Abstract: Implementations relate to methods, systems, and computer-readable media to automatically perform rigging of physics based three dimensional objects. In some implementations, the method may include obtaining a source three-dimensional (3D) mesh of a face of an avatar, wherein the source 3D mesh includes a first plurality of polygons, generating a second 3D mesh based on the source 3D mesh, wherein a count of polygons in the second 3D mesh is fewer than a count of polygons in the source 3D mesh, determining a two-dimensional (2D) parameterization of the second 3D mesh, determining a target 2D parameterization based on a template 3D mesh and the 2D parameterization of the second 3D mesh such that one or more landmarks identified in the source 3D mesh are aligned with corresponding landmarks on the template 3D mesh, and reconstructing the target 2D parameterization into a target 3D mesh.

Abstract: Implementations relate to methods, systems, and computer-readable media to automatically perform rigging of physics-based three-dimensional objects. In some implementations, the method may include obtaining a 3D mesh of a 3D object, segmenting the 3D mesh into two or more sub-meshes, wherein each sub-mesh corresponds to a respective part of the 3D object, determining a constraint graph for the 3D object using a transformer model, wherein the two or more sub-meshes are provided as input to the transformer model, and wherein the constraint graph defines a set of joints such that each joint defines constraints on motion of respective pairs of the parts of the 3D object, and calculating a plurality of parameters for the constraint graph based on one or more objective functions, wherein the sub-meshes, the constraint graph, and the plurality of parameters are usable to simulate motion of the 3D object in a virtual environment.

Abstract: Some implementations relate to methods, systems, and computer-readable media to stylize a three-dimensional (3D) avatar in a virtual experience using controls to set constraints. The stylizing may include performing applying a scaling control to a body part of the avatar body to change a size of at least one component of the body part, applying a positional control to the body part of the avatar body to change at least one from the group of a shape of the at least one component of the body part, a position of the at least one component of the body part, and a combination thereof, and/or applying an orientation control to the body part of the avatar body to change an orientation of the at least one component of the body part; and deforming the body part of the avatar body accordingly based on minimizing an energy function.

Abstract: Some implementations relate to methods, systems, and computer-readable media to provide scalable soft body locomotion/animation for a virtual experience, such as a three-dimensional (3D) environment. In some implementations, the method includes building a control space having information representative of forces corresponding to natural movement of the soft body, wherein the soft body is part of a virtual environment, coupling the control space and a physical space to define a controller pipeline that performs animation of the soft body, performing the animation of the soft body using the controller pipeline, and causing the animation of the soft body to be displayed in a user interface of the virtual environment. Building the control space may comprise simulating the forces corresponding to the natural movement of the soft body by solving an elastodynamic optimization problem using auxiliary variables as degrees of freedom.

Abstract: Analysis of incomplete natural language expressions using n-gram analysis and contextual information allows one or more domains to be predicted. For each domain, intent a likely intent of the user is determined using n-gram analysis and contextual information. Intent may correspond to functions of a domain application. In such a case, information required for the functions to execute the application may be populated using n-gram analysis and/or contextual information. The application may then be presented to the user for confirmation of intent. Confirmation of intent along with the incomplete natural language expression and contextual information may then be used to train one or more models used to predict user intent based on incomplete natural language expressions.

Abstract: Techniques are provided to obtain event scheduling information for one or more events occurring within a time period and to obtain a reference time. A composite display widget is generated comprising a radial time indicator for the reference time and a radial event indicator for a first event of the one or more events based on the scheduling information. The composite display widget is displayed. The composite display widget can be used to display time integrated with events scheduled from a plurality of scheduling applications to provide a small icon-based scheduling package that can be viewed at a glance by a user.

Abstract: Analysis of incomplete natural language expressions using n-gram analysis and contextual information allows one or more domains to be predicted. For each domain, intent a likely intent of the user is determined using n-gram analysis and contextual information. Intent may correspond to functions of a domain application. In such a case, information required for the functions to execute the application may be populated using n-gram analysis and/or contextual information. The application may then be presented to the user for confirmation of intent. Confirmation of intent along with the incomplete natural language expression and contextual information may then be used to train one or more models used to predict user intent based on incomplete natural language expressions.

Abstract: Techniques are provided to obtain event scheduling information for one or more events occurring within a time period and to obtain a reference time. A composite display widget is generated comprising a radial time indicator for the reference time and a radial event indicator for a first event of the one or more events based on the scheduling information. The composite display widget is displayed. The composite display widget can be used to display time integrated with events scheduled from a plurality of scheduling applications to provide a small icon-based scheduling package that can be viewed at a glance by a user.

Abstract: Provided are molds comprising a substantially concave portion, and a cap portion that is configured for removable attachment to the substantially concave portion and comprises a mandrel formed from a substantially rigid material, wherein the cap portion and the substantially concave portion, when attached, define an internal space having a three-dimensional shape. Among other benefits, the disclosed devices and methods of using such devices provide more uniform and repeatable compaction than conventional molds, and can be used to produce compacted structures having more dimensionally accurate and repeatable surface features, thereby yielding a better, more optimal near net shaped part.

Abstract: A network-based game system includes one or more web servers each configured to receive a plurality of requests from one or more game client applications each running on a computer device and to produce data base queries in accordance with the plurality of requests, a plurality of data bases configured to store game information that can be retrieved in response to the data base queries, and a connection pool server in communication with the one or more web servers and the plurality of data bases. The connection pool server is configured to direct one of the data base queries to one of the plurality of data bases on which the game information related to the data base query is stored.

Abstract: The present invention concerns processes for etching a porous titanium foam or porous titanium alloy foam where a clean, dry foam product is immersed into an aqueous acid solution comprising about 0.5 to about 5 volume percent HF and about 5 to about 20 volume percent HNO3 for a time sufficient to achieve a desired surface roughness and heating the etched foam to remove residual titanates. The etching process increases the porosity at the surface of the foam but the etchant does not penetrate fully into the interior of the foam so that adequate mechanical properties are maintained. The etching process also increases the coefficient of friction at the foam surface. The foam may comprise an open-celled orthopaedic or dental implant, or may comprise a coating on the surface of a substrate.

Abstract: A network system includes a first server that can receive a first message from a client application running on one of the plurality of computer devices in a non-persistent network connection. The first message includes client status information about the client application. The first server can produce a data base query in response to the first message. A data base can store the client status information about the client application in the first message. The first server can produce a second message in response to results of the data base query. The first server can send the second message to the client application in the non-persistent network connection. A second server can receive a third message from the client application in a persistent network connection and respond to the client application in real time without requiring a data query at a data base.

Abstract: A network-based game system includes one or more web servers each configured to receive a plurality of requests from one or more game client applications each running on a computer device and to produce data base queries in accordance with the plurality of requests, a plurality of data bases configured to store game information that can be retrieved in response to the data base queries, and a connection pool server in communication with the one or more web servers and the plurality of data bases. The connection pool server is configured to direct one of the data base queries to one of the plurality of data bases on which the game information related to the data base query is stored.

Abstract: A network-based game system includes a load balancer and one or more web servers. The load balancer can receive a plurality of requests from one or more game client applications each running on a computer device. The load balancer can store the plurality of requests in a request queue and to send one of the requests in the request queue to a web server when the web server is available to receive a new request. The one or more web servers can process one or more requests received from the load balancer. A web server can inform the load balancer that the web server is available to receive a new request when the number of requests simultaneously processed by the web server is below a predetermined number.

Abstract: A network-based game system includes a computer network configured to communicate with game client applications running on a plurality of computer devices, wherein at least two of the game client applications are engaged in the same game room, a first server connected to the computer network, configured to store a game engine application capable of communicating with the plurality of game client applications, a computer storage device connected to the computer network, configured to store a protocol for message encryption and message decryption, and a second server connected to the computer network, configured to store a game-system-interface (GSI) program that can receive a plurality of first encrypted messages from the plurality of game client applications and decrypt the first encrypted messages using the protocol stored on the computer storage device.

Abstract: A network-based game system includes a computer network and a computer storage device and a first server connected to the computer network. The computer storage device can store a plurality of protocols for message encryption and message decryption, The first server stores a game-system-interface program that is configured to receive a first encrypted message from a game client application running on a computer device in communication with the computer network and decrypt the first encrypted message using one or more of the plurality of the protocols.

Abstract: A network-based game system includes a computer network, and a first server and a second server connected to the computer network. The first server is configured to store a game engine application that can communicate with a game client application running on a computer device connected to the computer network in a persistent network connection. The second server is configured to store a game-system-interface (GSI) program that can respond to requests from the game client application running on the computer device in a non-persistent network connection.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing computer code updates through an integrated circuit card (smart card) interface. The smart card interface within a computer control device determines whether the card that is inserted into the smart card interface is either a memory card or a conventional smart card. Once the smart card interface has detected that the memory card has been inserted, the interface requests data from the card. The interface provides the computer code to the memory of the computer controlled device to update the computer code therein.