Patents by Inventor Clint Chua

Clint Chua has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9070228
    Abstract: A surface definition module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to define a surface. An instancing module is used to instance hairs. An instanced hair database coupled to the instancing module is used to store hair data. The instancing module retrieves hair data from the instanced hair database to allow for a relatively large number of hairs to instanced. A display module is used to display the instanced hairs with respect to the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Armin Walter Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Patent number: 8810582
    Abstract: A lighting module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to produce lighting effects in a lighting phase for a shot and an optimization module may be used to: determine if a cache hair state file including hair parameters exists; and determine if the cache hair state file includes matching hair parameters to be used in the shot, and if so, the hair parameter values from the cache hair state file are used in the lighting phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc
    Inventors: Armin Walter Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Patent number: 8717362
    Abstract: A surface definition module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to define a surface and an optimization module may be used to: create a bounding box for a set of hairs; determine whether the bounding box is visible; and if the bounding box is visible, hair associated with the visible bounding box is rendered upon the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Armin Walter Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Patent number: 8711151
    Abstract: A hair pipeline utilizes a surface definition module to define a surface and a control hair and a hair motion compositor module combines different control hair curve shapes associated with the control hair and the surface. In particular, the hair motion compositor module generates a static node defining a static control hair curve shape; generates an animation node defining an animation control hair curve shape; and combines the static control hair curve shape of the static node with the animation control hair curve hair shape of the animation node to produce a resultant control hair curve shape for the control hair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Armin Walter Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Patent number: 8624888
    Abstract: A surface definition module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to define a surface and an optimization module may be used to determine whether a hair is to be rendered upon the surface. In particular, the optimization module may be used to: determine a size metric for the hair; apply a first density curve to the size metric determined for the hair to generate a density multiplier value; and based upon the density multiplier value, determine whether the hair should be rendered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Armin Walter Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Patent number: 8624889
    Abstract: A surface definition module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to define a surface. An interpolation module may be used to interpolate at least one final hair on the surface based upon at least one control hair. An effects module including an effects pipeline may be utilized to apply a plurality of effects to the final hair in a user-defined order to generate a modified final hair that may be ultimately rendered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Armin Walter Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Patent number: 8471844
    Abstract: Method and systems are provided using streaming geometry in 3D imagery production. In one implementation a method for use in the display of 3D video images comprises receiving a first set of data corresponding to an output from a layout in a production pipeline, generating geometry data for one or more objects represented within the first set of data, merging the geometry data for each of the one or more objects to create one or more merged files, generating a table of contents, wherein the table of contents specifies the location of the geometry data for each of the one or more objects within the one or more merged files and storing the geometry data and the table of contents to a memory device for subsequent retrieval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Davidson, Robert B. Engle, Clint Chua
  • Publication number: 20130124480
    Abstract: A request to access a file comprising content and metadata is received. In response to determining the request is from a source other than an owner of the content (or file), a copy of the content is generated and the content's metadata is modified in order to create modified metadata for the copy of the content. A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that provides access to the copy of the content and the modified metadata is provided to the source of the request. However, in response to determining the request is from the owner of the content, a URL that provides access to the content and the metadata is provided to the owner of the content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Inventors: Clint Chua, Matthew Steiner, Jonathan Wray
  • Patent number: 7880744
    Abstract: A hair pipeline may be used to generate a user-selected geometry based upon a hair location for at least one hair with respect to a surface. A surface definition module may be used to define the surface. A display module may be used to: process a user-selected geometry and render the user-selected geometry at the hair location on the surface in place of the at least one hair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Armin Walter Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Publication number: 20090262108
    Abstract: Method and systems are provided using streaming geometry in 3D imagery production.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2009
    Publication date: October 22, 2009
    Applicants: Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Davidson, Robert B. Engle, Clint Chua
  • Publication number: 20080036782
    Abstract: A hair pipeline utilizes a surface definition module to define a surface and a control hair and a hair motion compositor module combines different control hair curve shapes associated with the control hair and the surface. In particular, the hair motion compositor module generates a static node defining a static control hair curve shape; generates an animation node defining an animation control hair curve shape; and combines the static control hair curve shape of the static node with the animation control hair curve hair shape of the animation node to produce a resultant control hair curve shape for the control hair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Inventors: Armin Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Publication number: 20070291050
    Abstract: A surface definition module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to define a surface. An interpolation module may be used to interpolate at least one final hair on the surface based upon at least one control hair. An effects module including an effects pipeline may be utilized to apply a plurality of effects to the final hair in a user-defined order to generate a modified final hair that may be ultimately rendered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Armin Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Publication number: 20070291043
    Abstract: A surface definition module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to define a surface. An instancing module is used to instance hairs. An instanced hair database coupled to the instancing module is used to store hair data. The instancing module retrieves hair data from the instanced hair database to allow for a relatively large number of hairs to instanced. A display module is used to display the instanced hairs with respect to the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Inventors: Armin Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Publication number: 20070279428
    Abstract: A surface definition module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to define a surface and an optimization module may be used to: create a bounding box for a set of hairs; determine whether the bounding box is visible; and if the bounding box is visible, hair associated with the visible bounding box is rendered upon the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Inventors: Armin Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Publication number: 20070273705
    Abstract: A hair pipeline may be used to generate a user-selected geometry based upon a hair location for at least one hair with respect to a surface. A surface definition module may be used to define the surface. A display module may be used to: process a user-selected geometry and render the user-selected geometry at the hair location on the surface in place of the at least one hair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Inventors: Armin Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Publication number: 20070273704
    Abstract: A lighting module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to produce lighting effects in a lighting phase for a shot and an optimization module may be used to: determine if a cache hair state file including hair parameters exists; and determine if the cache hair state file includes matching hair parameters to be used in the shot, and if so, the hair parameter values from the cache hair state file are used in the lighting phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Inventors: Armin Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich
  • Publication number: 20070216701
    Abstract: A surface definition module of a hair/fur pipeline may be used to define a surface and an optimization module may be used to determine whether a hair is to be rendered upon the surface. In particular, the optimization module may be used to: determine a size metric for the hair; apply a first density curve to the size metric determined for the hair to generate a density multiplier value; and based upon the density multiplier value, determine whether the hair should be rendered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2007
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventors: Armin Bruderlin, Francois Chardavoine, Clint Chua, Gustav Melich