APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR HAPTIC RENDERING USING DATA IN A GRAPHICS PIPELINE

摘要

The invention provides methods for leveraging data in the graphics pipeline of a 3D graphics application for use in a haptic rendering of a virtual environment. The invention provides methods for repurposing graphical information for haptic rendering. Thus, at least part of the work that would have been performed by a haptic rendering process to provide touch feedback to a user is obviated by work performed by the graphical rendering process. The invention also provides systems and methods for using a "haptic camera" within a virtual environment to obtain graphical data that is interpreted haptically to provide touch feedback to a user.