Avatar Cluster Navigation in 3D Virtual Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Navigating through large and complex 3D virtual environments can be difficult due to overcrowding by avatars, limiting the user's view and making it hard to filter or jump between different groups, especially when clusters of avatars are not directly visible.
Innovation Solution
The system identifies clusters of avatars based on density or user preferences and provides intuitive user interface elements to browse, select, and join these clusters, allowing users to reposition their avatar to unoccupied positions within or near the cluster, while orienting them towards the event or object of interest.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the 3D virtual environment is populated with many avatars to create a lively event atmosphere, then the social interaction potential is improved, but the user's view becomes obstructed and navigation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (the avatar cluster identification and display mechanism) that mediates between the user and the crowded virtual environment. The system identifies clusters of avatars, determines their characteristics, and presents them through UI elements, allowing users to navigate to social groups without physically moving through the obstructed 3D space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential information about avatar clusters (density, size, orientation, event of interest) from the complex 3D environment and presents it through simplified UI elements. This extraction allows users to understand and navigate to social groups without being overwhelmed by the visual complexity of the crowded environment.
2Loss of information
If the user interface provides detailed information about all avatar clusters, then the user can make informed navigation decisions, but the user interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different levels of information through different UI elements. The first UI element provides basic cluster information (presence, general location), while the second UI element provides detailed information (density, size, orientation, specific event of interest) only when the user selects or hovers over a particular cluster, allowing informed decisions without overwhelming the interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the information presentation into multiple UI elements that are displayed at different times or levels of interaction. The first UI element provides initial cluster information, and the second UI element provides additional detailed information upon user selection, dividing the information delivery process into manageable segments.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the user can only see avatars within line of sight, then the rendering load is reduced, but the user cannot discover or join clusters that are not directly visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical line-of-sight requirement with an information-based system. Instead of requiring the user to physically position the avatar to see clusters, the system uses processing power to identify and display cluster information through UI elements, substituting computational information processing for visual line-of-sight mechanics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary information system that bridges the gap between the user's limited visual field and the complete state of the virtual environment. The system processes spatial and density information to identify clusters anywhere in the environment and presents them through UI elements, allowing users to discover and navigate to clusters without direct visual contact.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for navigation in a 3D virtual environment are provided. In an embodiment, a method includes displaying an avatar in a first position of a 3D virtual environment and identifying a cluster of avatars in the 3D virtual environment. In an embodiment, the method may include, in response to receiving a user interface input request to place the avatar into the cluster of avatars, identifying an identified unoccupied position in the cluster, and repositioning the avatar from the first position of the 3D virtual environment to the identified unoccupied position in the cluster.