System and method for creating real-time shadows of complex transparent objects
US6646640B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 6, 2001 |
| Grant date | Nov 11, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 1, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T15/60
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for creating real-time shadows of complex transparent objects includes a processor and a main memory that stores a transparent blocker object and a receiver object. A light source in a three-dimensional game environment determines an origin of a light coordinate system. A unit vector from the light source to the blocker object defines a z-axis of the light coordinate system and defines a light vector. The processor converts vertices of the blocker object from world coordinates into light coordinates. A graphics processor then calculates a shadow map by taking the dot-product of the light vector and each vertex of the blocker object. The shadow map is then stored in a memory of a graphics processor and is applied as a texture map to the receiver object by the graphics processor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.