US 7,321,367 B2 | ||
Arrangement and method for spatial visualization | ||
Karsten Isakovic, Berlin (Germany); Ivo Haulsen, Zeesen (Germany); and Boris Groth, Berlin (Germany) | ||
Assigned to Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Berlin (Germany) | ||
Filed on Feb. 26, 2002, as Appl. No. 10/83,626. | ||
Claims priority of application No. 101 10 358 (DE), filed on Feb. 27, 2001. | ||
Prior Publication US 2002/0154145 A1, Oct. 24, 2002 | ||
Int. Cl. G06F 15/16 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 345—502 [345/1.2; 345/2.1; 345/9; 345/504; 345/520; 345/522; 345/629; 348/51; 382/154; 709/203; 709/206; 709/207; 709/209; 709/211] | 18 Claims |
1. A virtual reality computing apparatus comprising:
at least one signal input which is connectable to an external input unit;
a first message channel;
a graphics master unit
which has a first random access memory
adapted to receive and store a first scene graphics data file,
which first scene graphics data file defines objects and/or events of a three-dimensional scene according to a code of a virtual
reality modeling language and by means of object and/or event parameter values associated with the objects and/or events,
respectively,
which associate object and event parameter values respectively with the objects and/or events,
and which objects and/or event parameters are defined in the code of the virtual reality modeling language in a manner allowing
a computation of partial images or of a sequence of consecutive partial images, so as to enable a three-dimensional perception
of the three-dimensional scene by a human viewer by synchronously displaying the partial images as a composite image,
is connected to the signal input,
is connected by way of a first message interface for incoming and outgoing messages to the first message channel
and which is adapted
to re-compute and store the object and/or event parameter values of the first scene graphics data file according to the code
of the virtual reality modeling language in dependence on the current object and/or event parameter values thereof and on
the current state of the signal input
and to produce and send a first message by way of the first message interface, wherein the first message contains at least
a part of the freshly computed object and/or event parameter values according to the code of the virtual reality modeling
language; and
at least two graphics client units, wherein each graphics client unit
has a respective second random access memory which is adapted to receive and store a respective second scene graphics data
file, which defines objects and/or events identical to those of the first scene graphics data file in the code of the virtual
reality modeling language and by means of object and/or event parameter values associated with the objects and/or events,
respectively, as received from the graphics master unit with the first message,
is connected by way of a second message interface for incoming and outgoing messages to the first message channel,
has a respective image data output,
and is adapted
to receive the first message comprising the re-computed current object and/or event parameter values by way of the second
message interface and to store the received object and/or event parameter values in the respective second scene graphics data
file, thus overwriting the previously stored respective second scene graphics data file,
to compute, after having overwritten the previously stored respective second scene graphics data file, respective image data
of a respective partial image of the three-dimensional scene in dependence on the object and/or event parameter values of
the second scene graphics data file, such that all partial images of the three-dimensional scene computed by the graphics
clients units, when synchronously displayed together, allow a three-dimensional perception of the three-dimensional scene
by a human viewer,
to produce and send a second message to the graphics master unit by way of the second message interface which second message
signals the conclusion of the image data computation of the respective partial image by the respective graphics client unit,
and to output the respective image data of the respective partial image after having sent the second message to the graphics
master unit.
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