Patent ID: 7062722

Claim:
A computerized method of generating and rendering over a digital communications network a perspective view image of an object that can exist in the real world located within, surrounding, or in front of, a three-dimensional scene that can also exist in the real world, the method of presenting a perspective view image of an object in a 3D scene comprising: producing at a first computer upon a digital communications network (1a) a 3D model of the background, or, equivalently, (1b) precursors of the 3D background model, or, equivalently, (1c) one or more related 2D views of the background scene suitable to serve as precursors of the 3D background model, (2) for (1b) and (1c) associated dimensional information of the particular 3D scene, and (3) a selected suitably-real-world object positioned and oriented in the background scene; and transmitting from the first computer upon the digital communications network the information (1)–(3); receiving at another, second, computer upon the digital communications network the information (1)–(3); deriving in the second computer if not transmitted from the first computer (4) a 3D background model of the represented and selected 3D background scene; and utilizing in the second computer the information (1)–(3) and the (4) derived 3D background scene model to generate and render in consideration of (5) a camera location and orientation, and object-based rules as to how the selected object exists within the 3D scene, (6) a perspective view image of the selected object in the 3D scene; and then transmitting from the second computer upon the digital communications network the (6) perspective view image; and receiving at the first computer upon the digital communications network this (6) perspective view image; and displaying at the first computer this (6) perspective view image; wherein the object, having an associated geometry, is rendered in proper (1) scale, (2) position and (3) rotation within the perspective view image; wherein the entire computer-generated perspective view image is rendered and viewed with the same proper perspective that a conventional photo of the same scene would exhibit, if captured by a camera; and wherein object selection, placement and orientation in the scene made interactively over a digital network supports the generation of a perspective view image having proper perspective showing an object located and oriented within a 3D scene.