Patent ID: 8276071

Claim:
A method for managing a multi-instance, multi-user animation process, comprising: modeling, using a computer, a plurality of parallel dimensions in a computer memory, each of the plurality of parallel dimensions being a replica of a modeled three dimensional space configured for modeling occupancy and movement of multiple avatars within limits that are defined by at least one model of a three dimensional object; assigning ones of a plurality of avatars within the computer memory so that each of the plurality of avatars populates a respective one of the parallel dimensions and each of the plurality of parallel dimensions is populated by a unique subset of the plurality of avatars, so as to prevent over-population of any one of the parallel dimensions by avatars; and animating ones of the plurality of avatars populating different ones of the parallel dimensions in response to input from respective corresponding ones of a plurality of clients to provide virtual-reality data, using the computer, the virtual-reality data configured to enable the clients to output an animated display of a corresponding one of the parallel dimensions and avatars populated therein.