Patent ID: 9729863
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: G06T,G11B,H04N

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method to facilitate content development by rendering image frames of three-dimensional (3D) geometry based on both shot-specific elements and common elements across different shots, the computer-implemented method comprising: responsive to receiving, via a user interface, a selection of elements common to a plurality of shots of a scene, updating a scene layer of the scene to store the selected common elements, wherein each shot is distinct and includes multiple image frames from a continuous run of a respective virtual camera, wherein the scene includes a collection of shots with at least a character and a locale in common, wherein at least one common element type, selected from model activation, character blocking, rough lighting, sets, set-ups, model attributes, and metadata, is includable in the common elements; subsequent to receiving the selection of common elements, propagating the selected common elements to each of the plurality of shots by operation of one or more computer processors and without requiring, for each shot, user input explicitly specifying to apply the selected common elements to the respective shot, thereby facilitating development of the plurality of shots for rendering the image frames; responsive to receiving, via the user interface and for at least one of the plurality of shots, a selection of elements specific to the shot, updating a respective shot layer of the shot to store the elements specific to the shot, wherein the respective shot layer is distinct from the scene layer, wherein the elements specific to the shot include (i) a virtual camera property of the shot and (ii) a shot-specific change to at least one of the selected common elements, wherein the elements specific to the shot are unpropagated to any other shot; and rendering image frames in each of the shots based on the propagated common elements and based further on the unpropagated elements specific to the shot, wherein the image frames are output.