Method and apparatus for constructing building in virtual environment, device, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11675488-B2
Application number	US-202117230720-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2021
Priority date	Jan 30, 2019
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

This application includes a method and an apparatus for constructing a target object in a virtual environment of an application, a device, and a storage medium. A first picture of the virtual environment is displayed according to a first perspective corresponding to a first observation direction of a virtual movable object in the virtual environment. An object construction controller corresponding to the target object is displayed. A touch operation on the object construction controller is received. A target construction position of the target object is determined based on the touch operation, a target distance, and the first observation direction of the virtual movable object. A touch release operation corresponding to the touch operation is received. Further, the target object is constructed at the determined target construction position according to the touch release operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for constructing a pre-determined target object in a virtual environment of an application, the method comprising:
displaying a first picture of the virtual environment according to a first perspective corresponding to a first observation direction of a virtual movable object in the virtual environment;
displaying an object construction controller corresponding to the pre-determined target object, the object construction controller including a control region and a button configured to move within the control region according to a continuous touch operation, the button including a graphical representation of the pre-determined target object to be constructed in the virtual environment;
receiving the continuous touch operation on the object construction controller;
determining, by processing circuitry, a target construction position of the pre-determined target object according to a position of the button within the control region;
determining when the continuous touch operation ends; and
constructing the pre-determined target object at the determined target construction position in response to the end of the continuous touch operation.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying a virtual model of the pre-determined target object in a first display manner at an initial target construction position according to an initial position of the button within the control region when the continuous touch operation begins; and
displaying the virtual model of the pre-determined target object in a second display manner at the determined target construction position according to the position of the button within the control region when the continuous touch operation ends and after the pre-determined target object is constructed.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the displaying the virtual model of the pre-determined target object in the first display manner comprises:
displaying the virtual model of the pre-determined target object in the first display manner at the determined target construction position based on a determination that no object affecting the construction exists at the determined target construction position.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
rotating, by using the virtual movable object as a rotation center, the first observation direction to a second observation direction according to a drag distance of the continuous touch operation; and
displaying a second picture of the application according to a second perspective corresponding to the second observation direction of the virtual movable object in the virtual environment,
wherein the determining the target construction position includes determining the target construction position at a target distance in the second observation direction.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
displaying an operation cancel control element on the second picture;
receiving a user selection of the operation cancel control element; and
redisplaying the first picture according to the user selection of the operation cancel control element.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying a continuous construction control element on the first picture while the continuous touch operation is received on the object construction controller;
receiving a user selection of the continuous construction control element; and
automatically constructing, starting from a current time and according to the user selection of the continuous construction control element, the pre-determined target object every n seconds.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the automatically constructing comprises:
re-determining, within an interval of the n seconds, the determined target construction position according to a drag operation of the continuous touch operation performed on the object construction controller; and
automatically constructing the pre-determined target object at the re-determined target construction position.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein
the determining when the continuous touch operation ends includes determining when the continuous touch operation ends while the pre-determined target object is automatically constructed every n seconds; and
ending the automatic construction of the pre-determined target object according to the end of the continuous touch operation.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying an object selection menu display element on the first picture;
receiving a user selection of the object selection menu display element;
displaying an object selection menu according to the user selection of the object selection menu display element, the object selection menu comprising at least one candidate object; and
receiving a selection operation for selecting the pre-determined target object from the at least one candidate object.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the button of the object construction controller is a joystick control element.

11. An apparatus for constructing a pre-determined target object in a virtual environment of an application, the apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
display a first picture of the virtual environment according to a first perspective corresponding to a first observation direction of a virtual movable object in the virtual environment,
display an object construction controller corresponding to the pre-determined target object, the object construction controller including a control region and a button configured to move within the control region according to a continuous touch operation, the button including a graphical representation of the pre-determined target object to be constructed in the virtual environment,
receive the continuous touch operation on the object construction controller,
determine a target construction position of the pre-determined target object according to a position of the button within the control region,
determine when the continuous touch operation ends, and
construct the pre-determined target object at the determined target construction position in response to the end of the continuous touch operation.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
display a virtual model of the pre-determined target object in a first display manner at the determined target construction position; and
display the virtual model of the pre-determined target object in a second display manner at the determined target construction position after the pre-determined target object is constructed.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
display the virtual model of the pre-determined target object in the first display manner at the determined target construction position based on a determination that no object affecting the construction exists at the determined target construction position.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
rotate, by using the virtual movable object as a rotation center, the first observation direction to a second observation direction according to a drag distance of the continuous touch operation,
display a second picture of the application according to a second perspective corresponding to the second observation direction of the virtual movable object in the virtual environment, and
determine the target construction position at a target distance in the second observation direction.

15. The apparatus according to

Assignees

• Tencent Tech Shenzhen Co Ltd

Inventors

• Qiu Meng
• Pan Jiaqi

Classifications

• G06F3/04815

  Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional [3D], e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object · CPC title

• A63F13/42

  by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/0486

  Drag-and-drop · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title