Abstract: A system for generating image content, the system comprising an image region identification unit operable to identify one or more regions of an image to be displayed as low-detail regions, an image processing unit operable to perform processing to reduce colour differences for each of one or more areas within one or more of the identified regions, and an image output unit operable to output one or more processed images.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a video display to display video images to a user; a gaze detector configured to detect a gaze direction for one or both eyes of the user while the user views the display; a head tracker configured to detect a head orientation of the user; an image processor configured to generate the video images for display by the video display; the image processor being responsive to one or more control functions dependent upon the gaze direction detected by the gaze detector; and a controller configured to detect a predetermined condition and, in response to detection of the predetermined condition, to control the image processor to be responsive to one or more control functions dependent upon the head orientation detected by the head tracker in place of the one or more control functions dependent upon the gaze direction detected by the gaze detector.

Abstract: A system for performing a raytracing process, the system comprising a bounding volume hierarchy, BVH, identification unit operable to identify a BVH structure for use in generating images of a virtual environment, the BVH structure comprising information about one or more surfaces within the virtual environment, a BVH selection unit operable to discard one or more elements of the BVH structure in dependence upon a direction of an incident ray, and a raytracing unit operable to perform a raytracing process using the remaining BVH elements.

Abstract: A system for improving a discovery process for a virtual environment, the system comprising an environment discovery unit operable to perform a discovery process comprising navigation of the virtual environment and identification of one or more aspects of the virtual environment, a performance analysis unit operable to evaluate the effectiveness of the discovery process, and a discovery update unit operable to modify future operation of the environment discovery unit in dependence upon the evaluation.

Abstract: A shadow rendering method for an image includes: re-projecting 3D coordinates of image pixels from an image space of the image to points on a 2D shadowmap space; estimating at least one of a horizontal and vertical distribution of the points in the shadow map space; for a flexible scale rasteriser ‘FSR’, updating a horizontal or vertical FSR curve corresponding to a distribution of FSR bins for the shadow map so that the corresponding horizontal or vertical distribution of points per bin is most even; and rendering the shadow map using flexible scale rasterization.

Abstract: A system for modifying data representing a virtual environment includes: an environment navigation unit operable to control navigation within the virtual environment to generate one or more viewpoints within the virtual environment, an environment identification unit operable to identify one or more aspects of the geometry of the virtual environment visible in the one or more viewpoints, a geometry evaluation unit operable to evaluate the visibility of one or more aspects of the geometry based upon the identification for each of one or more viewpoints, and a data modification unit operable to modify one or more elements of data representing the virtual environment.

Abstract: A lighting probe placement system for estimating lighting probe positions within a virtual environment includes a geometry input processor configured to receive geometry of at least part of the virtual environment and prepare it for input to a machine learning system; a processor configured to implement the machine learning system, which has been trained to output lighting probe positions upon receiving input geometry of the at least part of the virtual environment; and an association processor configured to associate the output lighting probe positions with the at least part of the virtual environment for subsequent rendering.

Abstract: A system for generating a path for navigating an environment, the system comprising a bounding volume hierarchy, BVH, generation unit operable to generate a BVH comprising a plurality of bounding volumes representing one or more objects in the environment, a BVH analysis unit operable to identify information about the geometry of the environment from the BVH, and a path planning unit operable to generate a path through the environment in dependence upon the identified geometry.

Abstract: An image generation system comprising an image rendering unit operable to render a first image for display to a first one of a user's eyes, an image obtaining unit operable to obtain a second image for a second one of the user's eyes, the obtained image having been rendered for display at an earlier time, an image reprojection unit operable to reproject the first image from a viewpoint associated with the first one of the user's eyes to a viewpoint associated with the second one of the user's eyes, and an image generation unit operable to generate an output image for the second one of the user's eyes in dependence upon the reprojected first image and the obtained second image.

Abstract: A shadow rendering method for an image includes: re-projecting 3D coordinates of image pixels from an image space of the image to points on a 2D shadowmap space; estimating at least one of a horizontal and vertical distribution of the points in the shadow map space; for a flexible scale rasteriser ‘FSR’, updating a horizontal or vertical FSR curve corresponding to a distribution of FSR bins for the shadow map so that the corresponding horizontal or vertical distribution of points per bin is most even; and rendering the shadow map using flexible scale rasterization.

Abstract: An image processing method includes generating an initial representation of a three-dimensional environment using a three-dimensional array of elements having a first spatial resolution with respect to the three-dimensional environment; generating a distance field, DF, representation from the initial representation, the DF representation including a three-dimensional array of distance values having a second spatial resolution with respect to the three-dimensional environment; and applying a data compression process to the DF representation to generate a data-compressed DF representation.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a video display to display video images to a user; a gaze detector configured to detect a gaze direction for one or both eyes of the user while the user views the display; a head tracker configured to detect a head orientation of the user; an image processor configured to generate the video images for display by the video display; the image processor being responsive to one or more control functions dependent upon the gaze direction detected by the gaze detector; and a controller configured to detect a predetermined condition and, in response to detection of the predetermined condition, to control the image processor to be responsive to one or more control functions dependent upon the head orientation detected by the head tracker in place of the one or more control functions dependent upon the gaze direction detected by the gaze detector.

Abstract: A method of generating a data set includes determining a vertex count of a reference polygonal mesh, generating a second polygonal mesh by adding a predetermined number of vertices to the reference polygonal mesh, comparing a representation of the second polygonal mesh with a representation of the reference polygonal mesh, assigning a first value of a quality parameter to the reference polygonal mesh, and assigning a second value of the quality parameter to the second polygonal mesh based on the comparison of the representations, the value of the quality parameter for a given polygonal mesh indicative of a degree of difference between a representation of the given polygonal mesh and a representation of the reference polygonal mesh, and generating the data set comprising data indicative of a vertex count for the reference and second polygonal meshes and a value of a quality parameters for the reference and second polygonal meshes.

Abstract: A system for modifying data representing a virtual environment includes: an environment navigation unit operable to control navigation within the virtual environment to generate one or more viewpoints within the virtual environment, an environment identification unit operable to identify one or more aspects of the geometry of the virtual environment visible in the one or more viewpoints, a geometry evaluation unit operable to evaluate the visibility of one or more aspects of the geometry based upon the identification for each of one or more viewpoints, and a data modification unit operable to modify one or more elements of data representing the virtual environment.

Abstract: A system for performing a raytracing process, the system comprising a bounding volume hierarchy, BVH, identification unit operable to identify a BVH structure for use in generating images of a virtual environment, the BVH structure comprising information about one or more surfaces within the virtual environment, a BVH selection unit operable to discard one or more elements of the BVH structure in dependence upon a direction of an incident ray, and a raytracing unit operable to perform a raytracing process using the remaining BVH elements.

Abstract: A system for generating image content, the system comprising an image region identification unit operable to identify one or more regions of an image to be displayed as low-detail regions, an image processing unit operable to perform processing to reduce colour differences for each of one or more areas within one or more of the identified regions, and an image output unit operable to output one or more processed images.

Abstract: A system for generating a path for navigating an environment, the system comprising a bounding volume hierarchy, BVH, generation unit operable to generate a BVH comprising a plurality of bounding volumes representing one or more objects in the environment, a BVH analysis unit operable to identify information about the geometry of the environment from the BVH, and a path planning unit operable to generate a path through the environment in dependence upon the identified geometry.

Abstract: An image processing method includes generating an initial representation of a three-dimensional environment using a three-dimensional array of elements having a first spatial resolution with respect to the three-dimensional environment; generating a distance field, DF, representation from the initial representation, the DF representation including a three-dimensional array of distance values having a second spatial resolution with respect to the three-dimensional environment; and applying a data compression process to the DF representation to generate a data-compressed DF representation.

Abstract: A content encoding system for encoding content represented by point cloud data, the system comprising a model identification unit operable to identify a model represented by the point cloud data, a coding scheme identification unit operable to identify a coding scheme associated with the identified model, and an encoding unit operable to encode at least a subset of the point cloud data in accordance with the identified coding scheme.

Abstract: A method of generating a data set includes determining a vertex count of a reference polygonal mesh, generating a second polygonal mesh by adding a predetermined number of vertices to the reference polygonal mesh, comparing a representation of the second polygonal mesh with a representation of the reference polygonal mesh, assigning a first value of a quality parameter to the reference polygonal mesh, and assigning a second value of the quality parameter to the second polygonal mesh based on the comparison of the representations, the value of the quality parameter for a given polygonal mesh indicative of a degree of difference between a representation of the given polygonal mesh and a representation of the reference polygonal mesh, and generating the data set comprising data indicative of a vertex count for the reference and second polygonal meshes and a value of a quality parameters for the reference and second polygonal meshes.