Virtual reality system and method

Abstract

A method comprises displaying in virtual reality a computer-generated scene; obtaining a movement command from a real-world physical movement of a user, the movement command corresponding to a movement of a virtual body; and adjusting the movement of the virtual body in dependence on an effect of gravity in the computer-generated scene and/or in dependence on the presence of at least one object within the computer-generated scene that inhibits the movement of the virtual body, wherein the adjusting of the movement is such that the adjusted movement of the virtual body does not correspond with the real-world physical movement of the user.

1 . A method comprising:
 displaying in virtual reality a computer-generated scene representative of a structure;   receiving a user input representative of a variation of a time or weather parameter; and   updating the computer-generated scene in dependence on the variation of the time or weather parameter, thereby enabling the user to vary on command an appearance of at least part of the structure in the computer-generated scene to represent a change in time and/or weather conditions.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the updating of the computer-generated scene comprises live updating of the computer-generated scene while the computer-generated scene is viewed in virtual reality by the user. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the variation of the time or weather parameter is provided by the user via a handheld input device, wherein the handheld input device comprises at least one of a games controller, a wand. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the user input representative of the variation in the time or weather parameter is provided by operating a user input tool. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the variation in the time or weather parameter comprises an increment in time. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , the method further comprising determining the increment in time in dependence on a length of time for which the user input tool is operated. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the variation of the time or weather parameter comprises a variation in at least one of a time of day, a time of year, a type of weather. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises determining a sun position in dependence on a time of day and on a geographical location, and the displaying and/or updating of the computer-generated scene comprises generating the scene using the determined sun position. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the determining of the sun position is further in dependence on a or the time of year. 
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the variation of the weather parameter comprises a variation of at least one of an extent of cloud coverage, a type of precipitation, a rate of precipitation, an amount of fog, an amount of smog. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising displaying with the computer-generated scene at least one of a time display, a calendar display, a map display, a weather display. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the or a structure represented in the computer-generated scene comprises at least one of an architectural structure, a building, a house, an apartment building, a residential building, a commercial building, an office building. 
     
     
         13 . A computer program product comprising computer readable instructions that are executable by a processor to perform a method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         14 . An apparatus comprising at least one display screen, at least one user input device, and at least one processor configured to:
 display in virtual reality on the at least one display screen a computer-generated scene representative of a structure;   receive from the at least one user input device a user input representative of a variation of a time or weather parameter; and   update the computer-generated scene in dependence on the variation of the time or weather parameter, thereby enabling the user to vary on command an appearance of at least part of the structure in the computer-generated scene to represent a change in time and/or weather conditions.