Patent Publication Number: US-2023138434-A1

Title: Extraction of user representation from video stream to a virtual environment

Description:
FIELD 
     This application relates generally to video communications, and more particularly, to systems and methods for presenting a user from a video communications platform in a virtual environment. 
     SUMMARY 
     The appended claims may serve as a summary of this application. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1 A  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary environment in which some embodiments may operate. 
         FIG.  1 B  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system with software and/or hardware modules that may execute some of the functionality described herein. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates one or more client devices that may be used to participate in a video conference and/or virtual environment. 
         FIG.  3    is a diagram illustrating an exemplary environment in which some embodiments may operate. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates an exemplary virtual environment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 A  illustrates an exemplary video of a user according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 B  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method that may be performed in some embodiments. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates an exemplary virtual environment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    illustrates an exemplary digital representation of a video conference participant according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    illustrates an exemplary digital representation of a video conference participant according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    illustrates an exemplary user interface according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  10    illustrates an exemplary method that may be performed in some embodiments. 
         FIG.  11    illustrates an exemplary method that may be performed in some embodiments. 
         FIG.  12    illustrates an exemplary method that may be performed in some embodiments. 
         FIG.  13    is a diagram illustrating an exemplary computer that may perform processing in some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In this specification, reference is made in detail to specific embodiments of the invention. Some of the embodiments or their aspects are illustrated in the drawings. 
     For clarity in explanation, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, however it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the invention covers alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within its scope as defined by any patent claims. The following embodiments of the invention are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations on, the claimed invention. In the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In addition, well known features may not have been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. 
     In addition, it should be understood that steps of the exemplary methods set forth in this exemplary patent can be performed in different orders than the order presented in this specification. Furthermore, some steps of the exemplary methods may be performed in parallel rather than being performed sequentially. Also, the steps of the exemplary methods may be performed in a network environment in which some steps are performed by different computers in the networked environment. 
     Some embodiments are implemented by a computer system. A computer system may include a processor, a memory, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory and non-transitory medium may store instructions for performing methods and steps described herein. 
     I. Exemplary Environments 
       FIG.  1 A  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary environment in which some embodiments may operate. In the exemplary environment  100 , a first user&#39;s client device  150  and one or more additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  are connected to a processing engine  102  and, optionally, a video communication platform  140 . The processing engine  102  is connected to the video communication platform  140 , and optionally connected to one or more repositories and/or databases, including a user account repository  130  and/or a settings repository  132 . One or more of the databases may be combined or split into multiple databases. The first user&#39;s client device  150  and additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  in this environment may be computers, and the video communication platform server  140  and processing engine  102  may be applications or software hosted on a computer or multiple computers which are communicatively coupled via remote server or locally. 
     The exemplary environment  100  is illustrated with only one additional user&#39;s client device, one processing engine, and one video communication platform, though in practice there may be more or fewer additional users&#39; client devices, processing engines, and/or video communication platforms. In some embodiments, one or more of the first user&#39;s client device, additional users&#39; client devices, processing engine, and/or video communication platform may be part of the same computer or device. 
     In an embodiment, processing engine  102  may perform the methods  540 ,  1000 ,  1100 ,  1200 , or other methods herein and, as a result, provide for extracting a user representation from a video stream to a virtual environment. A virtual environment may comprise a VR environment or AR environment. In some embodiments, this may be accomplished via communication with the first user&#39;s client device  150 , additional users&#39; client device(s)  160 , processing engine  102 , video communication platform  140 , and/or other device(s) over a network between the device(s) and an application server or some other network server. In some embodiments, the processing engine  102  is an application, browser extension, or other piece of software hosted on a computer or similar device or is itself a computer or similar device configured to host an application, browser extension, or other piece of software to perform some of the methods and embodiments herein. 
     In some embodiments, the first user&#39;s client device  150  and additional users&#39; client devices  160  may perform the methods  540 ,  1000 ,  1100 ,  1200 , or other methods herein and, as a result, provide for extracting a user representation from a video stream to a virtual environment. In some embodiments, this may be accomplished via communication with the first user&#39;s client device  150 , additional users&#39; client device(s)  160 , processing engine  102 , video communication platform  140 , and/or other device(s) over a network between the device(s) and an application server or some other network server. 
     The first user&#39;s client device  150  and additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  may be devices with a display configured to present information to a user of the device. In some embodiments, the first user&#39;s client device  150  and additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  present information in the form of a user interface (UI) with UI elements or components. In some embodiments, the first user&#39;s client device  150  and additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  send and receive signals and/or information to the processing engine  102  and/or video communication platform  140 . The first user&#39;s client device  150  may be configured to perform functions related to presenting and playing back video, audio, documents, annotations, and other materials within a video presentation (e.g., a virtual class, lecture, webinar, or any other suitable video presentation) on a video communication platform. The additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  may be configured to viewing the video presentation, and in some cases, presenting material and/or video as well. In some embodiments, first user&#39;s client device  150  and/or additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  include an embedded or connected camera which is capable of generating and transmitting video content in real time or substantially real time. For example, one or more of the client devices may be smartphones with built-in cameras, and the smartphone operating software or applications may provide the ability to broadcast live streams based on the video generated by the built-in cameras. In some embodiments, the first user&#39;s client device  150  and additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  are computing devices capable of hosting and executing one or more applications or other programs capable of sending and/or receiving information. In some embodiments, the first user&#39;s client device  150  and/or additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  may be a computer desktop or laptop, mobile phone, video phone, conferencing system, virtual assistant, virtual reality or augmented reality device, wearable, or any other suitable device capable of sending and receiving information. In some embodiments, the processing engine  102  and/or video communication platform  140  may be hosted in whole or in part as an application or web service executed on the first user&#39;s client device  150  and/or additional users&#39; client device(s)  160 . In some embodiments, one or more of the video communication platform  140 , processing engine  102 , and first user&#39;s client device  150  or additional users&#39; client devices  160  may be the same device. In some embodiments, the first user&#39;s client device  150  is associated with a first user account on the video communication platform, and the additional users&#39; client device(s)  160  are associated with additional user account(s) on the video communication platform. 
     In some embodiments, optional repositories can include one or more of a user account repository  130  and settings repository  132 . The user account repository may store and/or maintain user account information associated with the video communication platform  140 . In some embodiments, user account information may include sign-in information, user settings, subscription information, billing information, connections to other users, and other user account information. The settings repository  132  may store and/or maintain settings associated with the communication platform  140 . In some embodiments, settings repository  132  may include virtual environment settings, virtual reality (VR) settings, augmented reality (AR) settings, audio settings, video settings, video processing settings, and so on. Settings may include enabling and disabling one or more features, selecting quality settings, selecting one or more options, and so on. Settings may be global or applied to a particular user account. 
     Video communication platform  140  comprises a platform configured to facilitate video presentations and/or communication between two or more parties, such as within a video conference or virtual classroom. In some embodiments, video communication platform  140  enables video conference sessions between one or more users. 
       FIG.  1 B  is a diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system  170  with software and/or hardware modules that may execute some of the functionality described herein. Computer system  170  may comprise, for example, a server or client device or a combination of server and client devices for extracting a user representation from a video stream to a virtual environment. 
     Video conference module  171  provides system functionality for providing video conferences between one or more video conference participants. Video conference module  171  may comprise part or all of the video communication platform  140  and/or processing engine  102 . Video conference module  171  may host a video conference session that enables one or more participants to communicate over video. In some embodiments, video conference module  171  may require users to authenticate themselves to join a video conference, such as by providing credentials like a username and/or password. In some embodiments, video conference module  171  may allow guest users to join a video conference without authenticating themselves and may notify participants in the meeting that one or more unauthenticated participants are present. A video conference session may include one or more video streams that each display one or more of the participants, or other scenes such as a screenshare or a virtual environment as described herein. In an embodiment, synchronized audio may be provided with the video streams. 
     Software development kit (SDK)  172  provides system functionality for enabling an application to interface with the video conference module  171 . In some embodiments, SDK  172  may comprise an application programming interface (API). SDK  172  may be distributed to enable software developers to use functionality of the video conference module  171  in first party or 3 rd  party software applications. In some embodiments, SDK  172  may enable first party or 3 rd  party software applications to provide video communication such as video conferencing via the video communication platform  140  and processing engine  102 . In some embodiments, SDK  172  may enable VR or AR applications to integrate video communication into a virtual environment. 
     Video extraction module  173  provides system functionality for extracting a portion of video containing a user from video content containing the user and a background. In an embodiment, video extraction module  173  may remove a background from video content. In an embodiment, the video extraction module  173  may determine a boundary between a user in a video and the background. The video extraction module  173  may retain the portion of the video depicting the user and remove the portion of the video depicting the background. In an embodiment, the video extraction module  173  may optionally replace the background with a transparent or translucent background or may leave the background empty. 
     Virtual whiteboard  174  provides system functionality for a virtual collaboration space. In some embodiments, virtual whiteboard  174  may allow functionality such as creating and editing objects, drawing, erasing, creating and deleting text or annotations, and so on. In an embodiment, one or more participants in a video conference session may share one or more virtual whiteboards  174  where they may collaborate and share information. In some embodiments, the contents of one or more virtual whiteboards  174  may be stored for retrieval at a later date. In some embodiments, contents of one or more virtual whiteboards  174  may be combined with other virtual whiteboards  174 , such as by importing the content of virtual whiteboard into another virtual whiteboard. 
     Digital representation generator  175  provides system functionality for generating a digital representation of a user. In an embodiment, the digital representation generator  175  may generate a digital representation of a video conference participant. In an embodiment, the digital representation of the video conference participant may be provided in a virtual environment. In an embodiment, the generated digital representation may use an extracted video of a video conference participant from video extraction module  173 . In alternative variations, the generated digital representation may be generated based on a still image of the video conference participant. Alternatively, the generated digital representation may be based on configuration settings, such as avatar creation by a video conference participant. In an embodiment, the generated digital representation may comprise a 2D or 3D representation. 
     Digital representation generator  175  may be configured to generate one or several different types of digital representations. In one embodiment, the digital representation of the video conference participant may comprise extracted video of the video conference participant from video extraction module  173 . In one embodiment, the digital representation of the video conference participant may comprise a flat shape displaying on a surface of the flat shape the extracted video of the video conference participant from video extraction module  173 . In one embodiment, digital representation of the video conference participant may comprise a 3D mesh generated based on the extracted video of the video conference participant and displaying on the surface of the 3D mesh the extracted video of the video conference participant. In one embodiment, the digital representation of the video conference participant may comprise a 3D avatar. In one embodiment, the 3D avatar may be generated based on configuration settings of the video conference participant. Alternatively, the 3D avatar may be generated based on the extracted video of the video conference participant. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates one or more client devices that may be used to participate in a video conference and/or virtual environment. 
     In an embodiment, a VR headset  204  may be worn by a VR user  202  to interact with a VR environment. The VR headset  204  may display 3D graphics to the VR user  202  to represent a VR environment, which may be generated by a VR application. Moreover, the VR headset  204  may track the movement of the VR user&#39;s head and/or other body parts to update its display to simulate an experience of being in the VR environment. In an embodiment, a VR headset  204  may optionally include controllers  206  to control the VR application. In some embodiments, the VR headset  204  may enable the VR user  202  to participate in a video conference within a VR environment. 
     Similarly, in an embodiment, an AR headset may be worn by an AR user to interact with an AR environment. The AR headset may display AR graphics, such as holograms, to the AR user to represent an AR environment, which may be generated by an AR application. The AR application may enable viewing a mixed reality environment that includes some AR objects and some real objects. Moreover, the AR headset may track the movement of the AR user&#39;s head or other body parts to update its display to simulate the AR environment. In an embodiment, an AR headset may optionally include controllers to control the AR application. In some embodiments, the AR headset may enable the AR user to participate in a video conference within an AR environment. 
     In an embodiment, a computer system  216  may provide a video conference application  214  that is communicably connected to video communication platform  140  and processing engine  102 . The video conference application  214  may enable a video conference participant  212  to communicate with other participants on a video conference, including participants joining from video conference application  214  or VR headset  204  or an AR headset. 
       FIG.  3    is a diagram illustrating an exemplary environment  300  in which some embodiments may operate. In an embodiment, computer system  320  provides a video conference application  324  that enables video conference participant  326  to join a video conference session. The video conference application  324  connects to server  310  hosting video conference module  171 . The video conference module  171  may provide system functionality for hosting one or more video conference sessions and connecting one or more participants via video communication. 
     In an embodiment, a VR/AR device  302 , which may comprise a VR or AR device such as a headset, displays a virtual environment  304 , which may comprise a VR environment or AR environment. VR/AR user  308 , which may comprise a VR or AR user, may interact with the virtual environment  304  using the VR/AR device  302 . Virtual environment  304  may connect with SDK  172  on VR/AR device  302 . SDK  172  enables the virtual environment  304 , which may comprise a VR or AR application, to connect to API  312  on server  310 . The API  312  may provide access to functionality of video conferencing module  171 . Virtual environment  304  may be enabled to provide access to video conference sessions that may include other VR/AR users and video conference participant  326  through SDK  172 , API  312 , and video conference module  171 . 
     In an embodiment, virtual environment  304  may connect to virtual environment service  332  on virtual environment server  330 . In an embodiment, the virtual environment service  332  may host a backend of the virtual environment  304 . The virtual environment service  332  may comprise data and functions for providing the virtual environment  304  to the VR/AR user  308 . For example, virtual environment service  332  may store persistent objects and locations in the virtual environment  304  and maintain a consistent virtual world for experience by other VR/AR users who may also join the same virtual environment through their own VR/AR device. In an embodiment, the virtual environment service  332  may optionally connect to the API  312  to communicate data to and from the video conference module  171 . For example, the virtual environment service  332  may transmit or receive global data about the virtual environment  304  with the video conference module  171 . In an embodiment, the virtual environment server  330  may include a copy of SDK  172  for interfacing between virtual environment service  332  and API  312 . 
     In an embodiment, the computer system  320 , video conference application  324 , server  310 , video conference module  171 , API  312 , and SDK  172  may comprise aspects of a video conference system  350 . In an embodiment, the virtual environment  304 , virtual environment server  330 , and virtual environment service  332  may comprise aspects of a 3 rd  party VR or AR application. Alternatively, the virtual environment  304 , virtual environment server  330 , and virtual environment service  332  may comprise aspects of a first party VR/AR application that comprise further aspects of video conference system  350 . 
     II. Exemplary Systems 
       FIG.  4    illustrates an exemplary virtual environment  400  according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The virtual environment  400  may comprise a VR or AR environment such as a 3D world including digital representations, such as 3D avatars  402 ,  404 ,  406 , of one or more users. Digital representations may also comprise 2D representations, such as images, videos, sprites, and so on. Each of the digital representations may represent a VR/AR user who is viewing and interacting with the virtual environment  400  from a VR/AR device. The virtual environment  400  may be displayed to each VR/AR user from the perspective of their digital representations. The virtual environment  400  is illustrated as an indoor conference room, but any other virtual environment may also be presented such as representations of outdoor areas, video game worlds, and so on. 
     Video conference view  410  in virtual environment  400  may display a video stream  412  including real-time video of video conference participant  414 . The video may be captured from the camera of the computer system of the video conference participant  414 . The VR or AR application may receive video stream  412  from video conference module  171  through SDK  172  and render the video stream  412  on the surface of a 3D object in the virtual environment  400 , such as a 3D representation of a screen, projector, wall, or other object. In an embodiment, the video conferencing application may run in the virtual environment  400 . VR or AR application may render a user interface  416  of the video conferencing application that may contain the video stream  412 . The user interface  416  may also be rendered on the surface of a 3D object. 
       FIG.  5 A  illustrates an exemplary video of a user according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, video  500  of a user  510  may be received from a camera. For example, the camera may comprise a built-in or external camera of a client device. In an embodiment, video extraction module  173  determines a boundary  520  between a user  510  in the video  500  and the background. In an embodiment, the boundary  520  may comprise an interior portion  522  and an exterior portion  524 . In an embodiment, the interior portion  522  depicts imagery of the user  510  and the exterior portion depicts imagery of the background. The video extraction module  173  may retain the interior portion  522  of the video depicting the user  510  and remove the exterior portion  524  of the video depicting the background. In an embodiment, the video extraction module  173  may optionally replace the background with a transparent or translucent background or may leave the background empty. 
     In an embodiment, the video extraction module  173  may perform image processing to determine the boundary  520 . In some embodiments, the image processing comprises edge detection, image segmentation, image matting, face detection, person detection, other image processing techniques, or a combination of techniques. Image processing may include artificial intelligence and/or machine learning. 
     In one embodiment, the video extraction module  173  may detect whether more than one person or user is present in the video  500 . When more than one user is detected in the video  500 , the video extraction module  173  may extract the users separately to create a plurality of video portions each depicting imagery of one user or may disable extraction of the users from the video background. 
       FIG.  5 B  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method  540  that may be performed in some embodiments. 
     At step  542 , the video extraction module  173  receives video content  500  depicting imagery of a video conference participant  510 , the video content  500  having multiple video frames. In some embodiments, the video content  500  is captured by a video camera attached or connected to the video conference participant&#39;s computer system  320 . The video content  500  may be received at the computer system  320 , the video communication platform  140 , and/or processing engine  102 . 
     At step  544 , the video extraction module  173  determines a boundary  520  about the video conference participant  510  in the video frames, wherein the boundary  520  has an interior portion  522  and an exterior portion  524 . In some embodiments, the interior portion  522  contains the video conference participant  510 , including their face and/or body, and the exterior portion  524  contains all other content of the video frames, including foreground and background environment. The video extraction module  173  may perform image processing to determine a boundary  520  between the video conference participant  510  and the environment in the video frames. In some embodiments, the image processing comprises edge detection, image segmentation, image matting, face detection, person detection, other image processing techniques, or a combination of techniques. Image processing may include artificial intelligence and/or machine learning. In an embodiment, the boundary  520  may change in each video frame, for example, as the video conference participant  510  moves in the video content  500 . In an embodiment, the video extraction module  173  may process each video frame to determine the boundary  520  per frame. In an embodiment, the boundary  520  may comprise edges on each side of the video conference participant  510  such as the top, bottom, left side, and right side. In an embodiment, the boundary  520  may comprise edges on only some of the sides of the video conference participant  510 . The video extraction module  173  processing to determine the boundary  520  may be performed at the computer system  320 , the video communication platform  140 , and/or processing engine  102 . 
     At step  546 , the video extraction module  173  generates a modified video depicting the interior portion  522  depicting imagery of the video conference participant  510  by removing the exterior portion  524 . In an embodiment, the video extraction module  173  may optionally replace the background with a transparent or translucent background or may leave the background empty. 
     In some embodiments, the video extraction module  173  may adjust the opacity of the exterior portion  524  of the video frames containing the environment to make the pixels of the exterior portion  524  transparent or translucent. In some embodiments, the video extraction module  173  may composite the interior portion  522  containing imagery of the video conference participant  510  with a transparent or translucent background that replaces the exterior portion  524  of the video frames containing the environment. As a result, the video extraction module  173  may remove from the video the exterior portion  524  of the video frames containing the environment. 
     In an embodiment, the SDK  172  may provide the modified video depicting the interior portion  522  depicting imagery of the video conference participant to a virtual environment  400  for display. Because the modified video may be displayed without a background, video imagery of the video conference participant  510  may be visible to other users in the virtual environment  400  without the distraction of the background. The areas of virtual environment  400  may be visible behind the video conference participant  510 , without being blocked by background, which may allow reducing occlusion. 
     In an alternative variation, the exterior portion  524  may not be removed entirely in step  546  and may be made more transparent or translucent by an adjustable opacity. Video extraction module  173  may generate a modified video depicting the interior portion  522  depicting imagery of the video conference participant  510  overlaid on exterior portion  524  with adjustable opacity. In an embodiment, the opacity may be set on a scale from 0% to 100% corresponding to fully transparent to fully opaque, respectively. In some embodiments, a video conference application displays an opacity control setting for adjusting the opacity of the background on which the video conference participant is overlaid in a video. In an embodiment, the video conference application receives an input opacity via the opacity control setting and adjusts the opacity of the background on which the first video conference participant is overlaid in the modified video according to the input opacity. In an embodiment, the opacity control setting may comprise a slider, menu, button, or other user interface controls. In some embodiments, the interior  522  and exterior portions  524  of the video frames comprise one or more pixels, and the system adjusts the opacity of the exterior portion  524  by adjusting the alpha values of the pixels of the exterior portion  524 , where a minimum alpha value (e.g., 0) may correspond to fully transparent and a maximum alpha value may correspond to fully opaque 
       FIG.  6    illustrates an exemplary virtual environment  400  according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As described elsewhere herein, the virtual environment  400  may comprise a VR or AR environment such as a 3D world including digital representations, such as 3D avatars  402 ,  404 , of one or more users. The virtual environment  400  may include a digital representation  420  of a video conference participant. Digital representation  420  may alternatively be referred to as an avatar, virtual character, or the like. The digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may be 2D or 3D. In an embodiment, the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may comprise a video of the video conference participant. In an embodiment, the video may comprise a streaming video that plays in real-time. In an embodiment, the video of the video conference participant may be extracted by the video extraction module  173 . In an embodiment, the video of the video conference participant may comprise the modified video depicting the interior portion  522  of video  500  depicting imagery of the video conference participant with the background removed. One digital representation  420  is illustrated, but more or fewer digital representations of other video conference participants may be provided in the virtual environment  400 . 
     In an embodiment, one or more edges  422  of the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant match the shape of boundary  520  extracted by the video extraction module  173 . In an embodiment, the edges all around the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant match the edges of boundary  520 . Alternatively, one or more of the edges of the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant match one or more edges of boundary  520 . In an embodiment, the exterior portion  524  of the video  500  of the video conference participant is not displayed in the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant. In an embodiment, the area of the digital representation outside of the edges  422  is empty, and the virtual environment  400  is not occluded and is visible in the area outside of the edges  422 . 
     In an embodiment, the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may have a location and/or facing direction in the virtual environment  400 . For example, the location may comprise coordinates and the facing direction may comprise one or more rotations, quaternions, or so on. In one embodiment, the location and/or facing direction may be modified, which may allow the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant to be moved to different locations in the virtual environment  400  and/or be faced in different directions. In one embodiment, one or more locations in the virtual environment  400  may be selectable, and the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may be moved to and displayed at a selected location. In an embodiment, the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may be displayed in a seat, in a standing location, or elsewhere in the virtual environment  400 . 
     In one embodiment, the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may comprise a 2D video. For example, the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may comprise a streaming video or sprite. In one embodiment, the 2D video of the video participant may be displayed from the same perspective, such as a head-on view, no matter which direction it is viewed from by other users in the virtual environment  400 . 
     Alternatively, the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may comprise a flat cut out. For example, the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may comprise a flat shape and the modified video of the video conference participant may be displayed on the flat shape. The flat shape may comprise one or more polygons. In an embodiment, the video of the video conference participant is displayed on a flat surface of the shape. One or more edges of the shape may match the shape of boundary  520  extracted by the video extraction module  173 . The flat shape may have a location and/or facing direction in the virtual environment  400  and may appear from different perspectives in the virtual environment  400  depending on the direction from which it is viewed. 
     The digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may also comprise other representations as described elsewhere herein. In an embodiment, the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may be partially or completely transparent or translucent to allow displaying areas of the virtual environment behind the digital representation  420 . For example, the opacity of the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may be adjustable. In an embodiment, virtual environment  400  may optionally include a virtual whiteboard  430 . The virtual whiteboard  430  may include one or more user interface controls for adding and editing content on the virtual whiteboard  430 . 
       FIG.  7    illustrates an exemplary digital representation of a video conference participant according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may comprise 3D avatar  710 . 3D avatar  710  of the video conference participant may be displayed in the virtual environment  400  to represent the video conference participant  326 . 
     In an embodiment, video conference system  350  may include an avatar creation system for allowing customization of 3D avatar  710 . In an embodiment, the head  712 , body  714 , face  716 , clothing  718 , and/or other aspects of the 3D avatar  710  may be customizable. In an embodiment, the avatar creation system may display an avatar creation screen for selecting customizable attributes of the 3D avatar  710 . 
     In an embodiment, the avatar creation system may generate 3D avatar  710  by analyzing video  500  of the video conference participant. In an embodiment, the video conference system  350  may use artificial intelligence and/or machine learning to analyze the interior portion  522  of the video  500  depicting imagery of the video conference participant and generate 3D avatar  710  based on the imagery of the video conference participant. In an embodiment, the 3D avatar  710  may change between different video conference sessions based on changes to the imagery of the video conference participant. For example, changes in the hair style or clothing of the video conference participant between video conference sessions may cause changes to the 3D avatar  710  between different video conference sessions. Alternatively, the avatar creation system may perform the same techniques on a still image captured of the video conference participant. 
     In an embodiment, the avatar creation system may identify, from a photo or video, characteristics of one or more facial features of the video conference participant and select one or more facial features for the 3D avatar  710  from a predefined set of facial features based on the amount of similarity to the characteristics. In an embodiment, the avatar creation system may identify, from a photo or video, characteristics of one or more body parts of the video conference participant and select one or more body parts for the 3D avatar  710  from a predefined set of body parts based on the amount of similarity to the characteristics. In an embodiment, the avatar creation system may identify, from a photo or video, characteristics of one or more clothing items of the video conference participant and select one or more clothing items for the 3D avatar  710  from a predefined set of clothing items based on the amount of similarity to the characteristics. 
     In an embodiment, the avatar creation system may include one or more default 3D avatars to enable the video conference participant to appear anonymously. In an embodiment, default 3D avatars may include one or more generic avatars that do not have identifying features of the video conference participant. In an embodiment, one or more plain 3D avatars that do not look like the video conference participant may be selected by the user and displayed as a digital representation  420 . 
       FIG.  8    illustrates an exemplary digital representation of a video conference participant according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, digital representation  420  of the video conference participant may comprise textured 3D mesh  820 . Textured 3D mesh  820  may be displayed in the virtual environment  400  to represent the video conference participant  326 . 
     In an embodiment, video conference system  350  may comprise a mesh generator. The mesh generator may receive as input video  500  of the video conference participant. In an embodiment, the interior portion  522  of the video  500  is extracted to enable the mesh generator to analyze the portion of video containing the video conference participant. In an embodiment, the mesh generator analyzes imagery of the video conference participant to reconstruct volumetric information of the face and/or body of the video conference participant based on the pixels of the video or image. In one embodiment, volumetric information may comprise one or more 3D points, a depth map, or other volumetric information. The mesh generator may convert the volumetric information into a 3D mesh  810 . In an embodiment, the mesh generator may comprise an artificial intelligence and/or machine learning module, which may be trained to convert 2D images or video into 3D meshes. 
     In one embodiment, video of the video conference participant is displayed on the 3D mesh to generate a textured 3D mesh  820 . In an embodiment, the textured 3D mesh  820  is textured with streaming video of the video conference participant. For example, the video may comprise the modified video depicting the interior portion  522  of video  500 . 
       FIG.  9    illustrates an exemplary user interface  900  according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. User interface  900  may comprise the interface of a video conferencing application. Content view  910  displays a view of the virtual environment  400 , including the 3D avatars  402 ,  404  of participants in the video conference. The content view  910  may comprise video content  920 , such as streaming video, captured from a virtual camera in the virtual environment  400 . The video content may be encoded in streaming video format by an encoder on a VR/AR device  302  or a server  310 . In some embodiments, the encoder may comprise SDK  172 . In an embodiment, the video content may comprise 2D video formats such as MP4, MP3, AVI, FLV, WMV, and other formats. The video content may be transmitted from the VR/AR device  302  to the video conference module  171  of the server  310  and on to the computer system  320  and video conference application  324 . User interface  900  may be displayed on a computer system to a video conference participant  326 . 
     In an embodiment, video content  920  may be captured from the viewpoint of the digital representation  420  of the video conferencing participant. For example, video content  920  may be captured of the virtual environment  400  from the location and/or facing direction of the digital representation  420  of the video conferencing participant. In an embodiment, video content  920  may be captured from the location and/or facing direction of the eyes, head, chest, or other portion of the digital representation  420  of the video conferencing participant. The video content  920  may enable the video conference participant to view the virtual environment  400  from the perspective of where the digital representation  420  of the video conference participant is displayed in the virtual environment  400 . 
     In an embodiment, video content  920  may be captured by a virtual camera. The virtual camera may capture a view of the virtual environment  400  comprising a viewport. The viewport may comprise a view of a 3D environment that is captured from a position in the 3D environment. The virtual camera may generate video content based on the portion of the 3D environment that is within the viewport for transmitting to a video conference application. 
     In an embodiment, the virtual camera may be located at the viewpoint of the digital representation  420  of the video conferencing participant. For example, the virtual camera may have the same location and/or facing direction as the location and facing direction of the digital representation  420  of the video conferencing participant. In an embodiment, virtual camera may have the same location and/or facing direction as the location and facing direction of the eyes, head, chest, or other portion of the digital representation  420  of the video conferencing participant. 
     In an embodiment, the viewpoint for capturing video content  920  may change when the video conference participant moves the digital representation  420  to a new location and/or facing direction in the virtual environment. In an embodiment, the video content  920  may be captured from the new location and/or facing direction. In an embodiment, the virtual camera may be moved to the new location and/or facing direction. 
       FIG.  10    illustrates an exemplary method  1000  that may be performed in some embodiments. Video content may be captured from the virtual environment  400  in many different ways, and method  1000  comprises one exemplary method for doing so. At step  1002 , a video conference application or VR/AR application captures 2D video of a 3D virtual environment. In an embodiment, the 2D video may be captured from the viewport of a virtual camera. At step  1004 , the video conference application or VR/AR application may capture audio output from the virtual environment and/or from the microphone input of the VR/AR device. At step  1006 , the video conference application or VR/AR application may encode the 2D video. In some embodiments, the 2D video may be encoded into a streaming video format and may include the audio output. The encoding may be compressed or uncompressed. At step  1008 , the video conference application may stream the 2D video to a video conference module and one or more client devices. 
     III. Exemplary Methods 
       FIG.  11    illustrates an exemplary method  1100  that may be performed in some embodiments. 
     At step  1102 , a video conference session may be provided in a virtual environment. In an embodiment, the video conference session is hosted on a server and may connect a plurality of video conference participants. In an embodiment, the video conference session may connect one or more VR/AR users in the virtual environment and one or more video conference participants joining from one or more computer systems. 
     At step  1104 , a video stream is received of a video conference participant. In an embodiment, the video stream may be received from a video conference application. 
     At step  1106 , a boundary is determined about the video conference participant in the video stream, wherein the boundary has an interior portion and an exterior portion, the interior portion depicting the video conference participant and the exterior portion depicting a background of the video conference participant. In an embodiment, boundary may be determined by a video extraction module  173 . 
     At step  1108 , the video stream is processed to generate a modified video stream comprising the interior portion depicting the video conference participant without the exterior portion depicting the background. In an embodiment, the modified video stream may be generated by video extraction module  173  performing one or more aspects of method  540  or other methods herein. 
     At step  1110 , the modified video stream is provided in the virtual environment as a digital representation of the video conference participant. Optionally, a second video stream of the virtual environment captured by a virtual camera located at a viewpoint of the digital representation of the video conference participant may be provided in the video conference session. The second video stream may be displayed in the video conference application. 
       FIG.  12    illustrates an exemplary method  1200  that may be performed in some embodiments. 
     At step  1202 , a video conference session may be provided in a virtual environment. In an embodiment, the video conference session is hosted on a server and may connect a plurality of video conference participants. In an embodiment, the video conference session may connect one or more VR/AR users in the virtual environment and one or more video conference participants joining from one or more computer systems. 
     At step  1204 , a digital representation of a video conference participant is provided in the virtual environment. In an embodiment, the digital representation may comprise a 2D or 3D representation of the video conference participant. In one embodiment, the digital representation may comprise streaming video of the video conference participant. 
     At step  1206 , video content is captured from a virtual camera located at a viewpoint of the digital representation of the video conference participant in the virtual environment. In one embodiment, the virtual camera may have the same location and facing direction as the location and facing direction of the digital representation of the video conference participant. 
     At step  1208 , the video content is encoded to generate a video stream in the video conference session. In an embodiment, video stream may be displayed in the video conference application. 
     Exemplary Computer System 
       FIG.  13    is a diagram illustrating an exemplary computer that may perform processing in some embodiments. Exemplary computer  1300  may perform operations consistent with some embodiments. The architecture of computer  1300  is exemplary. Computers can be implemented in a variety of other ways. A wide variety of computers can be used in accordance with the embodiments herein. 
     Processor  1301  may perform computing functions such as running computer programs. The volatile memory  1302  may provide temporary storage of data for the processor  1301 . RAM is one kind of volatile memory. Volatile memory typically requires power to maintain its stored information. Storage  1303  provides computer storage for data, instructions, and/or arbitrary information. Non-volatile memory, which can preserve data even when not powered and including disks and flash memory, is an example of storage. Storage  1303  may be organized as a file system, database, or in other ways. Data, instructions, and information may be loaded from storage  1303  into volatile memory  1302  for processing by the processor  1301 . 
     The computer  1300  may include peripherals  1305 . Peripherals  1305  may include input peripherals such as a keyboard, mouse, trackball, video camera, microphone, and other input devices. Peripherals  1305  may also include output devices such as a display. Peripherals  1305  may include removable media devices such as CD-R and DVD-R recorders/players. Communications device  1306  may connect the computer  1300  to an external medium. For example, communications device  1306  may take the form of a network adapter that provides communications to a network. A computer  1300  may also include a variety of other devices  1304 . The various components of the computer  1300  may be connected by a connection medium such as a bus, crossbar, or network. 
     It will be appreciated that the present disclosure may include any one and up to all of the following examples. 
     Example 1: A method comprising: providing a video conference session in a virtual environment; receiving a video stream of a video conference participant; determining a boundary about the video conference participant in the video stream, wherein the boundary has an interior portion and an exterior portion, the interior portion depicting the video conference participant and the exterior portion depicting a background of the video conference participant; processing the video stream to generate a modified video stream comprising the interior portion depicting the video conference participant without the exterior portion depicting the background; providing the modified video stream in the virtual environment as a digital representation of the video conference participant. 
     Example 2: The method of Example 1, wherein the virtual environment comprises a VR environment including 3D avatars of one or more users. 
     Example 3: The method of any of Examples 1-2, wherein the virtual environment comprises an AR environment comprising one or more AR holograms. 
     Example 4: The method of any of Examples 1-3, wherein the modified video stream is provided on a flat shape in the virtual environment. 
     Example 5: The method of any of Examples 1-4, further comprising: generating a 3D mesh based on the modified video stream; providing the modified video stream on the 3D mesh. 
     Example 6: The method of any of Examples 1-5, further comprising: providing in the video conference session a second video stream of the virtual environment. 
     Example 7: The method of any of Examples 1-6, further comprising: providing in the video conference session a second video stream of the virtual environment captured by a virtual camera located at a viewpoint of the digital representation of the video conferencing participant. 
     Example 8: The method of any of Examples 1-7, wherein the video conference session and virtual environment communicate via an SDK. 
     Example 9: The method of any of Examples 1-8, wherein the digital representation of the video conference participant is provided through an API. 
     Example 10: The method of any of Examples 1-9, further comprising: generating volumetric information, by a machine learning model, about the face of the video conference participant based on the modified video stream; generating a 3D mesh based on the volumetric information; providing the modified video stream on the 3D mesh. 
     Example 11: The method of any of Examples 1-10, wherein the boundary is determined by image processing. 
     Example 12: The method of any of Examples 1-11, wherein the digital representation of the video conference participant has an adjustable opacity. 
     Example 13: The method of any of Examples 1-12, further comprising: providing one or more user interface controls for selecting a location of the digital representation of the video conference participant in the virtual environment. 
     Example 14: The method of any of Examples 1-13, wherein the modified video stream is provided as a video sprite in the virtual environment. 
     Example 15: A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores executable program instructions that when executed by one or more computing devices configure the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising: providing a video conference session in a virtual environment; receiving a video stream of a video conference participant; determining a boundary about the video conference participant in the video stream, wherein the boundary has an interior portion and an exterior portion, the interior portion depicting the video conference participant and the exterior portion depicting a background of the video conference participant; processing the video stream to generate a modified video stream comprising the interior portion depicting the video conference participant without the exterior portion depicting the background; providing the modified video stream in the virtual environment as a digital representation of the video conference participant. 
     Example 16: The non-transitory computer readable medium of Example 15, wherein the virtual environment comprises a VR environment including 3D avatars of one or more users. 
     Example 17: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-16, wherein the virtual environment comprises an AR environment comprising one or more AR holograms. 
     Example 18: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-17, wherein the modified video stream is provided on a flat shape in the virtual environment. 
     Example 19: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-18, wherein the executable program instructions further configure the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising: generating a 3D mesh based on the modified video stream; providing the modified video stream on the 3D mesh. 
     Example 20: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-19, wherein the executable program instructions further configure the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising: providing in the video conference session a second video stream of the virtual environment. 
     Example 21: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-20, wherein the executable program instructions further configure the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising: providing in the video conference session a second video stream of the virtual environment captured by a virtual camera located at a viewpoint of the digital representation of the video conferencing participant. 
     Example 22: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-21, wherein the video conference session and virtual environment communicate via an SDK. 
     Example 23: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-22, wherein the digital representation of the video conference participant is provided through an API. 
     Example 24: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-23, wherein the executable program instructions further configure the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising: generating volumetric information, by a machine learning model, about the face of the video conference participant based on the modified video stream; generating a 3D mesh based on the volumetric information; providing the modified video stream on the 3D mesh. 
     Example 25: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-24, wherein the boundary is determined by image processing. 
     Example 26: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-25, wherein the digital representation of the video conference participant has an adjustable opacity. 
     Example 27: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-26, wherein the executable program instructions further configure the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising: providing one or more user interface controls for selecting a location of the digital representation of the video conference participant in the virtual environment. 
     Example 28: The non-transitory computer readable medium of any of Examples 15-27, wherein the modified video stream is provided as a video sprite in the virtual environment. 
     Example 29: A system comprising one or more processors configured to perform the operations of: providing a video conference session in a virtual environment; receiving a video stream of a video conference participant; determining a boundary about the video conference participant in the video stream, wherein the boundary has an interior portion and an exterior portion, the interior portion depicting the video conference participant and the exterior portion depicting a background of the video conference participant; processing the video stream to generate a modified video stream comprising the interior portion depicting the video conference participant without the exterior portion depicting the background; providing the modified video stream in the virtual environment as a digital representation of the video conference participant. 
     Example 30: The system of Example 29, wherein the virtual environment comprises a VR environment including 3D avatars of one or more users. 
     Example 31: The system of Examples 29-30, wherein the virtual environment comprises an AR environment comprising one or more AR holograms. 
     Example 32: The system of Examples 29-31, wherein the modified video stream is provided on a flat shape in the virtual environment. 
     Example 33: The system of any of Examples 29-32, wherein the processors are further configured to perform the operations of: generating a 3D mesh based on the modified video stream; providing the modified video stream on the 3D mesh. 
     Example 34: The system of any of Examples 29-33, wherein the processors are further configured to perform the operations of: providing in the video conference session a second video stream of the virtual environment. 
     Example 35: The system of any of Examples 29-34, wherein the processors are further configured to perform the operations of: providing in the video conference session a second video stream of the virtual environment captured by a virtual camera located at a viewpoint of the digital representation of the video conferencing participant. 
     Example 36: The system of any of Examples 29-35, wherein the video conference session and virtual environment communicate via an SDK. 
     Example 37: The system of any of Examples 29-36, wherein the digital representation of the video conference participant is provided through an API. 
     Example 38: The system of any of Examples 29-37, wherein the processors are further configured to perform the operations of: generating volumetric information, by a machine learning model, about the face of the video conference participant based on the modified video stream; generating a 3D mesh based on the volumetric information; providing the modified video stream on the 3D mesh. 
     Example 39: The system of any of Examples 29-38, wherein the boundary is determined by image processing. 
     Example 40: The system of any of Examples 29-39, wherein the digital representation of the video conference participant has an adjustable opacity. 
     Example 41: The system of any of Examples 29-40, wherein the processors are further configured to perform the operations of: providing one or more user interface controls for selecting a location of the digital representation of the video conference participant in the virtual environment. 
     Example 42: The system of any of Examples 29-41, wherein the modified video stream is provided as a video sprite in the virtual environment. 
     Some portions of the preceding detailed descriptions have been presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the ways used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. The operations are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. 
     It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “identifying” or “determining” or “executing” or “performing” or “collecting” or “creating” or “sending” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system&#39;s registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage devices. 
     The present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the intended purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, each coupled to a computer system bus. 
     Various general purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the method. The structure for a variety of these systems will appear as set forth in the description above. In addition, the present disclosure is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the disclosure as described herein. 
     The present disclosure may be provided as a computer program product, or software, that may include a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer system (or other electronic devices) to perform a process according to the present disclosure. A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) medium includes a machine (e.g., a computer) readable storage medium such as a read only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, etc. 
     In the foregoing disclosure, implementations of the disclosure have been described with reference to specific example implementations thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of implementations of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims. The disclosure and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.