Abstract: A computer-enabled method for rendering a scene of objects representing physical objects includes projecting a first plurality of rays against a scene and aggregating a second plurality of rays that intersect a bounding volume, wherein the bounding volume encloses an object of the scene, and wherein the second plurality of rays is a portion of the first plurality of rays. The method further includes determining or computing intersections of the second plurality of aggregated rays with the object when the number of the second plurality of aggregated rays exceeds a predetermined value. The method also includes rendering the scene based on the determined intersections of the rays with the object. The second plurality of rays may be aggregated in a bounding volume aggregate data structure for processing.

Abstract: Systems and processes for rendering fractures in an object are provided. In one example, a surface representation of an object may be converted into a volumetric representation of the object. The volumetric representation of the object may be divided into volumetric representations of two or more fragments. The volumetric representations of the two or more fragments may be converted into surface representations of the two or more fragments. Additional information associated with attributes of adjacent fragments may be used to convert the volumetric representations of the two or more fragments into surface representations of the two or more fragments. The surface representations of the two or more fragments may be displayed.

Abstract: A system for performing graphics processing is disclosed. A dependency graph comprising interconnected nodes is accessed. Each node has output attributes and the dependency graph receives input attributes. A first list is accessed, which includes a dirty status for each dirty output attribute of the dependency graph. A second list is accessed, which associates one of the input attributes with output attributes that are affected by the one input attribute. A third list is accessed, which associates one of the output attributes with output attributes that affect the one output attribute. An evaluation request for a requested output attribute is received. A set of output attributes are selected for evaluation based on being specified in the first list as dirty and being specified in the third list as associated with the requested output attribute. The set of output attributes are evaluated.

Abstract: A drawing table for an animator to hand create or modify a computer-generated image includes a display and a fused fiber optic plate. The display is configured to display the computer-generated image on a top surface. The fused fiber optic plate of bundled, optical fibers has an input surface and an output surface. The input surface is optically bonded to the top surface of the display. When the computer-generated image is displayed on the display, the fused fiber optic plate is configured to relay the computer-generated image from the input surface to the output surface.

Abstract: A skin deformation system for use in computer animation is disclosed. The skin deformation system accesses the skeleton structure of a computer generated character, and accesses a user's identification of features of the skeleton structure that may affect a skin deformation. The system also accesses the user's identification of a weighting strategy. Using the identified weighting strategy and identified features of the skeleton structure, the skin deformation system determines the degree to which each feature identified by the user may influence the deformation of a skin of the computer generated character. The skin deformation system may incorporate secondary operations including bulge, slide, scale and twist into the deformation of a skin Information relating to a deformed skin may be stored by the skin deformation system so that the information may be used to produce a visual image for a viewer.

Abstract: A drawing table for an animator to hand create or modify a computer-generated image includes a display and a fused fiber optic plate. The display is configured to display the computer-generated image on a top surface. The fused fiber optic plate of bundled, optical fibers has an input surface and an output surface. The input surface is optically bonded to the top surface of the display. When the computer-generated image is displayed on the display, the fused fiber optic plate is configured to relay the computer-generated image from the input surface to the output surface.

Abstract: Echo cancellation for audio/video conferencing uses an inaudible tone added at an originating conference site to the transmitted voice signal, for echo cancellation. The tone, upon receipt with the voice signal at a remote conferencing site and retransmission back to the originating site, is used to determine both the round trip delay of the conferencing link and the acoustic characteristics of the remote site, so as generate an echo cancellation signal for better audio performance.

Abstract: An animated special effect is modeled using a fluid dynamics framework system. The fluid dynamics framework for animated special effects system accepts volumetric data as input. Input volumetric data may represent the initial state of an animated special effect. Input volumetric data may also represent sources, sinks, external forces, and/or other influences on the animated special effect. In addition, the system accepts input parameters related to fluid dynamics modeling. The input volumes and parameters are applied to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations as modifications to the initial state of the animated special effect, as modifications to the forcing term of a pressure equation, or in the computations of other types of forces that influence the solution. The input volumetric data may be composited with other volumetric data using a scalar blending field. The solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations models the motion of the animated special effect.

Abstract: A computer-animated scene illuminated by indirect light is shaded. The scene is comprised of sample locations on a surface element of an object in the scene. A point cloud representation of the scene is generated. Optionally, an importance map of the scene, based on the point cloud representation, is generated. The importance map is generated by rasterizing one or more points in the point cloud and designating areas of interest based on the energy value of the one or more points in the point cloud. A ray tracing engine is biased, based on the importance map. The biased ray tracing engine calculates the path of the ray to the sample locations in the scene to an area of interest. The scene is shaded using the output from the biased ray tracing engine.

Abstract: A tinted color value is produced for a surface of an object in a computer generated scene. The surface is illuminated by a light source having a lighting color value associated with the light source. A first reflected color value is calculated for the surface. The first reflected color value is calculated based on an assumption that the surface is illuminated by white light rather than the lighting color value associated with the light source. A desaturated color value is computed using the first reflected color value. A tinted color value is computed by combining the desaturated color value with the lighting color value associated with the light source. The tinted color value is stored.

Abstract: The surface of a body of water can be animated by deconstructing a master wave model into several layer models and then reconstructing the layer models to form an optimized wave model. A wave model is obtained, which describes the wave surfaces in a body of water. The wave model is comprised of a range of wave model frequencies over a given area. A primary layer model, secondary and tertiary layer models are constructed based on portions of the wave model frequencies. An optimized wave model is constructed by combining the primary, secondary, and tertiary layer models. A wave surface point location is determined within the given area. A wave height value is computed for the wave surface point location using the optimized wave model. The wave height value that is associated with the surface point location is stored.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to a computer-implemented method of providing a transition between first and second regions within a virtual scene, where the first and second regions are rendered using different methods and being connected to one another along a border line. The second region features a sharply diminishing illumination from the border line. The method includes adding, an overlay of additional illumination to the first region as to make the illumination in portions of the first region that are close to the borderline similar to that of portions of the second region that are close to the border line. The method also includes shifting a position on which calculation of the illumination of the second region is based away from the first region.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to rendering computer graphics using an augmented direct light model which approximates the effect of indirect light in shadows. More specifically, a shadow illuminator light source is provided for. The shadow illuminator light source is associated with an ordinary, or primary light source and is used to provide illumination in areas which are in shadows with respect to the primary light source. The shadow illuminator provides illumination only to areas which are considered to be in the shadows with respect to the light source the shadow illuminator is associated with. Thus, the shadow illuminator may be used to approximate the effects of indirect light.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate for rendering translucent objects. According to some embodiments, the color of a pixel of a translucent object that is not directly illuminated by a light source can be determined by decaying the illumination contributed by the light source according to a predefined decay function. The decay function may be, for example, an exponential decay function. The decay function may be evaluated based on an initial illumination contributed by the light source, and a transmittance distance. In some embodiments, the initial color of the pixel is decayed instead of the illumination. Also disclosed is modifying the renderings of different regions of an object which have been rendered using different methods in order to remove sharp contrasts between these regions.

Abstract: To generate a skin-attached element on a skin surface of an animated character, a region of the skin surface within a predetermined distance from a skin-attached element root position is deformed to form a lofted skin according to one of a plurality of constraint surfaces, where each of the plurality of constraint surfaces does not intersect with each other. A sublamina mesh surface constrained to the lofted skin is created. A two-dimensional version of the skin-attached element is projected onto the sublamina mesh surface. The lofted skin is reverted back to a state of the skin surface prior to the deformation of the region of the skin surface.

Abstract: Systems and processes for rendering fractures in an object are provided. In one example, a surface representation of an object may be converted into a volumetric representation of the object. The volumetric representation of the object may be divided into volumetric representations of two or more fragments. The volumetric representations of the two or more fragments may be converted into surface representations of the two or more fragments. Additional information associated with attributes of adjacent fragments may be used to convert the volumetric representations of the two or more fragments into surface representations of the two or more fragments. The surface representations of the two or more fragments may be displayed.

Abstract: In a video or other screen display apparatus, a surround to the actual screen is provided whose light output is variable in order to compensate for the effect of ambient (room) illumination on apparent contrast and chroma of the displayed image. The relationship between ambient light level and the surround illumination is an inverse power function. This provides the effect of making the viewer perceive that the entire room is brighter than it actually is, resulting in a desirable change in his perception of brightness. Thereby, the chromaticity of the surround is variable to allow a match to the calibrated white point of the video display. The apparatus includes an ambient light sensor whose output signal is provided to a control system driving the illuminated surround.

Abstract: A computer generated character is decorated with skin-attached features in computer graphics by defining a skin surface of the computer generated character. The skin surface is defined using a set of one or more connected parametric surfaces. Feature locations for the features are placed on the defined skin surface. Guide locations for guides are placed on the defined skin surface. The skin surface is partitioned into a plurality of cells. Each cell has a set of vertices. The set of vertices for each cell is a set of the guide locations. Interpolation weights are determined for the feature locations using the guide locations and the plurality of cells.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to modifying an existing scheme for providing translucent illumination in order to take account of subsurface scattering. The color of a selected point of a translucent object can be determined using existing methods. The existing methods need not take subsurface scattering into account. Then, a contribution to the color at the selected point due to subsurface scattering may be calculated. The contribution due to subsurface scattering may be calculated based on a photon map. Embodiments of the invention also include the use of different types of photon maps. In some embodiments, a standard photon map may be used. In other embodiments, a photon map may be defined in a manner similar to a depth map. Thus, the entries of a photon map may be defined in terms of an angle from a light source and a distance between an object's surface and a light source.

Abstract: In computer enabled key frame animation, a method and associated system for rigging a character so as to provide a large range of motion with great fluidity of motion. The rigging uses a character body that moves along a path or freely as needed. The nodes in the body and path are not physically connected but are linked for performing a particular task. This task driven behavior of the nodes which may allow them to re-organize themselves in different re-configurations in order to perform a common duty, implies a variable geometry to the entire dynamic structure. To some regard the nodes can be said to be intelligent.