Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for displaying shadow and light effects in three-dimensional environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12461640-B2
Application number	US-202217950795-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2022
Priority date	Sep 21, 2022
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A computer system displays, in a three-dimensional environment, a computer-generated object; detects that a user's attention is directed to the object; and in response, displays a virtual shadow for the object with a first appearance, including displaying the shadow with a first value for a first visual property, while maintaining a pose of the object relative to the three-dimensional environment. While continuing to display the object in the three-dimensional environment, the computer system detects that the user's attention has ceased to be directed to the object; and in response, displays the shadow for the object with a second appearance that is different from the first appearance, while maintaining the pose of the object relative to the three-dimensional environment. Displaying the shadow for the object with the second appearance includes displaying the shadow with a second value for the first visual property. The second value is different from the first value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
at a computer system that is in communication with a display generation component and one or more input devices:
while a view of a three-dimensional environment is visible via the display generation component, displaying, in the three-dimensional environment, a first computer-generated user interface object;
detecting that a user's attention is directed to the first user interface object;
in response to detecting that the user's attention is directed to the first user interface object, displaying a first virtual shadow for the first user interface object with a first appearance, while maintaining a pose of the first user interface object relative to the three-dimensional environment, wherein displaying the first virtual shadow for the first user interface object with the first appearance includes displaying the first virtual shadow with a first value for a first visual property;
while continuing to display the first user interface object in the three-dimensional environment, detecting that the user's attention has ceased to be directed to the first user interface object;
in response to detecting that the user's attention has ceased to be directed to the first user interface object, displaying the first virtual shadow for the first user interface object with a second appearance that is different from the first appearance, while maintaining the pose of the first user interface object relative to the three-dimensional environment, wherein:
displaying the first virtual shadow for the first user interface object with the second appearance includes displaying the first virtual shadow with a second value for the first visual property; and
the second value for the first visual property is different from the first value for the first visual property;

displaying a second computer-generated user interface object and a second virtual shadow for the second user interface object;
while displaying the first virtual shadow for the first user interface object with the first appearance, displaying the second virtual shadow for the second user interface object with a third appearance, including displaying the second virtual shadow with a third value for the first visual property, wherein the third value for the first visual property is different from the first value for the first visual property;
while continuing to display the second user interface object in the three-dimensional environment, detecting that the user's attention is directed to the second user interface object after ceasing to be directed to the first user interface object; and
in response to detecting that the user's attention is directed to the second user interface object, displaying the second virtual shadow for the second user interface object with a fourth appearance that is different from the third appearance, while maintaining a pose of the second user interface object relative to the three-dimensional environment, wherein:
displaying the second virtual shadow for the second user interface object with the fourth appearance includes displaying the second virtual shadow with a fourth value for the first visual property; and
the fourth value for the first visual property is different from the third value for the first visual property.

2 . The method of claim 1 , including:
in response to detecting that the user's attention is directed to the first user interface object, displaying the first virtual shadow with the first appearance while maintaining a size of the first user interface object; and in response to detecting that the user's attention has ceased to be directed to the first user interface object, displaying the first virtual shadow with the second appearance while maintaining the size of the first user interface object.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the first virtual shadow for the first user interface object with the first appearance is performed in accordance with a determination that the user's attention has been directed to the first user interface object for at least a first threshold amount of time.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting that the user's attention is directed to the first user interface object includes detecting that the user's gaze is directed to the first user interface object, and detecting that the user's attention has ceased to be directed to the first user interface object includes ceasing to detect that the user's gaze is directed to the first user interface object.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first visual property is visual intensity.

6 . The method of claim 1 , including displaying the first virtual shadow at least partially on a computer-generated surface in the three-dimensional environment.

7 . The method of claim 1 , including displaying the first virtual shadow at least partially on a passthrough view of a physical surface in a physical environment that corresponds to the three-dimensional environment.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the first virtual shadow that is displayed at least partially on the passthrough view of the physical surface follows a three-dimensional model of the physical surface.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the passthrough view of the physical surface has a first degree of fidelity to the physical surface; the three-dimensional model of the physical surface has a second degree of fidelity to the physical surface; and the second degree is less than the first degree.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
while the first virtual shadow is displayed with the second value for the first visual property, the first virtual shadow has a lower visual intensity than while the first virtual shadow is displayed with the first value for the first visual property; and while the second virtual shadow is displayed with the fourth value for the first visual property, the second virtual shadow has a greater visual intensity than while the second virtual shadow is displayed with the third value for the first visual property.

11 . The method of claim 1 , including:
displaying a third computer-generated user interface object and a third virtual shadow for the third user interface object, including:
while the user's attention is directed to the first user interface object, displaying the third virtual shadow with a fifth value for the first visual property; and
while the user's attention is directed to the second user interface object after ceasing to be directed to the first user interface object, displaying the third virtual shadow with the fifth value for the first visual property.

12 . The method of claim 1 , including:
while the user's attention is not directed to the first user interface object, displaying the first user interface object with a first value for a respective visual property of the first user interface object; and in response to detecting that the user's attention is directed to the first user interface object, displaying the first user interface object with a second value for the respective visual property of the first user interface object, while maintaining the pose of the first user interface object relative to the three-dimensional environment, wherein the second value for the respective visual property is different from the first value for the respective visual property.

13 . The method of claim 1 , including, in response to detecting that the user's attention has ceased to be directed to the first user interface object, progressing the first visual property of the first virtual shadow through a plurality of intermediate values between the first value for the first visual property and the

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Rodriguez Miquel Estany
• Dessero James M
• Hylak Benjamin
• Owen James J

Classifications

• G06T19/20

  Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/04845

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06T15/60

  Shadow generation · CPC title