File format for representing a scene

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9240073-B2
Application number	US-201113323027-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2011
Priority date	Nov 15, 2011
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

A file format that includes a constant section and a varying section. The constant section provides a referencing scheme that references the various components that comprise the scene, as well as a listing of attributes of the scene that are modifiable. Within the same file format, the varying section provides an overriding mechanism to modify the attributes that are available to be modified. Accordingly, the disclosed file format can access cached animated geometry directly and/or aggregate other files via the aforementioned referencing and sparse override semantics. This allows the same set of inspection, manipulation, and rendering tools to be used throughout the rendering pipeline, from asset creation to final rendering.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for rendering a three-dimensional scene, the method comprising:
loading, into memory, a portion of a first file of a file type, wherein the first file describes graphical elements within the three-dimensional scene, wherein the first file includes a constant section describing an organization of the graphical elements and a varying section describing attributes of the graphical elements with respect to time, wherein the constant section defines (i) a hierarchical graph structure comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes represents a respective graphical element within the three-dimensional scene and (ii) a plurality of default values each corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of nodes of the hierarchical graph structure, and wherein the varying section defines one or more override values corresponding to one or more of the plurality of default values at a specified moment in time;
generating a second file, of the file type, that references a first one of the nodes of the hierarchical graph structure included in the first file, wherein the first node corresponds to a first graphical element in the three-dimensional scene, and wherein the second file includes a second attribute value for the first graphical element that overrides at least one of the plurality of default values of the first file; and
rendering the three-dimensional scene based on both the at least one node of the first file referenced in the second file and the second attribute value of the component in the three-dimensional scene.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the organization of components further comprises resolving references to other files having the file type.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first file is loaded into the memory from a key-value pair database.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the rendering the scene comprises choosing an attribute value for a component based on selecting the attribute value for the component in a file having the highest priority.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the second file has greater priority than the first file.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the attribute value for a component is chosen based on selecting the attribute value for the component in a file other than the file with the highest priority when the file with the highest priority does not include an attribute value for the component.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the components included in the scene is procedurally generated based on executing application code that creates geometry associated with the component.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to render a three-dimensional scene, by performing an operation comprising:
loading, into memory, a portion of a first file of a file type, wherein the first file describes graphical elements within the three-dimensional scene, wherein the first file includes a constant section describing an organization of the graphical elements and a varying section describing attributes of the graphical elements with respect to time, wherein the constant section defines (i) a hierarchical graph structure comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes represents a respective graphical element within the three-dimensional scene and (ii) a plurality of default values each corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of nodes of the hierarchical graph structure, and wherein the varying section defines one or more override values corresponding to one or more of the plurality of default values at a specified moment in time;
generating a second file, of the file type, that references a first one of the nodes of the hierarchical graph structure included in the first file, wherein the first node corresponds to a first graphical element in the three-dimensional scene, and wherein the second file includes a second attribute value for the first graphical element that overrides at least one of the plurality of default values of the first file; and
rendering the three-dimensional scene based on both the at least one node of the first file referenced in the second file and the second attribute value of the component in the three-dimensional scene.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the determining the organization of components further comprises resolving references to other files having the file type.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the first file is loaded into the memory from a key-value pair database.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the rendering the scene comprises choosing an attribute value for a component based on selecting the attribute value for the component in a file having the highest priority.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the second file has greater priority than the first file.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the attribute value for a component is chosen based on selecting the attribute value for the component in a file other than the file with the highest priority when the file with the highest priority does not include an attribute value for the component.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the components included in the scene is procedurally generated based on executing application code that creates geometry associated with the component.

15. A computer system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to render a three-dimensional scene by performing an operation, comprising:
loading, into memory, a portion of a first file of a file type, wherein the first file describes graphical elements within the three-dimensional scene, wherein the first file includes a constant section describing an organization of the graphical elements and a varying section describing attributes of the graphical elements with respect to time, wherein the constant section defines (i) a hierarchical graph structure comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes represents a respective graphical element within the three-dimensional scene and (ii) a plurality of default values each corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of nodes of the hierarchical graph structure, and wherein the varying section defines one or more override values corresponding to one or more of the plurality of default values at a specified moment in time;
generating a second file, of the file type, that references a first one of the nodes of the hierarchical graph structure included in the first file, wherein the first node corresponds to a first graphical element in the three-dimensional scene, and wherein the second file includes a second attribute value for the first graphical element that overrides at least one of the plurality of default values of the first file; and
rendering the three-dimensional scene based on both the at least one node of the first file referenced in the second file and the second attribute value of the component in the three-dimensional scene.

16. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein the determining the organization of components further comprises resolving references to other files having the file typ

Assignees

• Rao Arun
• Grassia Frank
• O'Brien Michael
• Shantzis Michael
• Edmondson Paul
• Pixar

Inventors

• Rao Arun
• Grassia Frank
• O'Brien Michael
• Shantzis Michael
• Edmondson Paul

Classifications

• G06F16/168

  Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs (query results presentation G06F16/156) · CPC title

• G06F16/2246

  Trees, e.g. B+trees · CPC title

• G06T17/00 Primary

  Three-dimensional [3D] modelling for computer graphics · CPC title

• G06T13/00 Primary

  Animation · CPC title

• G06T2210/32

  Image data format · CPC title