle", the control is a rectangle in which the user can move a cursor. In this example, the "controllers" list has two items which collectively identify the two controllers whose weights are controlled by the control. The first corner of the rectangle is (x1 , y1) and the opposite one (other side of the diagonal) is (x2, y2). The location of the cursor inside the rectangle defines the weights for two controllers. The horizontal axiscorresponds to the first, and the vertical one to the second. The first rectangle corner at (x1 , y1) corresponds to minimum weight values and the opposite corner at (x2, y2) corresponds to maximum weight values.

[0072] Ellipse Control. One type of control that is used in some embodiments is an ellipse control. When "type" is "ellipse", the control is an ellipse in which the user can move a cursor. The "controllers" list in this example has two and only two items, and they identify the controllers whose weights are controlled by the control. The shape of the ellipse is determined by the coordinates in the “points” property. The shape of the ellipse may be determined in different ways in different embodiments. In one embodiment, the ellipse is the largest ellipse one that fits inside the rectangle with one corner at (x1 , y1) and the opposite one (other side of the diagonal) at (x2, y2). In this example, the location of the cursor inside the ellipse indicates the weights for two controllers, with the horizontal axis corresponding to the first weight, and the vertical axis corresponding to the second weight. The weight values may be computed like in the example of the bounding rectangle, except that the cursor is constrained to remain inside the ellipse.Example of a Controller User Interface

[0073] For the sake of clarity, these examples only show parts of the gITF file related to controllers user interface. In practical implementations, the file also includes information defining a scene with one or more meshes and controllers defined in the MPEG_Controllers extension. Consequently, the following only describes the loading of user interface components of controllers.

[0074] In this example, we want to define controllers to animate a face rig, as well as controls to drive them in a user interface:

[0075] FIG. 2 illustrates at left, a face rig and at right, controls defined in the gITF file.

[0076] In an example use case, a gITF file includes:• A head mesh (index 0) with 84 morph targets.• An eye mesh (index 1) for the left eye, centered around the origin.• An eye mesh (index 2) for the right eye, centered around the origin.• An MPEG_controllers extension with: o 55 controllers. o 55 weights with zero value. o 52 controls (1 ellipse, 2 rectangles and 49 lines).

[0077] The following script represents a portion of an example gITF file that includes three Ul controls:"extensions" : {"MPEG_controllers" : {"ui" : { "size" : [496, 660 ] , "controls" : [{ "controllers" :

[0044] , "name" : "si", "points" : [154, 166, 118, 99] , "type" : "line"}, { "controllers" : [28, 29] , "name" : "m34", "points" : [96, 577, 52, 531], "type" : "rectangle"}, { "controllers" : [0, 1] , "name" : "gaze", "points" : [200, 262, 296, 218] , "type" : "ellipse"}

[0078] Line Control. This section describes the first UI control in the above example (index 0).

[0079] The name of this control is "s1". It is a "line" control, with coordinates (154, 166) -> (118,99). It is illustrated in FIG.2 in the top-left part of the controls window. Note that the actual line coordinates in the controls window may not be (154, 166) -> (118,99) but a rescaling to the size of the window, e.g. x <- windowWidth * x I uiWidth, where uiWidth is the UI width as defined in the "size" property of "ui" in MPEG_controllers.

[0080] The "controllers" list contains a single index: 44. This indicates that the UI control drives the controller of index 44. (The code for the controller itself is not shown in the code listing.) In an example, the UI changes the weight of two morph targets related to the right outer eyebrow (we assume they are named AU4_innerbrowrlow_R1 and AU2_outerbrowraiser_R1 in the gITF file). The graphs of FIG.3 show how this controller updates the morph targets, with weight values between -0.5 and 1.0. In its initial state, controller 44 has a weight of 0, which maps to zero weights in morph target. The initial weight of this and other controls may be the weights provided by the “weights” property within MPEG_controllers. In this state, the control shows a cursor on the line, 1 / 3 from the beginning (154, 166) and 2 / 3 from the end (118, 99). Thiscursor location is the result of a linear interpolation between the minimum and maximum weight values.

[0081] In a case where the user moves the cursor to the beginning of the line at (154, 166), then the weight for controller 44 becomes -0.5, the minimum weight value. FIG. 4 illustrates this state. In a case where the user moves the cursor to the end of the line at (118, 99), then the weight for controller 44 becomes 1.0, the maximum weight value. FIG. 5 illustrates this state.

[0082] Rectangle Control. This section describes the second Ul control (index 1).

[0083] In this example, the name of this control is "m34". It is a "rectangle" control, with coordinates (96, 577) -> (52,531). It is visible in FIG. 2, in the bottom-left part of the controls window. This control drives the controllers with indices 28 and 29, which changes the weight of two morph target related to mouth moves. Controller 28 changes mouth opening (morph target "puckerOpen") and controller 29 looks like a kiss (morph target "AU18_lip_pucker"). FIG. 6 shows how controller 28 updates the first morph target in a range between 0.0 and 1 .0, and FIG. 7 shows the same for controller 29 and the second morph target.

[0084] In an initial state, both controllers have a zero weight, and the cursor is at (96, 577), in the bottom-right corner of the control rectangle (as shown in FIG. 2). If the user moves the cursor horizontally, the weight of the first controller (index 28) increases (as shown in FIG. 8). If the user moves the cursor vertically, the weight of the second controller (index 29) increases (as shown in FIG. 9). If the user moves the cursor horizontally and vertically, both weights increase (as shown in FIG. 10).

[0085] Ellipse control. This section describes the third Ul control, identified with index 2.

[0086] In this example, the name of this control is "gaze". It is an "ellipse" control, with coordinates (200, 262) -> (296, 218). It is visible in FIG. 2, in the middle part of the controls window. This control drives the controllers with indices 0 and 1 , which changes the weight of morph target related to eye moves and rotate eyes. Controller 0 changes eyelids (morph targets "AU61_Eyes_turn_L" and "AU61_Eyes_turn_R") and rotates eyes around Y axis. Controller 1 changes eyelids (morph targets "AU63_eyeUp " and "AU63_eyeDown ") and rotate eyes around X axis. FIG. 11 shows how controller 0 updates the first morph targets in a range between -1.0 and 1 .0, and FIG. 12 shows the same for controller 1 and the last morph targets.

[0087] In an initial state, both controllers may have a zero weight, and the cursor is at (248, 240), in the middle of the control ellipse (as seen in FIG. 6). If the user moves the cursor to the right, the weight of the first controller (index 0) increases, and the character looks to theleft (as seen in FIG. 13). If the user moves the cursor to the bottom, the weight of the second controller (index 1) increases, and the character looks to the bottom (as seen in FIG. 14). If the user moves the cursor to the bottom right as much as possible, both weights increase (as seen in FIG. 15). If this last case, since the cursor cannot go outside the ellipse, the control does not allow for the selection of the maximum weight value for both controllers at the same time.Example Parsing Methods

[0088] Example embodiments further include the parsing of an MPEG_controllers object (such as the object shown in Table 1). The parsing of the MPEG_controllers extension may be performed right after the usual parsing of the gITF file. FIG. 16 illustrates a flow chart of an example method of parsing an MPEG_controllers extension. If the "extensions" property is present at the root of the gITF file, and if it contains a "MPEG_controllers" property, then the parsing of the extension may be performed.

[0089] The "weights" list in "MPEG_controllers" is parsed. Then, the process iterates through all items of the "controllers" list. Each item is a Controller, whose parsing is detailed below. Next, if there is a "ui" property in "MPEG_controllers", the Ul size in the "size" property is obtained from inside "ui", and an iteration is performed through all items in the "controls" list. Each item of this list is a Control, whose parsing is detailed below.

[0090] Controller Parsing. This paragraph describes the parsing of a Controller (as shown in Table 2). A flow chart illustrating an example parsing process is provided in FIG. 17. The "name" property is parsed, if present. Then, if there is an "animation" property, the value of the animation property is used to get the function that updates the scene from an animation in the animations asset of the gITF file. Next, if there is a "min" property, that is used to shift the time (e.g., the value of sampler inputs). If there is no "animation" property, the controller property is parsed as if it was an animation, except that negative time values are acceptable.

[0091] UI Control Parsing. This paragraph describes the parsing of a UI control (as shown in Table 4). A flow chart illustrating an example parsing process is provided in FIG. 18. In the process, the “name” property, if any, is parsed. Parsing is then performed of the "type", "points" and "controllers" properties.Example Processing Workflow

[0092] When a user or team of users is creating or modifying 3D assets, one approach involves splitting the procedure into several stages. Each stage focuses on a specific task, like working on the mesh modeling, the textures, the animation, the lights, etc. These stages areoften handled by different people or teams, or by the same person but at different times. To manage this, one solution is to store the result of each stage in a new file. Using the current gITF standard, there are several tasks that are amenable to this approach. However, the current gITF does not accommodate this approach for other tasks, such as complex animations.

[0093] Considering this context, one approach involves using a collection of animations (or controllers) per model. For instance, character animations like walking, jumping or idling may be used. Faces are also associated with a set of facial expressions; each one being encoded as an animation. During an early step of the workflow, artists design these animations, in which cases the current gITF standard is sufficient. During later stages, artists generally combine these animations to create a final animated scene. In this last case, if this is the last stage, the combination of animations can be processed into final animations into current gITF files. However, if this is not the last stage, and if it is desirable for other artists to have the ability to revise the final animation (for instance, during the lighting stage), this approach is no longer feasible. Instead, it calls for artists in the earlier stages to update the separate animations and once again process them into a final animation.

[0094] However, using example embodiments as described herein, it becomes possible to store the animation creation process in a gITF file. If this context, the base animations are called controllers, and the combination of animations is then an animation of controllers. Then, artists in the next stages can modify the controllers' animations themselves. In some embodiments, the animation of controllers may be performed by animating controller weights using KHR_animation_pointer. For example, the "pointer" property of KHR_animation_pointer may be set to the MPEG controllers weights, which may be expressed as " / extensions / MPEG_controllers / weights". An example animation of controllers identified in an MPEG_controllers extension may be arranged as in the following example:"animations" : [{"samplers" : ["channels" : [{"sampler" : 0 ,"target" : {"path" : "pointer""extensions" : {"KHR_animation_pointer" : { "pointer" :" / extensions / MPEG_controllers / weights"}}}}}

[0095] Furthermore, 3D asset software supporting this extension can use the Ul definition encoded in the proposed extension. This allows artists that design the controllers to also design a user interface for the later stages, making the creation and update of controllers animations much easier.

[0096] In some embodiments, controller user interfaces may be provided in 3D asset files generated for sale by freelancers or other artists (e.g. through asset databases), allowing their work to be more easily modified by the purchaser of the asset and thereby increasing the value of the asset.

[0097] In some embodiments, controller user interfaces may be employed by end users, e.g. to modify 3D models of their own home (possibly to experiment with different designs and layouts) or to personalize their 3D avatars.Example Systems

[0098] The encoding, decoding, processing, and rendering of scene descriptions as described herein may be implemented using a system such as the system of FIG. 19. FIG. 19 is a block diagram of an example of a system in which various aspects and embodiments are implemented. System 1000 can be embodied as a device including the various components described below and is configured to perform one or more of the aspects described in this document. Examples of such devices, include, but are not limited to, various electronic devices such as personal computers, laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, digital multimedia set top boxes, digital television receivers, personal video recording systems, connected home appliances, and servers. Elements of system 1000, singly or in combination,can be embodied in a single integrated circuit (IC), multiple ICs, and / or discrete components. For example, in at least one embodiment, the processing and encoder / decoder elements of system 1000 are distributed across multiple ICs and / or discrete components. In various embodiments, the system 1000 is communicatively coupled to one or more other systems, or other electronic devices, via, for example, a communications bus or through dedicated input and / or output ports. In various embodiments, the system 1000 is configured to implement one or more of the aspects described in this document.

[0099] The system 1000 includes at least one processor 1010 configured to execute instructions loaded therein for implementing, for example, the various aspects described in this document. Processor 1010 can include embedded memory, input output interface, and various other circuitries as known in the art. The system 1000 includes at least one memory 1020 (e.g., a volatile memory device, and / or a non-volatile memory device). System 1000 includes a storage device 1040, which can include non-volatile memory and / or volatile memory, including, but not limited to, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), flash, magnetic disk drive, and / or optical disk drive. The storage device 1040 can include an internal storage device, an attached storage device (including detachable and non-detachable storage devices), and / or a network accessible storage device, as non-limiting examples.

[0100] System 1000 includes an encoder / decoder module 1030 configured, for example, to process data to provide an encoded or decoded scene, and the encoder / decoder module 1030 can include its own processor and memory. The encoder / decoder module 1030 represents module(s) that can be included in a device to perform the encoding and / or decoding functions. As is known, a device can include one or both of the encoding and decoding modules. Additionally, encoder / decoder module 1030 can be implemented as a separate element of system 1000 or can be incorporated within processor 1010 as a combination of hardware and software as known to those skilled in the art.

[0101] Program code to be loaded onto processor 1010 or encoder / decoder 1030 to perform the various aspects described in this document can be stored in storage device 1040 and subsequently loaded onto memory 1020 for execution by processor 1010. In accordance with various embodiments, one or more of processor 1010, memory 1020, storage device 1040, and encoder / decoder module 1030 can store one or more of various items during the performance of the processes described in this document. Such stored items can include, but are not limited to, the input scene, the decoded scene or portions of the decoded scene, thebitstream, matrices, variables, and intermediate or final results from the processing of equations, formulas, operations, and operational logic.

[0102] In some embodiments, memory inside of the processor 1010 and / or the encoder / decoder module 1030 is used to store instructions and to provide working memory for processing that is needed during encoding or decoding. In other embodiments, however, a memory external to the processing device (for example, the processing device can be either the processor 1010 or the encoder / decoder module 1030) is used for one or more of these functions. The external memory can be the memory 1020 and / or the storage device 1040, for example, a dynamic volatile memory and / or a non-volatile flash memory. In several embodiments, an external non-volatile flash memory is used to store the operating system of, for example, a television. In at least one embodiment, a fast external dynamic volatile memory such as a RAM is used as working memory for coding and decoding operations, such as for MPEG-2 (MPEG refers to the Moving Picture Experts Group, MPEG-2 is also referred to as ISO / IEC 13818, and 13818-1 is also known as H.222, and 13818-2 is also known as H.262), HEVC (HEVC refers to High Efficiency Video Coding, also known as H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2), or WC (Versatile Video Coding, a new standard being developed by JVET, the Joint Video Experts Team).

[0103] The input to the elements of system 1000 can be provided through various input devices as indicated in block 1130. Such input devices include, but are not limited to, (i) a radio frequency (RF) portion that receives an RF signal transmitted, for example, over the air by a broadcaster, (ii) a Component (COMP) input terminal (or a set of COMP input terminals), (iii) a Universal Serial Bus (USB) input terminal, and / or (iv) a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) input terminal. Other examples include composite video.

[0104] In various embodiments, the input devices of block 1130 have associated respective input processing elements as known in the art. For example, the RF portion can be associated with elements suitable for (i) selecting a desired frequency (also referred to as selecting a signal, or band-limiting a signal to a band of frequencies), (ii) downconverting the selected signal, (iii) band-limiting again to a narrower band of frequencies to select (for example) a signal frequency band which can be referred to as a channel in certain embodiments, (iv) demodulating the downconverted and band-limited signal, (v) performing error correction, and (vi) demultiplexing to select the desired stream of data packets. The RF portion of various embodiments includes one or more elements to perform these functions, for example, frequency selectors, signal selectors, band-limiters, channel selectors, filters, downconverters, demodulators, error correctors, and demultiplexers. The RF portion can include a tuner that performs various of these functions, including, for example, downconverting the received signal to a lower frequency (for example, an intermediate frequency or a near-basebandfrequency) or to baseband. In one set-top box embodiment, the RF portion and its associated input processing element receives an RF signal transmitted over a wired (for example, cable) medium, and performs frequency selection by filtering, downconverting, and filtering again to a desired frequency band. Various embodiments rearrange the order of the above-described (and other) elements, remove some of these elements, and / or add other elements performing similar or different functions. Adding elements can include inserting elements in between existing elements, such as, for example, inserting amplifiers and an analog-to-digital converter. In various embodiments, the RF portion includes an antenna.

[0105] Additionally, the USB and / or HDMI terminals can include respective interface processors for connecting system 1000 to other electronic devices across USB and / or HDMI connections. It is to be understood that various aspects of input processing, for example, Reed-Solomon error correction, can be implemented, for example, within a separate input processing IC or within processor 1010 as necessary. Similarly, aspects of USB or HDMI interface processing can be implemented within separate interface ICs or within processor 1010 as necessary. The demodulated, error corrected, and demultiplexed stream is provided to various processing elements, including, for example, processor 1010, and encoder / decoder 1030 operating in combination with the memory and storage elements to process the datastream as necessary for presentation on an output device.

[0106] Various elements of system 1000 can be provided within an integrated housing, Within the integrated housing, the various elements can be interconnected and transmit data therebetween using suitable connection arrangement 1140, for example, an internal bus as known in the art, including the I nter-IC (I2C) bus, wiring, and printed circuit boards.

[0107] The system 1000 includes communication interface 1050 that enables communication with other devices via communication channel 1060. The communication interface 1050 can include, but is not limited to, a transceiver configured to transmit and to receive data over communication channel 1060. The communication interface 1050 can include, but is not limited to, a modem or network card and the communication channel 1060 can be implemented, for example, within a wired and / or a wireless medium.

[0108] Data is streamed, or otherwise provided, to the system 1000, in various embodiments, using a wireless network such as a Wi-Fi network, for example IEEE 802.11 (IEEE refers to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). The Wi-Fi signal of these embodiments is received over the communications channel 1060 and the communications interface 1050 which are adapted for Wi-Fi communications. The communications channel 1060 of these embodiments is typically connected to an access point or router that provides access to external networks including the Internet for allowing streaming applications and other over-the-top communications. Other embodiments provide streamed data to the system 1000 using a set-top box that delivers the data over the HDMI connection of the input block 1130. Still other embodiments provide streamed data to the system 1000 using the RF connection of the input block 1130. As indicated above, various embodiments provide data in a non-streaming manner. Additionally, various embodiments use wireless networks other than Wi-Fi, for example a cellular network or a Bluetooth network.

[0109] The system 1000 can provide an output signal to various output devices, including a display 1100, speakers 1110, and other peripheral devices 1120. The display 1100 of various embodiments includes one or more of, for example, a touchscreen display, an organic lightemitting diode (OLED) display, a curved display, and / or a foldable display. The display 1100 can be for a television, a tablet, a laptop, a cell phone (mobile phone), or other device. The display 1100 can also be integrated with other components (for example, as in a smart phone), or separate (for example, an external monitor for a laptop). The other peripheral devices 1120 include, in various examples of embodiments, one or more of a stand-alone digital video disc (or digital versatile disc) (DVR, for both terms), a disk player, a stereo system, and / or a lighting system. Various embodiments use one or more peripheral devices 1120 that provide a function based on the output of the system 1000. For example, a disk player performs the function of playing the output of the system 1000.

[0110] In various embodiments, control signals are communicated between the system 1000 and the display 1100, speakers 1110, or other peripheral devices 1120 using signaling such as AVLink, Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), or other communications protocols that enable device-to-device control with or without user intervention. The output devices can be communicatively coupled to system 1000 via dedicated connections through respective interfaces 1070, 1080, and 1090. Alternatively, the output devices can be connected to system 1000 using the communications channel 1060 via the communications interface 1050. The display 1100 and speakers 1110 can be integrated in a single unit with the other components of system 1000 in an electronic device such as, for example, a television. In various embodiments, the display interface 1070 includes a display driver, such as, for example, a timing controller (T Con) chip.

[0111] The display 1100 and speaker 1110 can alternatively be separate from one or more of the other components, for example, if the RF portion of input 1130 is part of a separate set- top box. In various embodiments in which the display 1100 and speakers 1110 are external components, the output signal can be provided via dedicated output connections, including, for example, HDMI ports, USB ports, or COMP outputs.

[0112] The system 1000 may include one or more sensor devices 1095. Examples of sensor devices that may be used include one or more GPS sensors, gyroscopic sensors, accelerometers, light sensors, cameras, depth cameras, microphones, and / or magnetometers. Such sensors may be used to determine information such as user’s position and orientation. Where the system 1000 is used as the control module for an augmented reality display (such as control modules 124, 1254), the user’s position and orientation may be used in determining how to render image data such that the user perceives the correct portion of a virtual object or virtual scene from the correct point of view. In the case of headmounted display devices, the position and orientation of the device itself may be used to determine the position and orientation of the user for the purpose of rendering virtual content. In the case of other display devices, such as a phone, a tablet, a computer monitor, or a television, other inputs may be used to determine the position and orientation of the user for the purpose of rendering content. For example, a user may select and / or adjust a desired viewpoint and / or viewing direction with the use of a touch screen, keypad or keyboard, trackball, joystick, or other input. Where the display device has sensors such as accelerometers and / or gyroscopes, the viewpoint and orientation used for the purpose of rendering content may be selected and / or adjusted based on motion of the display device.

[0113] The embodiments can be carried out by computer software implemented by the processor 1010 or by hardware, or by a combination of hardware and software. As a nonlimiting example, the embodiments can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits. The memory 1020 can be of any type appropriate to the technical environment and can be implemented using any appropriate data storage technology, such as optical memory devices, magnetic memory devices, semiconductor-based memory devices, fixed memory, and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. The processor 1010 can be of any type appropriate to the technical environment, and can encompass one or more of microprocessors, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, and processors based on a multi-core architecture, as non-limiting examples.Further Embodiments

[0114] A method according to some embodiments includes obtaining a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene, the file including: a plurality of controller syntax structures, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene, and a plurality of user interface syntax structures, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position. The method further includes: for at least a first one of the user interface syntax structures, causing display of atleast a first user interface element at the position identified by the first user interface syntax structure; receiving, through the first user interface element, a user input indicating a first weight; based on a first controller syntax structure identified by the first user interface syntax structure, determining a first output transformation associated with the first weight; and generating a transformed node by applying the first output transformation to the node associated with the first controller syntax structure to obtain a transformed node.

[0115] Some embodiments further comprise causing display of the transformed node. In some embodiments, the transformed node and the user interface element are displayed simultaneously.

[0116] In some embodiments, the node associated with the first controller syntax structure includes a mesh.

[0117] In some embodiments, the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable within a range defined by the first user interface syntax structure, and wherein the first weight is indicated by a position of the cursor within the range.

[0118] In some embodiments, the first user interface syntax structure indicates a start point and an end point, wherein the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable along a line between the start point and the end point, and wherein the first weight is indicated by a position of the cursor within the range.

[0119] In some embodiments, the first user interface syntax structure defines a rectangle; the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable within the rectangle; the first weight is indicated by a vertical position of the cursor within the rectangle; and a second weight is indicated by a horizontal position of the cursor within the rectangle.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first user interface syntax structure defines an ellipse; the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable within the ellipse; the first weight is indicated by a vertical position of the cursor within the ellipse; and a second weight is indicated by a horizontal position of the cursor within the ellipse.

[0121] Some embodiments further include: based on a second controller syntax structure in the runtime asset delivery file, determining a second output transformation associated with the second weight; wherein generating the transformed node further comprises applying the second output transformation to the node associated with the first controller syntax structure.

[0122] In some embodiments, the transformation comprises at least one of the following: a rotation, a translation, a change in scaling, or a change to a morph target weight.

[0123] Some embodiments include, after receiving the user input indicating the first weight, storing the first weight in the runtime asset delivery file.

[0124] A method according to some embodiments comprises: encoding at least one node in a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene; encoding a plurality of controller syntax structures in the runtime asset delivery file, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of input weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene, and encoding a plurality of user interface syntax structures in the runtime asset delivery file, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position, each user interface syntax structure defining a respective user interface element for modifying an input weight of the corresponding controller syntax structure.

[0125] A signal according to some embodiments comprises a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene, wherein the scene description data includes: at least one node; a plurality of controller syntax structures, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of input weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene; and a plurality of user interface syntax structures, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position, each user interface syntax structure defining a respective user interface element for modifying an input weight of the corresponding controller syntax structure. In some embodiments, the asset delivery file is a JSON file. In some embodiments, the runtime asset delivery file is a gITF file.

[0126] Further embodiments include one or more processors configured to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0127] Further embodiments include a computer-readable medium (which may be non- transitory) including instructions for causing one or more processors to perform any of the methods described herein.

[0128] Further embodiments include a computer program product including instructions which, when the program is executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to carry out any of the methods described herein.

[0129] This disclosure describes a variety of aspects, including tools, features, embodiments, models, approaches, etc. Many of these aspects are described with specificity and, at least to show the individual characteristics, are often described in a manner that may sound limiting. However, this is for purposes of clarity in description, and does not limit the disclosure or scope of those aspects. Indeed, all of the different aspects can be combined and interchanged to provide further aspects. Moreover, the aspects can be combined and interchanged with aspects described in earlier filings as well.

[0130] The aspects described and contemplated in this disclosure can be implemented in many different forms. While some embodiments are illustrated specifically, other embodiments are contemplated, and the discussion of particular embodiments does not limit the breadth of the implementations. At least one of the aspects generally relates to video encoding and decoding, and at least one other aspect generally relates to transmitting a bitstream generated or encoded. These and other aspects can be implemented as a method, an apparatus, a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for encoding or decoding video data according to any of the methods described, and / or a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a bitstream generated according to any of the methods described.

[0131] Various methods are described herein, and each of the methods comprises one or more steps or actions for achieving the described method. Unless a specific order of steps or actions is required for proper operation of the method, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions may be modified or combined. Additionally, terms such as “first”, “second”, etc. may be used in various embodiments to modify an element, component, step, operation, etc., such as, for example, a “first decoding” and a “second decoding”. Use of such terms does not imply an ordering to the modified operations unless specifically required. So, in this example, the first decoding need not be performed before the second decoding, and may occur, for example, before, during, or in an overlapping time period with the second decoding.

[0132] Various numeric values may be used in the present disclosure, for example. The specific values are for example purposes and the aspects described are not limited to these specific values.

[0133] Embodiments described herein may be carried out by computer software implemented by a processor or other hardware, or by a combination of hardware and software. As a nonlimiting example, the embodiments can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits. The processor can be of any type appropriate to the technical environment and can encompass one or more of microprocessors, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, and processors based on a multi-core architecture, as non-limiting examples.

[0134] When a figure is presented as a flow diagram, it should be understood that it also provides a block diagram of a corresponding apparatus. Similarly, when a figure is presented as a block diagram, it should be understood that it also provides a flow diagram of a corresponding method / process.

[0135] The implementations and aspects described herein can be implemented in, for example, a method ora process, an apparatus, a software program, a data stream, or a signal. Even if only discussed in the context of a single form of implementation (for example,discussed only as a method), the implementation of features discussed can also be implemented in other forms (for example, an apparatus or program). An apparatus can be implemented in, for example, appropriate hardware, software, and firmware. The methods can be implemented in, for example, a processor, which refers to processing devices in general, including, for example, a computer, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit, or a programmable logic device. Processors also include communication devices, such as, for example, computers, cell phones, portable / personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), and other devices that facilitate communication of information between end-users.

[0136] Reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “one implementation” or “an implementation”, as well as other variations thereof, means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” or “in one implementation” or “in an implementation”, as well any other variations, appearing in various places throughout this disclosure are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0137] Additionally, this disclosure may refer to “determining” various pieces of information. Determining the information can include one or more of, for example, estimating the information, calculating the information, predicting the information, or retrieving the information from memory.

[0138] Further, this disclosure may refer to “accessing” various pieces of information. Accessing the information can include one or more of, for example, receiving the information, retrieving the information (for example, from memory), storing the information, moving the information, copying the information, calculating the information, determining the information, predicting the information, or estimating the information.

[0139] Additionally, this disclosure may refer to “receiving” various pieces of information. Receiving is, as with “accessing”, intended to be a broad term. Receiving the information can include one or more of, for example, accessing the information, or retrieving the information (for example, from memory). Further, “receiving” is typically involved, in one way or another, during operations such as, for example, storing the information, processing the information, transmitting the information, moving the information, copying the information, erasing the information, calculating the information, determining the information, predicting the information, or estimating the information.

[0140] It is to be appreciated that the use of any of the following 7”, “and / or”, and “at least one of’, for example, in the cases of “A / B”, “A and / or B” and “at least one of A and B”, is intended to encompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the secondlisted option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A and B). As a further example, in the cases of “A, B, and / or C” and “at least one of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the second listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listed option (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listed options (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listed options (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listed options (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and B and C). This may be extended for as many items as are listed.

[0141] Also, as used herein, the word “signal” refers to, among other things, indicating something to a corresponding decoder. For example, in certain embodiments the encoder signals a particular one of a plurality of parameters for region-based filter parameter selection for de-artifact filtering. In this way, in an embodiment the same parameter is used at both the encoder side and the decoder side. Thus, for example, an encoder can transmit (explicit signaling) a particular parameter to the decoder so that the decoder can use the same particular parameter. Conversely, if the decoder already has the particular parameter as well as others, then signaling can be used without transmitting (implicit signaling) to simply allow the decoder to know and select the particular parameter. By avoiding transmission of any actual functions, a bit savings is realized in various embodiments. It is to be appreciated that signaling can be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, one or more syntax elements, flags, and so forth are used to signal information to a corresponding decoder in various embodiments. While the preceding relates to the verb form of the word “signal”, the word “signal” can also be used herein as a noun.

[0142] Implementations can produce a variety of signals formatted to carry information that can be, for example, stored or transmitted. The information can include, for example, instructions for performing a method, or data produced by one of the described implementations. For example, a signal can be formatted to carry the bitstream of a described embodiment. Such a signal can be formatted, for example, as an electromagnetic wave (for example, using a radio frequency portion of spectrum) or as a baseband signal. The formatting can include, for example, encoding a data stream and modulating a carrier with the encoded data stream. The information that the signal carries can be, for example, analog or digital information. The signal can be transmitted over a variety of different wired or wireless links, as is known. The signal can be stored on a processor-readable medium.

[0143] We describe a number of embodiments. Features of these embodiments can be provided alone or in any combination, across various claim categories and types. Further, embodiments can include one or more of the following features, devices, or aspects, alone or in any combination, across various claim categories and types:• A bitstream or signal that includes one or more of the described syntax elements, or variations thereof.• A bitstream or signal that includes syntax conveying information generated according to any of the embodiments described.• Creating and / or transmitting and / or receiving and / or decoding a bitstream or signal that includes one or more of the described syntax elements, or variations thereof.• Creating and / or transmitting and / or receiving and / or decoding according to any of the embodiments described.• A method, process, apparatus, medium storing instructions, medium storing data, or signal according to any of the embodiments described.

[0144] Note that various hardware elements of one or more of the described embodiments may be referred to as “modules” that carry out (i.e., perform, execute, and the like) various functions that are described herein in connection with the respective modules. As used herein, a module includes hardware (e.g., one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcontrollers, one or more microchips, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more memory devices) deemed suitable for a given implementation. Each described module may also include instructions executable for carrying out the one or more functions described as being carried out by the respective module, and it is noted that those instructions could take the form of or include hardware (i.e., hardwired) instructions, firmware instructions, software instructions, and / or the like, and may be stored in any suitable non-transitory computer- readable medium or media, such as commonly referred to as RAM, ROM, etc.

[0145] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method comprising: obtaining a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene, the file including: a plurality of controller syntax structures, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene, and a plurality of user interface syntax structures, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one associated position; for at least a first one of the user interface syntax structures, causing display of at least a first user interface element at the associated position; receiving, through the first user interface element, a user input indicating a first weight; based on a first controller syntax structure identified by the first user interface syntax structure, determining a first output transformation associated with the first weight; and generating a transformed node by applying the first output transformation to the node associated with the first controller syntax structure.

2. An apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform at least: obtaining a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene, the file including: a plurality of controller syntax structures, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene, and a plurality of user interface syntax structures, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one associated position; for at least a first one of the user interface syntax structures, causing display of at least a first user interface element at the associated position; receiving, through the first user interface element, a user input indicating a first weight; based on a first controller syntax structure identified by the first user interface syntax structure, determining a first output transformation associated with the first weight; and generating a transformed node by applying the first output transformation to the node associated with the first controller syntax structure.

3. The method of claim 1 or the apparatus of claim 2, further comprising causing display of the transformed node.

4. The method of claim 1 , or claim 3 as it depends from claim 1 , or the apparatus of claim 2, or claim 3 as it depends from claim 2, wherein the transformed node and the user interface element are displayed simultaneously.

5. The method of claim 1 , or claims 3-4 as they depend from claim 1 , or the apparatus of claim 2, or claims 3-4 as they depend from claim 2, wherein the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable along a line between a start point and an end point, and wherein the first weight is indicated by a position of the cursor within the range.

6. The method of claim 1 , or claims 3-4 as they depend from claim 1 , or the apparatus of claim 2, or claims 3-4 as they depend from claim 2, wherein: the first user interface syntax structure defines a rectangular or elliptical two- dimensional shape; the first user interface element comprises a cursor movable within the two-dimensional shape; the first weight is indicated by a vertical position of the cursor within the two- dimensional shape; and a second weight is indicated by a horizontal position of the cursor within the two- dimensional shape.

7. The method of claim 1 , or claims 3-6 as they depend from claim 1 , or the apparatus of claim 2, or claims 3-6 as they depend from claim 2, further comprising: based on a second controller syntax structure in the runtime asset delivery file, determining a second output transformation associated with the second weight; wherein generating the transformed node further comprises applying the second output transformation to the node associated with the first controller syntax structure.

8. The method of claim 1 , or claims 3-7 as they depend from claim 1 , or the apparatus of claim 2, or claims 3-7 as they depend from claim 2, wherein the first output transformation comprises at least one of the following: a rotation, a translation, a change in scaling, or a change to a morph target weight.

9. The method of claim 1 , or claims 3-8 as they depend from claim 1 , or the apparatus of claim 2, or claims 3-8 as they depend from claim 2, further comprising, after receiving the user input indicating the first weight, storing the first weight in the runtime asset delivery file.

10. A method comprising: encoding at least one node in a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene; encoding a plurality of controller syntax structures in the runtime asset delivery file, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of input weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene, and encoding a plurality of user interface syntax structures in the runtime asset delivery file, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position, each user interface syntax structure defining a respective user interface element for modifying an input weight of the corresponding controller syntax structure.11 . An apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to perform at least: encoding at least one node in a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene; encoding a plurality of controller syntax structures in the runtime asset delivery file, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of input weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene, and encoding a plurality of user interface syntax structures in the runtime asset delivery file, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position, each user interface syntax structure defining a respective user interface element for modifying an input weight of the corresponding controller syntax structure.

12. The method of claim 10 or the apparatus of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the user interface syntax structures indicates a start point and an end point, wherein the corresponding user interface element comprises a cursor movable along a line between the start point and the end point, and wherein a corresponding input weight is indicated by a position of the cursor within the range.

13. The method of claim 10 or the apparatus of claim 11 , wherein: at least one of the user interface syntax structures defines a rectangular or elliptical two-dimensional shape; the corresponding user interface element comprises a cursor movable within the two- dimensional shape; a first input weight is indicated by a vertical position of the cursor within the two- dimensional shape; and a second input weight is indicated by a horizontal position of the cursor within the two- dimensional shape.

14. The method of claim 10, or claims 12-13 as they depend from claim 10, or the apparatus of claim 11 or claims 12-13 as they depend from claim 11 , wherein the transformation comprises at least one of the following: a rotation, a translation, a change in scaling, or a change to a morph target weight.

15. A signal comprising a runtime asset delivery file for a 3D scene, wherein the runtime asset delivery file includes: at least one node; a plurality of controller syntax structures, each controller syntax structure defining an association between a range of input weights and respective output transformations of at least one associated node in the scene; and a plurality of user interface syntax structures, each user interface syntax structure including information identifying at least one associated controller syntax structure and at least one position, each user interface syntax structure defining a respective user interface element for modifying an input weight of the corresponding controller syntax structure.

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