INTEGRATION OF THREE DIMENSIONAL SCENE HIERARCHY INTO TWO DIMENSIONAL COMPOSITING SYSTEM

摘要

A hierarchy of (2D) visual objects and (3D) scene objects are integrated for seamless processing to render (2D) images including a (2D) view of a (3D) scene on a (2D) computer display. The processing of the (3D) model objects a nd (2D) visual objects in the visual hierarchy is integrated so that the processing is readily handed off between (3D) and (2D) operations. Further t he number of transitions between processing visual (2D) objects and (3D) model objects when creating a display image has no architectural limit. A data structure integrates computer program objects for creating (3D) images and (2D) images in a visual tree object hierarchy having visual (2D) objects or (3D) scene objects pointing to (3D) model objects. The data structure comprises an object tree hierarchy, one or more visual (2D) objects, and one or more (3D) reference or scene objects pointing to (3D) model objects. The visual (2D) objects define operations drawing a (2D) image. The (3D) referen ce or scene objects define references pointing to objects with operations that together draw a two-dimensional view of a three-dimensional scene made up of one or more (3D) models. The (3D) reference or scene objects point to (3D) model objects and a camera object. The camera object defines a two-dimension al view of the (3D) scene. The (3D) model objects draw the (3D) models and defi ne mesh information used in drawing contours of a model and material informatio n used in drawing surface texture of a model. The material information for the surface texture of a model may be defined by a visual (2D) object, a (3D) reference or scene object or a tree hierarchy of visual (2D) objects and/or (3D) reference scene objects.