Automatic Rendering Of 3D Sound

Abstract

Simulating a 3D audio environment, including receiving a visual representation of an object at a location in a scene, wherein the location represents a point in 3D space, receiving a sound element, and binding the sound element to the visual representation of the object such that a characteristic of the sound element is dynamically modified coincident with a change in location in the scene of the visual representation of the object in 3D space.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method to simulate a three-dimensional (3D) audio environment, comprising:
 generating, using an audio engine, a predefined audio graph comprising an audio node representing a sound element;   defining, using a graphics module, a scene tree for a scene, wherein the scene tree comprises a 3D spatial representation of a plurality of graphic nodes, wherein the plurality of graphic nodes represent objects in the scene;   binding, using a 3D audio environment module, the audio node to at least one of the plurality of graphic nodes of the scene tree; and   as a location of an object changes across a series of frames in the scene, causing a sound element to be played back corresponding to an audio node representative of the object, wherein the sound element comprises modified audio characteristics coincident with a presentation of the series of frames and is generated based on changes in a graphic node representing the object in the scene and the binding between the graphic node and the audio node.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein causing the sound element to be played back corresponding to an audio node representative of the object comprises:
 determining a modified audio characteristic for each frame of the series of frames in accordance with the binding.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the audio graph comprises a plurality of audio nodes, and wherein each of the plurality of audio nodes comprise at least one selected from a group consisting of a source node, a process node, and a destination node. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the source node generates a sound, the process node modifies the generated sound, and the destination node receives sound. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the sound element corresponds to a sound source, and wherein an apparent location of the sound source moves coincident with the change in the location of the object in the scene represented by the one of the plurality of graphics nodes, based on the binding. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 displaying a visual representation of the object on a display in accordance with the change of the location of the object.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the scene is defined by a 3D model of the scene. 
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable code executable by one or more processors to:
 generate, using an audio engine, a predefined audio graph comprising an audio node representing a sound element;   define, using a graphics module , a scene tree for a scene, wherein the scene tree comprises a 3D spatial representation of a plurality of graphic nodes, wherein the plurality of graphic nodes represent objects in the scene;   bind, using a 3D audio environment module, the audio node to at least one of the plurality of graphic nodes of the scene tree; and   as a location of an object changes across a series of frames in the scene, cause a sound element to be played back corresponding to an audio node representative of the object, wherein the sound element comprises modified audio characteristics coincident with a presentation of the series of frames and is generated based on changes in a graphic node representing the object in the scene and the binding between the graphic node and the audio node.   
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the computer readable code to cause the sound element to be played back corresponding to an audio node representative of the object comprises computer readable code to:
 determine a modified audio characteristic for each frame of the series of frames in accordance with the binding.   
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the audio graph comprises a plurality of audio nodes, and wherein each of the plurality of audio nodes comprise at least one selected from a group consisting of a source node, a process node, and a destination node. 
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the source node generates a sound, the process node modifies the generated sound, and the destination node receives sound. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the sound element corresponds to a sound source, and wherein an apparent location of the sound source moves coincident with the change in the location of the object in the scene represented by the one of the plurality of graphics nodes, based on the binding. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 9 , further comprising computer readable code to:
 display a visual representation of the object on a display in accordance with the change of the location of the object.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the scene is defined by a 3D model of the scene. 
     
     
         16 . A system comprising:
 one or more processors; and   one or more computer readable media comprising computer readable code executable by the one or more processors to:
 generate, using an audio engine, a predefined audio graph comprising an audio node representing a sound element; 
 define, using a graphics module , a scene tree for a scene, wherein the scene tree comprises a 3D spatial representation of a plurality of graphic nodes, wherein the plurality of graphic nodes represent objects in the scene; 
 bind, using a 3D audio environment module, the audio node to at least one of the plurality of graphic nodes of the scene tree; and 
 as a location of an object changes across a series of frames in the scene, cause a sound element to be played back corresponding to an audio node representative of the object, wherein the sound element comprises modified audio characteristics coincident with a presentation of the series of frames and is generated based on changes in a graphic node representing the object in the scene and the binding between the graphic node and the audio node. 
   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the computer readable code to cause the sound element to be played back corresponding to an audio node representative of the object comprises computer readable code to:
 determine a modified audio characteristic for each frame of the series of frames in accordance with the binding.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the audio graph comprises a plurality of audio nodes, and wherein each of the plurality of audio nodes comprise at least one selected from a group consisting of a source node, a process node, and a destination node. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the source node generates a sound, the process node modifies the generated sound, and the destination node receives sound. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the sound element corresponds to a sound source, and wherein an apparent location of the sound source moves coincident with the change in the location of the object in the scene represented by the one of the plurality of graphics nodes, based on the binding. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising computer readable code to:
 display a visual representation of the object on a display in accordance with the change of the location of the object.