Interactive menu elements in a virtual three-dimensional space

Abstract

The present technology includes a digital content authoring tool for authoring digital content without the need to understand or access computer code. The present technology further includes creating digital content that is compatible with a diverse population of end user devices without the need for separate versions of the completed content. Instead, the digital authoring tool can manage versions of assets, which individually, can be compatible with different device criteria. Additionally, the present technology contemplates methods of delivering packages of the digital content that are configured to be compatible with the hardware configuration of each requesting device, despite the diverse capabilities of end user devices. Accordingly, the technology described herein provides a simple method for creating and delivering digital content that is configured for presentation on a user's specific device.

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 creating a virtual 3-D environment;   positioning a viewport into the 3-D environment at a coordinate in the center of the virtual 3-D environment and oriented to face a starting position; and   locating menu items in the virtual 3-D environment at points other than the center wherein the menu items are located around the viewport.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 displaying a portion of the virtual 3-D environment as a graphical user interface menu.   
     
     
         3 . The computer implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the displayed portion of the graphical user interface is viewed through the viewport oriented to face the starting position, and the starting position is a first menu item. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 responsive to a user input, animating a change in orientation of the viewport, thereby bringing additional menu items into the viewport.   
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the position of the viewport in the virtual 3-D environment gives the impression the user is in the virtual 3-D environment facing the direction the viewport is facing. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the animated change animates a rotation upon a horizontal plane. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the animated change animates a progression upon a z-axis, whereby the impression of advancing forward in the virtual 3-D environment is simulated. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein the animated change further animates passing through a first menu item's view through the viewport to reveal a subsequent menu item into view. 
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to display an interactive menu, the instructions comprising:
 creating a virtual 3-D environment;   positioning a viewport into the 3-D environment at a coordinate in the center of the virtual 3-D environment and oriented to face a starting position; and   locating menu items in the virtual 3-D environment at points other than the center wherein the menu items are located around the viewport.   
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 9 , the instructions further comprising:
 displaying a portion of the virtual 3-D environment as a graphical user interface menu.   
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein the displayed portion of the graphical user interface is viewed through the viewport oriented to face the starting position, and the starting position is a first menu item. 
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , further comprising: responsive to a user input, animating a change in orientation of the viewport, thereby bringing additional menu items into the viewport. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the position of the viewport in the virtual 3-D environment gives the impression the user is in the virtual 3-D environment facing the direction the viewport is facing. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the animated change animates a rotation upon a horizontal plane. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 12 , wherein the animated change animates a progression upon a z-axis, whereby the impression of advancing forward in the virtual 3-D environment is simulated. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the animated change further animates passing through a first menu item's view through the viewport to reveal a subsequent menu item into view. 
     
     
         17 . An apparatus comprising:
 a graphical user interface;   a processor in communication with the graphical user interface and configured to generate and send commands to the graphical user interface for displaying a virtual 3-D environment, wherein the displayed virtual 3-D environment comprises a viewport and menu items, wherein the viewport is positioned at a coordinate in the center of the virtual 3-D environment and oriented to face a starting position, and wherein the menu items in the virtual 3-D environment are located at points other than the center, whereby the menu items are located around the viewport.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured to command the graphical user interface to display a first menu item, as viewed through the viewport. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured to command the graphical user interface to give a user the impression of being in the virtual 3-D environment facing the direction the viewport is facing. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured to command the graphical user interface to display an animated change in orientation of the viewport in response to a user input to the graphical user interface, whereby additional menu items are displayed by the graphical user interface. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the animated change indicates radial movement of the orientation of the viewport along the horizontal plane. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the animated change animates a progression upon an axis parallel to the direction faced by the viewport, whereby the impression of advancing forward in the virtual 3-D environment is simulated. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the animated change further animates passing through a first menu item's view through the viewport to reveal a subsequent menu item into view.