Abstract: The present technology generates a simplified version of a complex avatar by capturing images and 3-D volume information of segments of the complex avatar while the complex avatar is rendered. When the complex avatar is requested in an environment in which it is not desirable to display the complex avatar, the captured images and 3-D volume information can be used to provide a simplified version of the avatar. The simplified version of the avatar can have a similar visual appearance but can be easier to render. However, the present technology permits the user with the complex avatar to continue to have approximately the same visual appearance while avoiding the degraded performance on systems not capable of rendering the complex avatar quickly enough.

Abstract: The present technology receives raw assets of user-generated content at a platform server. The platform server can utilize techniques to recognize reused assets to avoid storing duplicate data. Additionally, the present technology can utilize a validation scheme by which portions of user content that include executable code are only permitted to be uploaded to the platform server when these portions of the user content are recognized and are already known to be safe. Additionally, the present technology can be configured to modify the raw assets of the content to be compatible with the latest updates to the platform and to the distribution platforms in which the user-generated content will be executed.

Abstract: The present technology pertains to analyzing a user-created game object at a platform server to characterize features of the user-created game object. The present technology can further generate statistics indicative of the estimated performance of user-created game objects and modify the user-created game objects in accordance to improve their performance or to bring them into compliance with a software development kit. Further, client applications can include configurations to determine whether to download a user-created game object based on the statistics indicative of the estimated performance of user-created game objects.

Abstract: The present technology provides a more natural audio experience in a virtual world. In particular, the present technology provides an inner cone around a local player where audio sources within the inner cone are presented at full volume and an outer cone where audio sources outside the outer cone are presented at a minimum volume, or not at all. Audio sources that originate between the inner cone and outer cone are scaled based on their distance between the inner cone and outer cone. The present technology also provides a spatial aspect by shaping the inner cone and outer cone based on the forward vector of the local player so that more sounds are audible that are in front of the local player and less sounds behind the local player are audible.

Abstract: The present technology generates a simplified version of a complex avatar by capturing images and 3-D volume information of segments of the complex avatar while the complex avatar is rendered. When the complex avatar is requested in an environment in which it is not desirable to display the complex avatar, the captured images and 3-D volume information can be used to provide a simplified version of the avatar. The simplified version of the avatar can have a similar visual appearance but can be easier to render. However, the present technology permits the user with the complex avatar to continue to have approximately the same visual appearance while avoiding the degraded performance on systems not capable of rendering the complex avatar quickly enough.

Abstract: The present technology provides a mechanism by which a player can make a gesture with their hands which can bring up a virtual controller, wherein hand movements and finger tracking can result in locomotion of an avatar through a virtual world without need for a hardware controller. Therefore, a player can have a natural conversion or otherwise control the hands of their avatar to interact with other objects in the virtual world, and then use the avatar's hands to bring up a virtual controller to control locomotive movements of their avatar without the player of a physical controller.

Abstract: The present technology provides a mechanism by which a player can make a gesture with their hands which can bring up a virtual controller, wherein hand movements and finger tracking can result in locomotion of an avatar through a virtual world without need for a hardware controller. Therefore, a player can have a natural conversion or otherwise control the hands of their avatar to interact with other objects in the virtual world, and then use the avatar's hands to bring up a virtual controller to control locomotive movements of their avatar without the player of a physical controller.

Abstract: The present technology pertains to shoulder positioning with body tracking in a multiuser virtual reality (VR) application. In one aspect, a client device that is participating in the multiuser VR application and may be configured to: determine a shoulder position based on a height of a user, wherein the shoulder position is mapped to an avatar in a virtual world; receive sensor data from an arm motion sensor attached to the user, wherein the sensor data identifies motion of an arm of the user; determine a movement vector of the shoulder position of the user using the sensor data; determine a shoulder avatar movement vector for a shoulder of the avatar from the movement vector; and render the avatar with the shoulder positioned based on the shoulder avatar movement vector.

Abstract: The present technology provides a mechanism by which a player can make a gesture with their hands which can bring up a virtual controller, wherein hand movements and finger tracking can result in locomotion of an avatar through a virtual world without need for a hardware controller. Therefore, a player can have a natural conversion or otherwise control the hands of their avatar to interact with other objects in the virtual world, and then use the avatar's hands to bring up a virtual controller to control locomotive movements of their avatar without the player of a physical controller.