Patent ID: 6243706
Filing Date: 2001-06-05
Classification: G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for managing the creation and production of a computer generated animation by a plurality of users, comprising the steps of:(i) defining a project data structure for the animation, the project data structure including at least one scene data structure associated with a scene of the animation, the scene data structure including at least one element data structure associated with a component of the scene;(ii) defining for each said element data structure an access control list of the type of accesses to the respective element data structure permitted to each said user;(iii) from at least one of the users, receiving a request to access one of the element data structures, and for the requested access identifying permitted ones of the at least one uses from the access control list associated with the one element data structure;(iv) permitting the requested access concurrently for at least two of the permitted users;(v) respectively increasing and decreasing a record lock count associated with the accessed element data structure in accordance with an initiation and a termination of said permitted access by each said permitted user; and(vi) upon receipt of a modified one of the accessed element data structures, accessing the record lock count associated with the modified one element data structure, and replacing the accessed element data structure with the modified one element data structure upon accessing a zero value of the accessed record lock count.