Patent ID: 8836646

Claim:
A method for a computer system comprising: determining a first set of virtual camera parameters for a virtual camera in three-dimensional space relative to a three-dimensional scene, wherein the location of the camera is within the three-dimensional scene, wherein the three-dimensional scene comprises at least one three-dimensional object, and wherein the first set of virtual camera parameters include a first three-dimensional position of the virtual camera; determining a first image of the three-dimensional scene in response to the first set of virtual camera parameters in three-dimensional space; displaying the first image of the three-dimensional scene to the user on a user interface display of the computer system; determining a first position of a first indicator of a user placed upon the first image on the user interface display of the computer system; determining a first position of a second indicator of the user placed upon the first image on the user interface display of the computer system; determining a second position of the first indicator of the user placed upon the user interface display of the computer system; determining a second position of the second indicator of the user placed upon the user interface display of the computer system; determining a second set of virtual camera parameters for the virtual camera in three-dimensional space relative to the three-dimensional scene in response to the first set of virtual camera parameters, to the first position and the second positions of the first indicator of the user, and to the first position and the second position of the second indicator, wherein the second set of virtual camera parameters include a second three-dimensional position of the virtual camera, wherein when the second position of the first indicator is shifted in a vertical direction upon the user interface display from the first position of the first indicator concurrently with the second position of the second indicator being shifted in the vertical direction upon the user interface display from the first position of the second indicator, the virtual camera is moved forward parallel to a ground plane from the first three-dimensional position to the second three-dimensional position in the three-dimensional scene; determining an updated three-dimensional scene based on the second three-dimensional position of the virtual camera; determining a second image of the updated three-dimensional scene in response to the second set of virtual camera parameters in three-dimensional space; and displaying the second image of the three-dimensional scene to the user on the user interface display of the computer system.