Patent Document ID: 20120127169
Application ID: 13302470
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A computer-implemented method for guided navigation of a virtual camera in an interactive three-dimensional environment, comprising: displaying a first three-dimensional representation of a panoramic image within the three-dimensional environment from a viewpoint of the virtual camera; identifying one or more additional panoramic images linked to the first panoramic image based on metadata associated with the first panoramic image; determining a region of good visual quality for each of the first panoramic image and the one or more additional panoramic images within the three-dimensional environment; generating one or more navigation channels relative to a path between the first panoramic image and the one or more additional panoramic images based on each region of good visual quality, each navigation channel having a rendering surface that constrains movement of the virtual camera; and moving the virtual camera in the three-dimensional environment along the path from a first position associated with the first panoramic image toward a second position associated with a second panoramic image of the one or more additional panoramic images based on user input, wherein movement of the virtual camera within the three-dimensional space is constrained to the volume of space defined by each navigation channel.