Patent ID: 8860720

Claim:
A method for delivering graphics over a network, comprising the following steps: Step (A): running an application on a server for generating a virtual 3D environment containing a plurality of 3D models; each of the 3D models being associated with a status for indicating whether or not the 3D model is pre-stored in a client device; Step (B): the server checking the statuses of the 3D models in order to decide which 3D models are to be encoded as a frame of a 2D video stream in such a manner that, those 3D models which are not pre-stored in the client device will all be encoded into the frame; wherein in Step (B), the statuses of the 3D models are checked by the server in an order from the one nearest to a virtual position toward another one farthest to the virtual position; during the check by following said order, when a 3D model is first found to be not pre-stored in the client device, then all 3D models beyond that found 3D model will also be encoded into the frame, regardless of whether those 3D models are pre-stored in the client device or not; Step (C): if there is any 3D model being encoded into the frame by the server in Step (B), then the server sends at least the frame of the 2D video stream to the client device via a network; wherein in Step (C), the server also sends the 3D models that are not pre-stored in the client device to the client device in a predetermined order from the one nearest to the virtual position toward another one farthest to the virtual position; when the client device receives the 3D model sent by the server, the client device stores the 3D model and then sends a message to the server in order to change the status of the 3D model for indicating the 3D model is now pre-stored in the client device; wherein, if all of the 3D models are pre-stored in the client device, then the server no longer needs to do the encoding nor send the frame of the 2D video stream; and Step (D): the client device decoding the frame received from the server and using said frame as a background for rendering the 3D models which are pre-stored in the client device but not included within the frame, so as to generate a mixed frame.