Animation rendering engine for digital greetings

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that include presenting a user interface that enables customization of a greeting card, receiving personalization information useable to personalize the greeting card, generating an image file based on the personalization information, storing the personalization information, storing the image file, storing metadata associated with the image file (the metadata can be useable to discern characteristics of the image file), associating a link with the customized digital greeting card, receiving an indication that the link has been referenced, retrieving the image file and the personalization information, utilizing the image file and the personalization information to generate one or more textures, applying the one or more textures to a 3D model of a greeting card, and generating a digital animated version of a greeting card from the 3D model, wherein the animated version presents a representation of the image file and that is consistent with the personalization information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . One or more non-transitory computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:
 presenting a user interface that enables customization of a greeting card;   receiving personalization information useable to personalize the greeting card;   generating an image file based on the personalization information;   storing the personalization information;   storing the image file;   storing metadata associated with the image file, wherein the metadata is useable to discern characteristics of the image file;   associating a link with the customized digital greeting card;   receiving an indication that the link has been referenced;   retrieving the image file and the personalization information;   utilizing the image file and the personalization information to generate one or more textures;   applying the one or more textures to a 3D model of a greeting card;   generating a digital animated version of a greeting card from the 3D model, wherein the animated version presents a representation of the image file and that is consistent with the personalization information.   
     
     
         2 . The media of  claim 1 , wherein the animated version of the greeting card includes one or more of the following:
 a greeting message;   textual content;   a code linking to a monetary value;   a link to a game;   a video;   a sound recording; or   a picture.   
     
     
         3 . The media of  claim 2 , wherein the code linking to a monetary value includes a QR code useable to facilitating conveying a monetary value to a recipient. 
     
     
         4 . The media of  claim 3 , further comprising presenting, on a remote presentation device, a visual depiction of the conveying of the monetary value to the recipient. 
     
     
         5 . The media of  claim 1 , wherein the personalization information includes temporal information that dictates a time schedule for presenting the digital animated version of the greeting card. 
     
     
         6 . The media  claim 3 , wherein the temporal information functions as a countdown period to when the digital animated version of the greeting card is presented. 
     
     
         7 . The media of  claim 1 , wherein the personalization information includes location information that dictates a location for presenting the digital animated version of the greeting card. 
     
     
         8 . The media of  claim 5 , wherein the location information precludes a presentation of the digital animated version of the greeting card unless a computing device that is to present the digital animated version is at a prescribed location. 
     
     
         9 . The media of  claim 1 , wherein the personalization information includes questions information that prohibit presenting the digital animated version of the greeting card unless a set of one or more questions are correctly answered. 
     
     
         10 . The media of  claim 1 , further comprising notifying a sender that the digital animated version of the greeting card was presented. 
     
     
         11 . The media of  claim 1 , further comprising presenting a digital vignette after presenting the digital animated version of the greeting card. 
     
     
         12 . One or more non-transitory computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:
 receiving personalization information useable to personalize a greeting;   generating an image file based on the personalization information;   storing the image file;   associating a link with card information, wherein the card information includes one or more of the image file and the personalization information;   receiving an indication that the link has been referenced;   utilizing at least a portion of the card information to generate one or more textures;   applying the one or more textures to a 3D model of a greeting card;   generating a digital animated version of a greeting card from the 3D model, wherein the animated version presents a representation of the image file and consistent with the personalization information.   
     
     
         13 . The media of  claim 12 , wherein the greeting includes a greeting card. 
     
     
         14 . The media of  claim 13 , wherein the greeting card correlates to a physical card. 
     
     
         15 . The media of  claim 14 , wherein the physical card includes physical attributes including one or more of:
 a number of folds;   a card width;   a card height;   a paper type; and   a paper thickness.   
     
     
         16 . The media of  claim 15 , wherein the physical attributes are considered when presenting a user interface for receiving the personalization information. 
     
     
         17 . A system comprising:
 one or more first computing devices that, facilitate a presentation of a user interface of a remote computing device, wherein the user interface is useable to receive personalization options for customizing a digital-greeting-card animation;   one or more datastores coupled to the one or more first computing devices, wherein the datastores store personalization data consistent with the personalization options;   a rendering engine coupled to the datastore that generates one or more textures based on the personalization data and applies the one or more textures to a 3D model of a greeting card, thereby rendering an animated 3D greeting card that visualizes at least a portion of the personalization data.