Abstract: Various customization options are provided for customizing a 3D avatar of a head. Features of the head and assets corresponding to the features can be customized using blend shapes. An amount of storage for the plurality of blend shapes is minimized by determining overlapping blend shapes that can be reused for a plurality of different assets. Further, techniques are provided for dynamic changes to an avatar in accordance with selected features and assets.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for placing an asset on a three-dimensional model. Each asset can be associated with a pivot point and with an asset normal. A contact point on the surface of a model where an asset is to be positioned may be identified, and a surface normal that may be perpendicular to the surface at the contact point may also be identified. Then, the asset can be placed on the model such that the position of the pivot point of the asset may coincide with the position of the identified contact point on the surface of the model, and such that the orientation of the asset normal may match the orientation of the identified surface normal.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a video of an emoji that has been puppeted using inputs from image, depth, and audio. The inputs can capture facial expressions of a user, eye, eyebrow, mouth, and head movements. A pose, held by the user, can be detected that can be used to generate supplemental animation. The emoji can further be animated using physical properties associated with the emoji and captured movements. An emoji of a dog can have its ears move in response to an up-and-down movement, or a shaking of the head. The video can be sent in a message to one or more recipients. A sending device can render the puppeted video in accordance with hardware and software capabilities of a recipient's computer device.

Abstract: User interfaces for browsing and/or searching are described. In one embodiment, a method includes displaying a first display area for display representations of documents matching a search query, the first display area configured to display content of the documents which can have a plurality of different types of content including at least one of text-based content and a folder, and displaying a second display area for selecting a selected document to be displayed in the first display area. Other embodiments are also described, and computer readable media and apparatuses are also described.

Abstract: Simulating a 3D audio environment, including receiving a visual representation of an object at a location in a scene, wherein the location represents a point in 3D space, receiving a sound element, and binding the sound element to the visual representation of the object such that a characteristic of the sound element is dynamically modified coincident with a change in location in the scene of the visual representation of the object in 3D space.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media to improve the animation capabilities of a computer system are described. Animation targets may be represented as a combination of a current animation pose and an incremental morph. The incremental morph may be represented as a series of non-zero weights, where each weight alters one of a predetermined number of target poses. Each target pose may be represented as a weighted difference with respect to a reference pose. Target poses may be stored in memory in a unique and beneficial manner. The disclosed manner permits the efficient retrieval of pose vertex data at run-time and may be especially efficient in systems that do not use, or have very little, cache memory.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a video of an emoji that has been puppeted using inputs from image, depth, and audio. The inputs can capture facial expressions of a user, eye, eyebrow, mouth, and head movements. A pose, held by the user, can be detected that can be used to generate supplemental animation. The emoji can further be animated using physical properties associated with the emoji and captured movements. An emoji of a dog can have its ears move in response to an up-and-down movement, or a shaking of the head. The video can be sent in a message to one or more recipients. A sending device can render the puppeted video in accordance with hardware and software capabilities of a recipient's computer device.

Abstract: Simulating a 3D audio environment, including receiving a visual representation of an object at a location in a scene, wherein the location represents a point in 3D space, receiving a sound element, and binding the sound element to the visual representation of the object such that a characteristic of the sound element is dynamically modified coincident with a change in location in the scene of the visual representation of the object in 3D space.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media to improve the animation capabilities of a computer system are described. Animation targets may be represented as a combination of a current animation pose and an incremental morph. The incremental morph may be represented as a series of non-zero weights, where each weight alters one of a predetermined number of target poses. Each target pose may be represented as a weighted difference with respect to a reference pose. Target poses may be stored in memory in a unique and beneficial manner. The disclosed manner permits the efficient retrieval of pose vertex data at run-time and may be especially efficient in systems that do not use, or have very little, cache memory.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a video of an emoji that has been puppeted using inputs from image, depth, and audio. The inputs can capture facial expressions of a user, eye, eyebrow, mouth, and head movements. A pose, held by the user, can be detected that can be used to generate supplemental animation. The emoji can further be animated using physical properties associated with the emoji and captured movements. An emoji of a dog can have its ears move in response to an up-and-down movement, or a shaking of the head. The video can be sent in a message to one or more recipients. A sending device can render the puppeted video in accordance with hardware and software capabilities of a recipient's computer device.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for placing an asset on a three-dimensional model. Each asset can be associated with a pivot point and with an asset normal. A contact point on the surface of a model where an asset is to be positioned may be identified, and a surface normal that may be perpendicular to the surface at the contact point may also be identified. Then, the asset can be placed on the model such that the position of the pivot point of the asset may coincide with the position of the identified contact point on the surface of the model, and such that the orientation of the asset normal may match the orientation of the identified surface normal.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for placing an asset on a three-dimensional model. Each asset can be associated with a pivot point and with an asset normal. A contact point on the surface of a model where an asset is to be positioned may be identified, and a surface normal that may be perpendicular to the surface at the contact point may also be identified. Then, the asset can be placed on the model such that the position of the pivot point of the asset may coincide with the position of the identified contact point on the surface of the model, and such that the orientation of the asset normal may match the orientation of the identified surface normal.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for creating and using customized avatar instances to reflect current user states are disclosed. In various implementations, the user states can be defined using trigger events based on user-entered textual data, emoticons, or states of the device being used. For each user state, a customized avatar instance having a facial expression, body language, accessories, clothing items, and/or a presentation scheme reflective of the user state can be generated. When one or more trigger events indicating occurrence of a particular user state are detected on the device, the avatar presented on the device is updated with the customized avatar instance associated with the particular user state.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for presenting and browsing items in a tilted 3D space are disclosed. In tilted viewing mode, groups of items from several consecutive levels of a hierarchy can be presented in respective browsable parades shown at different depths into a viewable region of the tilted 3D space. The user can browse laterally across each browsable parade, and browse up and down the hierarchy within the tilted 3D space. With the combination of browsing laterally across the parades presented in the viewable region of the tilted 3D space and browsing up and down the hierarchy along the depth dimension of the 3D space, the user can navigate the entirety of the hierarchy in the tilted 3D space.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide for techniques to facilitate online communication. In one embodiment, the communication is facilitated by providing a framework to enable the transmission of customized avatars across the messaging platform. The avatars may be recipe based, such that a receiving client device can receive the avatar recipe and render an avatar based on the recipe. In one embodiment the recipe includes set of components and a parameters associated with the set of components. An expression identifier associated with an expression to represent via the avatar can be received via the messaging platform and an animation of the avatar can be displayed to convey the intended expression.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media to improve the animation capabilities of a computer system are described. Animation targets may be represented as a combination of a current animation pose and an incremental morph. The incremental morph may be represented as a series of non-zero weights, where each weight alters one of a predetermined number of target poses. Each target pose may be represented as a weighted difference with respect to a reference pose. Target poses may be stored in memory in a unique and beneficial manner. The disclosed manner permits the efficient retrieval of pose vertex data at run-time and may be especially efficient in systems that do not use, or have very little, cache memory.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for creating and using customized avatar instances to reflect current user states are disclosed. In various implementations, the user states can be defined using trigger events based on user-entered textual data, emoticons, or states of the device being used. For each user state, a customized avatar instance having a facial expression, body language, accessories, clothing items, and/or a presentation scheme reflective of the user state can be generated. When one or more trigger events indicating occurrence of a particular user state are detected on the device, the avatar presented on the device is updated with the customized avatar instance associated with the particular user state.

Abstract: Shader manipulation via object-oriented instructions is disclosed. In various embodiments, a processor may receive object-oriented instructions. Upon receiving the object-oriented instructions, the processor may match the object-oriented instructions to uniforms of a non-object-oriented application programming interface (API) that may interface with a graphics processing unit (GPU). Further, the processor may modify the uniforms based at least in part on the received object-oriented instructions. Additionally, the processor may implements the uniforms after modification at a determined time.

Abstract: A user interface on a device allows a user to set their remote user status for viewing by other individuals on their devices. The user or an application can select from a number of predefined remote user status indicators representing remote user status, and the user can optionally include a text message to be displayed with the remote user status indicator. The selected remote user status indicator and optional text message can be stored on a network and made available to other devices that have a contact database that includes the user as a contact. In some implementations, the remote user status indicator can be displayed proximate the user's name in a user interface, such as a favorites list, e-mail interface, text messaging interface, chat room, or any other user interface associated with an application.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for placing an asset on a three-dimensional model. Each asset can be associated with a pivot point and with an asset normal. A contact point on the surface of a model where an asset is to be positioned may be identified, and a surface normal that may be perpendicular to the surface at the contact point may also be identified. Then, the asset can be placed on the model such that the position of the pivot point of the asset may coincide with the position of the identified contact point on the surface of the model, and such that the orientation of the asset normal may match the orientation of the identified surface normal.