Apparatus And Method Of Avatar Customisation

Abstract

An entertainment device comprises skeletal modelling means to control placements of a three dimensional mesh representing some or all of a user avatar in response to the position of one or more skeletal components of the user avatar, skeleton modification means to modify one or more physical properties of one or more skeletal components of the user avatar via a user interface, and rendering means to render the user avatar responsive to the modified user avatar skeleton.

1 . An entertainment device, comprising:
 skeletal modelling means operable to configure a three dimensional mesh representing some or all of a user avatar in based upon at least a first property of one or more skeletal components of the user avatar;   skeleton modification means operable to modify one or more properties of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar via a user interface that enables asymmetric modifications of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar; and   rendering means operable to render the user avatar in accordance with the three dimensional mesh as configured in response to the modified user avatar skeleton; and   wherein an asymmetric modification of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar asymmetrically alters the rendered appearance of the user avatar.   
     
     
         2 . An entertainment device according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 transmission means to transmit data descriptive of the modified user avatar skeleton to one or more remote entertainment devices;   reception means to receive data descriptive of respective modified avatar skeletons corresponding to respective ones of the one or more remote entertainment devices;   and in which:   the rendering means is operable to render a plurality of respective avatars corresponding to respective ones of the one or more remote entertainment devices, the rendering of each avatar being responsive to its respective modified avatar skeleton.   
     
     
         3 . An entertainment device according to  claim 2 , in which transmission to the one or more remote entertainment devices and reception from the one or more remote entertainment devices is via an on-line server. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . An entertainment device according to  claim 1 , in which the skeletal components that may be asymmetrically modified relate to facial features comprising one or more of the following:
 i. lateral eye position;   ii. vertical eye position;   iii. vertical ear position;   iv. nose position;   v. nose profile;   vi. upper cranial shape;   vii. upper face shape;   viii. lower face shape; and   ix. jaw line.   
     
     
         6 . An entertainment device according to  claim 1 , in which the user interface of the skeletal modification means enables selection of additional skeletal components for incorporation into the user avatar. 
     
     
         7 . An entertainment device according to  claim 5 , in which the additional skeletal components comprise one or more of the following:
 i. glasses;   ii. hair;   iii. hats;   iv. headphones;   v. horns;   vi. crests; and   vii. trunks.   
     
     
         8 . An entertainment device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 texture component adjustment means to adjust one or more parameters of one or more texture layers applied to the three dimensional mesh representing some or all of a user avatar.   
     
     
         9 . An entertainment device according to  claim 8 , in which one of the one or more adjustable parameters is texture transparency. 
     
     
         10 . An entertainment device according to  claim 8 , in which one of the one or more adjustable parameters is a degree of bump-mapping applied to a texture. 
     
     
         11 . An entertainment device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 mesh deformation means operable to alter the positions of vertices of the three dimensional mesh via the user interface, in which:   the mesh deformation means is operable to alter the positions of the vertices of the three dimensional mesh in dependence upon the respective vertex positions of at least one of a plurality of predetermined three dimensional meshes each defined with respect to the three dimensional mesh representing some or all of the user avatar;   the extent to which the three dimensional mesh is altered by a predetermined three dimensional mesh is dependent upon a blend weight associated with the predetermined three dimensional mesh and adjustable via the user interface; and   the rendering means is operable to render the user avatar in accordance with the modified three dimensional mesh as modified by the mesh deformation means.   
     
     
         12 . An entertainment device according to  claim 11 , in which:
 each vertex of each of the plurality of predetermined three dimensional meshes is defined as a positional offset with respect to the position of the corresponding vertex of an un-deformed three dimensional mesh; and   the mesh deformation means is operable to modify the positions of the vertices of the three dimensional mesh in dependence upon a sum of the positional offsets for each vertex of the plurality of predetermined three dimensional meshes multiplied by their respective blend weights plus the vertex positions of the undeformed three dimensional mesh.   
     
     
         13 . An entertainment device according to  claim 11 , in which each of the plurality of predetermined three dimensional meshes is associated with an ethnic type. 
     
     
         14 . A server operable to administer a multi-player online virtual environment, the server comprising:
 reception means to receive data descriptive of respective modified avatar skeletons from a plurality of remote entertainment devices; and   transmission means to transmit data descriptive of the respective modified avatar skeletons to a plurality of remote entertainment devices,   wherein at least a first one of the modified avatar skeletons comprises an asymmetric modification of one or more skeletal components.   
     
     
         15 . A server according to  claim 14 , the server being operable to maintain a plurality of substantially similar on-line virtual environments each comprising a distinct plurality of avatars, wherein the data descriptive of each avatar's skeleton is distributed between members of its respective on-line virtual environment. 
     
     
         16 . An on-line system comprising:
 first and second entertainment devices;   an on-line server operable to administer a multi-player online virtual environment;   the first entertainment device comprising:   skeletal modelling means operable to configure a three dimensional mesh representing some or all of a user avatar based upon at least a first property of one or more skeletal components of the user avatar;   skeleton modification means to modify one or more properties of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar via a user interface that enables asymmetric modifications of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar;   rendering means operable to render the user avatar in accordance with the three dimensional mesh as configured in response to the modified user avatar skeleton, wherein an asymmetric modification of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar asymmetrically alters the rendered appearance of the user avatar; and   transmission means to transmit data descriptive of the modified user avatar skeleton to the second entertainment device, and   the second entertainment device comprising:   reception means to receive data descriptive of a modified user avatar skeleton from the first entertainment device; and   rendering means operable to render the modified avatar of the first entertainment device in accordance with the three dimensional mesh as configured based upon the modified avatar skeleton, wherein an asymmetric modification of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar asymmetrically alters the rendered appearance of the user avatar,   the on-line server comprising:   reception means to receive data descriptive of the modified user avatar skeleton from the first entertainment device; and   transmission means to transmit data descriptive of the modified user avatar skeleton to a the second entertainment device.   
     
     
         17 . A method of avatar customisation for an on-line virtual environment comprising the steps of:
 selecting a user avatar for use in the on-line virtual environment;   modifying one or more properties of one or more skeletal components of the user avatar via a user interface that enables asymmetric modifications of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar;   configuring a three dimensional mesh representing some or all of the user avatar based upon at least a first property of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar; and   rendering the user avatar in accordance with the three dimensional mesh as configured in response to the modified user avatar skeleton, wherein an asymmetric modification of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar asymmetrically alters the rendered appearance of the user avatar.   
     
     
         18 . A method of avatar customisation according to  claim 17 , comprising the steps of:
 transmitting data descriptive of the modified user avatar skeleton to one or more remote entertainment devices;   receiving data descriptive of respective modified avatar skeletons corresponding to one or more respective ones of the remote entertainment devices; and   rendering a plurality of respective avatars corresponding to the respective ones of the one or more remote entertainment devices, the rendering of each avatar being responsive to its respective modified avatar skeleton.   
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A method of avatar customisation according to  claim 17 , in which the step of modifying one or more physical properties of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar enables selection of additional skeletal components for incorporation into the user avatar. 
     
     
         21 . A method of avatar customisation according to  claims 17 , further comprising the step of adjusting one or more parameters of one or more texture layers applied a three dimensional mesh representing some or all of the user avatar. 
     
     
         22 . A method of avatar customisation according to  claim 21 , in which one of the adjustable parameters is texture transparency. 
     
     
         23 . A method of avatar customisation according to  claim 21 , in which an one of the adjustable parameters is a degree of bump-mapping applied to a texture. 
     
     
         24 . A method of avatar customisation according to  claim 17 , further comprising the steps of:
 deforming the positions of vertices of the three dimensional mesh via the user interface in dependence upon the respective vertex positions of at least one of a plurality of predetermined three dimensional meshes each defined with respect to the three dimensional mesh representing some or all of the user avatar,   wherein the extent to which the three dimensional mesh is altered by a predetermined three dimensional mesh being dependent upon a blend weight associated with the predetermined three dimensional mesh and adjustable via the user interface; and   rendering the user avatar in accordance with the deformed three dimensional mesh as deformed by the step of deforming the positions of the three dimensional mesh.   
     
     
         25 . A method of avatar customisation according to  claim 24 , in which:
 each vertex of each of the plurality of predetermined three dimensional meshes is defined as a positional offset with respect to the position of the corresponding vertex of the un-deformed three dimensional mesh; and   the step of deforming the positions of the vertices of the three dimensional mesh deforms the positions of the vertices of the three dimensional mesh in dependence upon a sum of the positional offsets for each vertex of the plurality of predetermined three dimensional meshes multiplied by their respective blend weights plus the vertex positions of the un-deformed three dimensional mesh.   
     
     
         26 . A method of administering a multi-player online virtual environment, comprising the steps of:
 receiving data descriptive of respective modified avatar skeletons from a plurality of remote entertainment devices; and   transmitting data descriptive of the respective modified avatar skeletons to the plurality of remote entertainment devices,   wherein at least a first one of the respective modified avatar skeletons comprises an asymmetric modification of one or more skeletal components.   
     
     
         27 . A method of administering a multi-player online virtual environment according to  claim 26 , further comprising the step of maintaining a plurality of substantially similar on-line virtual environments each comprising a distinct plurality of avatars, wherein the data descriptive of each avatar's skeleton is distributed between members of its respective on-line virtual environment. 
     
     
         28 . A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of avatar customisation for an on-line virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
 selecting a user avatar for use in the on-line virtual environment;   modifying one or more properties of one or more skeletal components of the user avatar via a user interface that enables asymmetric modifications of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar;   configuring a three dimensional mesh representing some or all of the user avatar based upon at least a first property of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar; and   rendering the user avatar in accordance with the three dimensional mesh as configured in response to the modified user avatar skeleton, wherein an asymmetric modification of the one or more skeletal components of the user avatar asymmetrically alters the rendered appearance of the user avatar.   
     
     
         29 . A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of administering a multi-player online virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
 receiving data descriptive of respective modified avatar skeletons from a plurality of remote entertainment devices; and   transmitting data descriptive of the respective modified avatar skeletons to the plurality of remote entertainment devices,   wherein at least a first one of the respective modified avatar skeletons comprises an asymmetric modification of one or more skeletal components.