3D Digital Model Surface Rendering and Conversion

Number: 20220319104
Published: 2022-10-06
Filed: 2021-03-31
Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc
Inventors: Coffey; Dane M., Scerbo; Siroberto, Goldberg; Evan M., Schroers; Christopher Richard, Baker; Daniel L., Mine; Mark R., Doggett; Erika Varis
CPC: G06T15/20; G06T15/205; G06T15/04; G06T15/50; G06T15/506; G06T17/20; G06T19/00; H04N13/275; H04N13/282
Verdict: Low Notable software
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

3D surface rendering/conversion technique.

Abstract

An image processing system includes a computing platform having processing hardware, a display, and a system memory storing a software code. The processing hardware is configured to execute the software code to receive a three-dimensional (3D) digital model, surround the 3D digital model with multiple virtual cameras oriented toward the 3D digital model, and generate, using the virtual cameras, a multiple renders of the 3D digital model. The processing hardware is further configured to execute the software code to generate a UV texture coordinate space for a surface projection of the 3D digital model, and to transfer, using the multiple renders, lighting color values for each of multiple surface portions of the 3D digital model to the UV texture coordinate space.

Background

BACKGROUND

The process for creating and rendering the types of three-dimensional (3D) digital assets used in content production is complicated and very often proprietary to the studio producing the asset. Complex custom pipelines that involve many steps and the participation of many artists are typically needed to generate the final image render. Production tools and shaders are developed in-house. Even entirely proprietary renderer engines, which are functional only in the specific pipeline of a particular studio, may be used to produce the final render of the asset. Moreover, a production pipeline within the same studio typically evolves to meet the needs of each new production project. Therefore, an asset produced using a legacy version of a particular pipeline may not be compatible with that pipeline in its evolved form.

For the foregoing reasons, interoperability of 3D digital assets among studios, or among different pipeline versions in the same studio can be a difficult and often labor intensive process. Additionally, taking an off-line rendered digital asset and recreating an accurate representation of it in a real-time game engine pipeline presents further difficulties. In many cases the original model, shaders, and renders can only be used for visual reference, and the asset must be entirely recreated in a manual process. Due to its intense reliance on human participation, this manual re-modeling, re-texturing, and re-shading is both undesirably costly

Claims

1: An image processing system comprising: a computing platform including a processing hardware, a display, and a system memory storing a software code; the processing hardware configured to execute the software code to: receive a three-dimensional (3D) digital model represented by a mesh having a first mesh element count; surround the 3D digital model with a plurality of virtual cameras oriented toward the 3D digital model; generate, using the plurality of virtual cameras, a plurality of renders of the 3D digital model; generate a UV texture coordinate space for a surface projection of the 3D digital model including a mesh representation of the 3D digital model having a mesh element count that is less than the first mesh element count; and transfer, using the plurality of renders, lighting color values for each of a plurality of surface portions of the 3D digital model to the UV texture coordinate space. || 12: A method for use by an image processing system including a computing platform having a processing hardware, a display, and a system memory storing a software code, the method comprising: receiving, by the software code executed by the processing hardware, a three-dimensional (3D) digital model represented by a mesh having a first mesh element count; surrounding, by the software code executed by the processing hardware, the 3D digital model with a plurality of virtual cameras oriented toward the 3D digital model; generating, by the software code executed by the processing hardware and using the plurality of virtual cameras, a plurality of renders of the 3D digital model; generating, by the software code executed by the processing hardware, a UV texture coordinate space for a surface projection of the 3D digital model including a mesh representation of the 3D digital model having a mesh element count that is less than the first mesh element count; and transferring, by the software code executed by the processing hardware and using the plurality of renders, lighting color values for each of a plurality of surface portions of the 3D digital model to the UV texture coordinate space.