(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 9,729,765 B2 Balakrishnan Et Al
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USOO9729765B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 9,729,765 B2 Balakrishnan et al. (45) Date of Patent: Aug. 8, 2017 (54) MOBILE VIRTUAL CINEMATOGRAPHY A63F 13/70 (2014.09); G06T 15/20 (2013.01); SYSTEM H04N 5/44504 (2013.01); A63F2300/1093 (71) Applicant: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (2013.01) (58) Field of Classification Search (US) None (72) Inventors: Girish Balakrishnan, Santa Monica, See application file for complete search history. CA (US); Paul Diefenbach, Collingswood, NJ (US) (56) References Cited (73) Assignee: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA (US) PUBLICATIONS (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this Lino, C. et al. (2011) The Director's Lens: An Intelligent Assistant patent is extended or adjusted under 35 for Virtual Cinematography. ACM Multimedia, ACM 978-1-4503 U.S.C. 154(b) by 651 days. 0616-Apr. 11, 2011. Elson, D.K. and Riedl, M.O (2007) A Lightweight Intelligent (21) Appl. No.: 14/309,833 Virtual Cinematography System for Machinima Production. Asso ciation for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Available (22) Filed: Jun. 19, 2014 from www.aaai.org. (Continued) (65) Prior Publication Data US 2014/O378222 A1 Dec. 25, 2014 Primary Examiner — Maurice L. McDowell, Jr. (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Saul Ewing LLP: Related U.S. Application Data Kathryn Doyle; Brian R. Landry (60) Provisional application No. 61/836,829, filed on Jun. 19, 2013. (57) ABSTRACT A virtual cinematography system (SmartWCS) is disclosed, (51) Int. Cl. including a mobile tablet device, wherein the mobile tablet H04N 5/222 (2006.01) device includes a touch-sensor Screen, a first hand control, a A63F 3/65 (2014.01) second hand control, and a motion sensor. The SmartWCS A63F 3/23 (2014.01) including a motion tracking camera configured to track the A63F 3/70 (2014.01) movements of the motion sensor and generate motion track G06T I5/20 (2011.01) ing information and a computer operatively coupled to the A63F 3/5255 (2014.01) motion tracking camera configured to receive the motion A63F 3/245 (2014.01) tracking information and to transmit the motion tracking H04N 5/445 (2011.01) information to the first mobile tablet device, wherein the first (52) U.S. Cl. mobile device is configured to overlay the motion tracking CPC ......... H04N 5/2224 (2013.01); A63F 13/213 information onto a virtual landscape. (2014.09); A63F 13/2145 (2014.09); A63F 13/5255 (2014.09); A63F 13/65 (2014.09); 19 Claims, 14 Drawing Sheets US 9,729,765 B2 Page 2 (56) References Cited PUBLICATIONS Autodesk Whitepaper (2009) The New Art of Virtual Moviemaking. pp. 1-19. Available from www.autodesk.com/film. Edirlei E.S. de Lima et al. (2009) Virtual cinematography director for interactive storytelling. ACE '09 Proceedings of the Interna tional Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Tech nology. Abstract retrieved from online dil.acm.org/citation. cfm?id=1690432 accessed Jun. 3, 2013 Available from: ACM Digital Library. ISBN: 978-1-60558-864-3. Kneafsey, J. & McCabe, H. (year unknown) Camera Control through Cinematography for Virtual Environments: A State of the Art Report. School of Informatics and Engineering, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland. Kneafsey, J. & McCabe, H.(2003-2005) Software Toolkit for Virtual Cinematography, online Graphics and Gaming Research Group Virtual Cinematography, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. Available from: www.gamesitb.com/cinematography.html accessed: Jun. 3, 2013. de Lima, Edirlei E.S., Ciarlini, Angelo E.M. and Feijo, Bruno (2009) Virtual Cinematography Director for Interactive Storytell ing. Ace 2009, pp. 263-270. He, Li-wei, Cohen, Michael F., and Salesin, David H. (year unknown) The Virtual Cinematographer: A Paradigm for Automatic Real-Time Camera Control and Directing. Christie, Marc and Normand, Jean-Marie (2005) A Semantic Space Partitioning Approach to Virtual Camera Composition. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing (The Eurographics Association and Blackwell Publishing, vol. 24 (2005), No. 3). U.S. Patent Aug. 8, 2017 Sheet 1 of 14 US 9,729,765 B2 Of 150 F.G. B U.S. Patent Aug. 8, 2017 Sheet 2 of 14 US 9,729,765 B2 2OO FG 2 U.S. Patent US 9,729,765 B2 F.G. 3 U.S. Patent Aug. 8, 2017 Sheet 4 of 14 US 9,729,765 B2 oo: I 402 Tracking O oying U.S. Patent Aug. 8, 2017 Sheet S of 14 US 9,729,765 B2 M-SO3 F.G. 5B U.S. Patent Aug. 8, 2017 Sheet 6 of 14 US 9,729,765 B2 Oa. 5p1 SO4. FG 5D U.S. Patent Aug. 8, 2017 Sheet 7 of 14 US 9,729,765 B2 -- SO3 U.S. Patent Aug. 8, 2017 Sheet 8 of 14 US 9,729,765 B2 N REA-OR) WRA-OR. 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Reai-ite Carnerg-Position Wisdaizer PS Move co SCC itect F.G. 5 US 9,729,765 B2 1. 2 MOBILE VIRTUAL CINEMATOGRAPHY The SmartWCS uses affordable hardware, an intuitive user SYSTEM interface, real-time benefits of game engines, and an intel ligent camera system, to provides professional directors as CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED well as a new market of amateur filmmakers the ability to APPLICATION previsualize their films or game cinematics with familiar and accessible technology. The Support of both free-space move This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ment and controller-based navigation with adjustable scene Application No. 61/836,829 filed Jun. 19, 2013, which is scales permits the user to navigate the virtual space and incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. record camera motion in a variety of means. The user can 10 additionally mark key frames for virtual dollies or booms, FIELD OF INVENTION and control camera parameters such as focal length or aspect The embodiments described herein are related to a mobile ratio. The SmartWCS can include cinematic principals for virtual cinematography system and a method of producing intelligent generation of shots. For example, dolly tracks and 15 timings are generated based on physically-guided principals films and game cinematics using commercially available in order to produce realistic camera paths. SmartWCS also equipment. Supports rudimentary scene editing, and has the ability to BACKGROUND integrate into a professional production pipeline such as exporting camera paths or scene descriptions with industry With development of powerful computer processing Software packages such as the one sold under the trademark equipment and graphic Support, virtual cinematography has of Autodesk Maya. become a staple of the movie industry. Virtual content is In addition, the system has precision virtual camera assembled into a scene within a 3-D engine, (e.g. by filming controls mapped to analog joysticks, buttons, and Scroll live action elements or through computer generation). After wheel input. With the systems flexible design, operators wards the scene can be composed, re-photographed, and 25 may modify the form factor of the device through shoulder, edited from other angles by a virtual camera as if the action tripod, dolly, and hand-held mounts was happening for the first time. The rendered image can A virtual cinematography system (VCS) is disclosed appear realistic. herein. The virtual cinematography system may comprise: a Virtual cinematography with a new virtual camera system first mobile tablet device including a touch-sensor Screen, a has a wide field of applications and opportunities to be 30 first hand control, a second hand control, and a motion useful, ranging at least from film industry, architecture/ sensor; a motion tracking camera configured to track and interior/landscape design studios, city planning offices, record movements of the motion sensor and generate motion Video game industries and medical field, for example. How tracking information to navigate a virtual camera; and a ever, in the current production environment, the ability to computer operatively coupled to the motion tracking camera previsualize shots utilizing a virtual camera system requires 35 that is configured to receive from the motion tracking expensive hardware and large motion capture spaces only camera data of the motion tracking information and transmit available to large studios. There exists a need to develop a the data to the first mobile tablet device. In this system, the new virtual camera system that is more easily accessible in first mobile tablet device is configured to generate and terms of the space, costs, and availability. overlay virtual camera images based on the motion tracking 40 information data onto a virtual landscape and produce a SUMMARY virtual motion capture. In another aspect, a method of producing a virtual motion A Smart Virtual Cinematography System (SmartWCS) is capture using a SmartWCS is provided. The method may designed for both amateur and professional users, who wish comprise the steps of pre-loading and launching a stand to embrace the notion of virtual production for films, game 45 alone SmartWCS application into a mobile tablet device of cinematics, designs and medical images without a big studio the SmartVCS device; tracking a movement of the motion budget.