DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 7/14/26 has been entered.
Claim Status
Claims 1-7, 9-17, and 19-20 are pending. Claims 8 and 18 are cancelled. No claims have been added. Claims 1, 11, and 20 have been amended. Claims 1-7, 9-17, and 19-20 are rejected.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments are moot in view of the Examiner’s new ground of rejections. However, the Examiner would like to address the following comments.
(1) Applicant states (Remarks p. 12):
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The Examiner disagrees with Applicant’s analysis.
Splitting the 3D model based on the pre-defined material index inevitably leads to splitting along existing material boundaries. There is no contradiction here.
(2) Applicant states (Remarks p. 14):
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The Examiner disagrees with Applicant’s analysis.
Applicant’s LOD also depends spatial location, which is consistent with Lin’s teaching. Applicant’s specification explicitly states, “Next, in a step S720, a first level of detail for the plurality of first graded partitions may be determined based on a status of a user device of the user. For example, since the first part is closer to the user representative object (compared to the second part), the first LoD may be determined as LoD 0 to provide more details to the user device. Afterwards, in a step S730, a second level of detail for the plurality of second graded partitions may be determined based on the status of the user device.” Spec. ¶ 71.
(3) Applicant states (Remarks p. 16):
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The Examiner disagrees with Applicant’s analysis.
The Examiner did not reply on Morovic to teach “splitting.” Morovic’s attribute information help to implement Poursohi’s teaching on splitting.
(4) Applicant states, “The proposed combination would at most result in a system that includes material information and level-of-detail processing. However, the cited references do not teach or suggest” Applicant’s claim 1. Remarks p. 17.
The Examiner disagrees. Applicant made general allegation and did not clearly lay out the deficiency in the combination. Applicant did not present the specific limitations that combined references fail to teach. Applicant did not make specific arguments why the references cannot be combined.
Compact Prosecution
With respect to Claim Interpretation, the Examiner has provided some notes regarding “[BRI on the record]” throughout the Office Action, so that the record is clear about the scope of the claimed invention, and the record is also clear about the basis for the Examiner’s analyses. A clear record of the claim interpretation could expedite the examination by creating the condition to allow the examination to focus on Applicant’s inventive concept and its comparison with related prior art.
If there are disagreements, Applicant may present an alternative interpretation based on MPEP 2111. The Examiner will adopt Applicant’s interpretation on the record, if Applicant’s interpretation is reasonable and/or arguments are persuasive.
Applicant may amend claims relying on the Examiner’s claim interpretation provided on the record.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 7, 11, 17, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Poursohi et al. (US 8451323 B1) in view of Lin et al. (CN-115713583-A) and Morovic et al. (CN 107530973 A).
Regarding Claim 1, Poursohi discloses A 3D model processing system (Poursohi teaches segmentation processing, stating “In some embodiments, the stored 3D-data model (e.g., the associated mesh model) may be segmented (into multiple mesh models) along material-type boundaries, to facilitate later utilizing (e.g., rendering) the stored 3D-data model; in some instances, this segmentation may mean that what might, but for material type, be considered a single surface (e.g., face) of a data-modeled object may be subdivided by material type.” Poursohi ¶ 37.), comprising: a storage circuit, storing a program code; and a processor, coupled to the storage circuit and accessing the program code to execute (Poursohi Fig. 3. “Still another embodiment takes the form of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor for causing a system such as the system described above to carry out a method such as the method described above.” Poursohi col. 2 lines 8-12.):
obtaining a plurality of nodes of a 3D model, wherein each of the plurality of nodes of the 3D model is associated to a pre-defined material index (
[BRI on the record]
With respect to a “node,” the Examiner is reading it to mean: a building block of a 3D model, e.g., vertex or triangle.
This interpretation is in light of the specification, which states, “In one embodiment, a node is a fundamental building block of the 3D model. That is, multiple nodes may form a geometry (e.g., a triangle) and multiple geometries may form the 3D model.” Spec. ¶ 39. “Each node in the tree may contain one or more levels of detail. Based on the tree of nodes and the status of the user device, the client-side logic algorithm is then used to find an optimal tree of nodes to make visible. The algorithm may take into account the user representative object's position and view to determine which nodes need to be visible in order to provide the best visual experience.” Spec. ¶ 78.
[Mapping Analysis]“In some cases, point clouds are fit (i.e., normalized) to pre-defined 3D-data-model constructs, which essentially are useful digital approximations of real-world (i.e., analog) features such as curved surfaces and the like. Such constructs are used in various applications and disciplines for 3D-data modeling, rendering, recognition, and the like. Some examples of such constructs include mesh models (such as triangle mesh models and polygon mesh models), surface models, computer-aided-design (CAD) models, and the like.” Poursohi. 3 lines 31-46.
“That is, a point cloud could be conceptualized as a 3D-data model in which each respective data structure of the data-modeled object is complete only as to its spatial-location (i.e., {x,y,z}) information, and is at least initially incomplete as to other attributes defined in the data structure, perhaps including material type, color, and the like.” Poursohi Col. 3 lines 25-30.
“In one example, the materials application 120 may access a database that includes information regarding a number of reference materials (e.g., brass, fur, leather), and objects with multiple materials may be separated into distinct portions so that the materials application 120 can be executed to render the separate distinct portions. As an example, a hood on a car may include a hood ornament, and the hood may be painted and the ornament may be chrome. The materials application 120 and the shader application 118 can be executed to identify two separate materials and render each material with an appropriate shade.” Poursohi Col. 10 lines 39-49.
Here, the disclosed nodes have an attribute of material type. Poursohi suggests that all nodes would be or could be associated with a material index by stating that “at least initially incomplete” with respect to the material index, suggesting they would/could be completed later. Segmentation based on material index could be done properly with complete information.
Applicant appears to be concerned that Poursohi only teaches segmentation/splitting along a surface. However, segmentation is expected to occur along bordering surface between two materials, if the segmentation is based on the material. Further, the claimed “3D model” could be mapped to the surface component/model of Poursohi’s model.
The Examiner also provided an additional reference to provide explicit teaching.);
splitting the 3D model into a first original partition and a second original partition based on the pre-defined material index to cause all nodes of the first original partition belong to a first material index and all nodes of the second original partition belong to a second material index, wherein the first original partition comprises a first group of nodes and the second original partition comprises a second group of nodes (
[BRI on the record]
With respect to “partition,” the Examiner is reading the limitation to mean divide. This interpretation is in light of the specification (¶ 45).
[Mapping Analysis]
Poursohi teaches segmenting/splitting, stating “In some embodiments, the stored 3D-data model (e.g., the associated mesh model) may be segmented (into multiple mesh models) along material-type boundaries, to facilitate later utilizing (e.g., rendering) the stored 3D-data model; in some instances, this segmentation may mean that what might, but for material type, be considered a single surface (e.g., face) of a data-modeled object may be subdivided by material type.” Poursohi ¶ 37.
The disclosed “multiple mesh models” after segmentation based on a material include the first original partition and the second original partition.
Each of the multiple mesh models comprise a group of nodes based on disclosed “mesh.”
“That is, a point cloud could be conceptualized as a 3D-data model in which each respective data structure of the data-modeled object is complete only as to its spatial-location (i.e., {x,y,z}) information, and is at least initially incomplete as to other attributes defined in the data structure, perhaps including material type, color, and the like.” Poursohi Col. 3 lines 25-30.
“In one example, the materials application 120 may access a database that includes information regarding a number of reference materials (e.g., brass, fur, leather), and objects with multiple materials may be separated into distinct portions so that the materials application 120 can be executed to render the separate distinct portions. As an example, a hood on a car may include a hood ornament, and the hood may be painted and the ornament may be chrome. The materials application 120 and the shader application 118 can be executed to identify two separate materials and render each material with an appropriate shade.” Poursohi Col. 10 lines 39-49.).
Poursohi does not explicitly teach
wherein each of the plurality of nodes of the 3D model is associated to a pre-defined material index;
generating a plurality of first graded partitions of different levels of detail for the first original partition based on the first group of nodes which are all the first material index; and
generating a plurality of second graded partitions of different levels of detail for the second original partition based on the second group of nodes which are all the second material index
Lin teaches
generating a plurality of first graded partitions (e.g., F3. B1 and sub-partitions under F3. B1.) of different levels of detail for the first original partition (e.g., F3. B1) based on the first group of nodes which are all the first material index (
[BRI on the record]
With respect to “graded partitions of different levels of detail,” the Examiner is reading the limitation to be: partitions are graded based on each partition’s level of detail. This interpretation is made in light of the specification.
[0055] To sum up, the original model 310 may include a plurality of partitions (e.g., the original partitions 320 or the original partitions 330) and each partition may be processed to include different amounts of triangles for different displaying situations to provide the optimal visual experience. That is, each partition may be processed to generate a plurality of graded partitions for displaying individually. Each of the graded partitions may belong to a level of partitioning. That is, each partition of the original model 310 may belong to different levels of partitioning of the graded partitions.
[0056] In one embodiment, the each partition may include 3 levels of partitioning, such as level 0, level 1, and level 2. A level of partitioning may define that how many parts or groups that a 3D model or a partition of a 3D model may be divided into, while the higher level of partitioning stands for more groups. That is, while a level of partitioning is higher, more groups of triangles may be included in a partition of the original model 310. . . .
Spec. ¶¶ 55-56.
[Mapping Analysis]
Lin teaches graded partitions of different levels of detail, stating “The application is suitable for three-dimensional model field, providing a three-dimensional scene comprehensive method, comprising: constructing multi-level detail model by three-dimensional scene data, the multi-level detail model comprises three-dimensional scene data of different fine degrees; dividing the space range of the three-dimensional scene data into a hierarchical partition, obtaining the hierarchical partition information, the hierarchical partition information comprises partition information of each layer, the spatial range of each layer is divided into corresponding number of partitions, the partition of the next level is obtained by dividing the partition of the upper level into the partition of the partition, the fine degree of the sub-area of the previous layer is lower than the fine degree of the sub-area of the next layer; generating a hierarchical partition three-dimensional model according to the multi-level detail model and the hierarchical partition information; the hierarchical partition three-dimensional model is used for generating multi-level detail scene. The solution through hierarchical partition division and hierarchical partition three-dimensional model of the three-dimensional scene to generate constructing multi-level detail scene, so as to improve the rendering efficiency of the three-dimensional scene.” Lin Abstract.
The first graded partitions are mapped to partitions of the first original partition and its sub-partitions under different lower hierarchical levels. For example, it could be F3. B1 and sub-partitions under F3. B1.
The graded partitions are based on the first group of nodes, mapped to the vertex, edge, and/or triangular surface in the basic model included in the first original partition.
Lin teaches generating different level-of-detail model based on the basic model, which includes the first group of nodes, “wherein the generation of each level detail model is independent from each other, the optimization three-dimensional model is used for simplifying the basic model, the geometric information is simplified, the texture information is simplified and the model description parameter record is simplified.” Lin S14.
Lin teaches the level-of-detail models matches the graded partition levels, stating “generating unit 1003, used for according to the multi-level detail model and hierarchical partition information to generate hierarchical partition three-dimensional model, hierarchical partition three-dimensional model for generating multi-level detail scene. each hierarchical partition has a three-dimensional model matched with the spatial range thereof, the three-dimensional model of the same hierarchical partition has a relatively close fine degree, the fine degree of the three-dimensional model of different hierarchical partitions is gradually reduced from bottom to top. according to the hierarchical partition relation, generating three-dimensional model of each partition layer by layer from bottom to top.”
The Examiner has explained how Lin teaches “the first group of nodes which are all the first material index;” and the Examiner’s later reference will provide more explicit teaching.); and
generating a plurality of second graded partitions (e.g., F3. B2 and sub-partitions under F3. B2.) of different levels of detail (Lin Abstract) for the second original partition (e.g., F3. B2) based on the second group of nodes (the vertex, edge, and/or triangular surface in the basic model included in the second original partition) which are all the second material index (
The second graded partitions are mapped to partitions of the second original partition and its sub-partitions under different lower hierarchical levels. For example, it could be F3. B2 and sub-partitions under F3. B2.
The analysis for this limitation is similar to “generating a plurality of first graded partitions of different levels of detail for the first original partition based on the first group of nodes.”
The Examiner has explained how Lin teaches “the second group of nodes which are all the first material index;” and the Examiner’s later reference will provide more explicit teaching.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lin’s with Poursohi. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to have the flexibility to balance the efficiency and quality for computer generated graphics. “Generally, the three dimensional scene rendering efficiency and the complexity of the three-dimensional model data is negative correlation, the three-dimensional model is complex, data loading is slower, rendering efficiency is lower.” Lin p. 2. “In the traditional scheme, mainly by loading the coarse model to reduce the data amount of a single model when the viewpoint distance is far, so as to improve the data loading efficiency and rendering efficiency. However, the method has a large coverage area in the view domain, and the loading model number is more, the rendering efficiency is limited.” Lin p. 2.
Poursohi in view of Lin does not explicitly disclose
wherein each of the plurality of nodes of the 3D model is associated to a pre-defined material index.
Morovic teaches
wherein each of the plurality of nodes of the 3D model is associated to a pre-defined material index (
“For example, in the object file, the first object component can be designated as having a first characteristic, such as a first color, material and/or material properties may be associated with selection of a specific geometric shape or voxel. then the second target component can be designated as having a second characteristic, such as a second color, material and/or material properties may be associated with selection of another geometrical shape or voxels. setting the first and second object component such that they are separated by continuous interface. In one embodiment, one of the first and second object component may represent a core of three-dimensional object, and the other of the first and second object component may represent a shell of three-dimensional objects. In this embodiment, the shell can be arranged to surround the core. ‘continuous’ interface can be considered to be a common boundary between two components wherein each component adjacent each other.” Morovic p. 4.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Morovic’s separation of objects with Poursohi in view of Lin. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to assist product design. “. . . at least one data interface may include the adjusted continuous adjustment defining the first and second object part to make the first and second production material composition in at least one of a portion extending into the second and first object part occupied in the respective one of the target space. the modifying object data can be used for manufacturing a three-dimensional object.” Morovic Abstract. Objects of different materials may be manufactured by different processes.
Claim 11 and Claim 20 are substantially similar to Claim 1. The rejection analyses based on Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic for Claim 1 are applied to Claim 11 and Claim 20 as well. In addition, Claim 11 recites “A 3D model processing method . . .” (Poursohi teaches segmentation processing, stating “In some embodiments, the stored 3D-data model (e.g., the associated mesh model) may be segmented (into multiple mesh models) along material-type boundaries, to facilitate later utilizing (e.g., rendering) the stored 3D-data model; in some instances, this segmentation may mean that what might, but for material type, be considered a single surface (e.g., face) of a data-modeled object may be subdivided by material type.” Poursohi ¶ 37. “The solution through hierarchical partition division and hierarchical partition three-dimensional model of the three-dimensional scene to generate constructing multi-level detail scene, so as to improve the rendering efficiency of the three-dimensional scene.” Lin Abstract.) and Claim 20 recites “A non-transitory storage circuit, storing a program code and the program code is configured to cause a processor to execute . . .” (Poursohi Fig. 3. “Still another embodiment takes the form of a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processor for causing a system such as the system described above to carry out a method such as the method described above.” Poursohi col. 2 lines 8-12. “In a third aspect, the application embodiment provides a computer device, comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the method for realizing any one of the first aspects is realized.” Lin p. 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lin’s with Poursohi. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to have the flexibility to balance/enhance the efficiency and quality for computer generated graphics.
Regarding Claim 7, Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic teaches The 3D model processing system according to claim 1.
Poursohi teaches
wherein the first original partition belongs to a first material and the second original partition belongs to a second material (
“In some embodiments, the stored 3D-data model (e.g., the associated mesh model) may be segmented (into multiple mesh models) along material-type boundaries, to facilitate later utilizing (e.g., rendering) the stored 3D-data model; in some instances, this segmentation may mean that what might, but for material type, be considered a single surface (e.g., face) of a data-modeled object may be subdivided by material type.” Poursohi ¶ 37.
“For example, a user could enter a search for objects where the color equals red and the material type equals leather. Further, a similar approach could be used with one or more other properties of data-modeled objects, such as translucence, brightness, reflectivity, and/or luminescence, to name but a few examples.” Poursohi ¶ 34.
“For example, in the object file, the first object component can be designated as having a first characteristic, such as a first color, material and/or material properties may be associated with selection of a specific geometric shape or voxel. then the second target component can be designated as having a second characteristic, such as a second color, material and/or material properties may be associated with selection of another geometrical shape or voxels. setting the first and second object component such that they are separated by continuous interface. In one embodiment, one of the first and second object component may represent a core of three-dimensional object, and the other of the first and second object component may represent a shell of three-dimensional objects. In this embodiment, the shell can be arranged to surround the core. ‘continuous’ interface can be considered to be a common boundary between two components wherein each component adjacent each other.” Morovic p. 4.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Morovic’s separation of objects with Poursohi in view of Lin. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to assist product design. Objects of different materials may be manufactured by different processes.
Claim 17 is substantially similar to Claim 7. The rejection analyses based on Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic for Claim 7 is applied to Claim 17.
Claims 2-6, 8, 10, 12-16, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic as applied to Claim 1 or 11, in further view of Shimizu (WO 2023281803 A1).
Regarding Claim 2, Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic further teaches The 3D model processing system according to claim 1,
wherein the processor further executes (“In a third aspect, the application embodiment provides a computer device, comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the method for realizing any one of the first aspects is realized.” Lin p. 4.):
determining a first level of detail for the plurality of first graded partitions based on a status of a rendering viewpoint rendering viewpoint “In actual rendering, the more the distance from the viewpoint position and/or the larger the view field range, loading the coarser detail model, the smaller the amount of data required to be loaded and rendered, the higher the rendering efficiency. Here, the relatively rough detail model can be seen as one example of the model to be rendered. Therefore, the different multi-level detail models can be switched according to the distance between the model and the viewpoint so as to improve the rendering efficiency.” Lin. p. 2.
“The index can describe the spatial range and three-dimensional model information of each hierarchical partition, which can be used for three-dimensional model loading scheduling based on viewpoint, so as to avoid the pre-loading of the three-dimensional scene data.” Lin. p. 16.
Here, the level of detail is determined based on the distance between the 3D model and the viewpoint. The distance is mapped to the status of the rendering point.
The same determining process is applied for both original partitions of a same level, e.g., Lin F3. B1-2, and their sub-partitions.);
providing one of the plurality of first graded partitions to the user device based on the first level of detail; and providing one of the plurality of second graded partitions to the user device based on the second level of detail (“In actual rendering, the more the distance from the viewpoint position and/or the larger the view field range, loading the coarser detail model, the smaller the amount of data required to be loaded and rendered, the higher the rendering efficiency. Here, the relatively rough detail model can be seen as one example of the model to be rendered. Therefore, the different multi-level detail models can be switched according to the distance between the model and the viewpoint so as to improve the rendering efficiency.” Lin. p. 2.
The same providing process is applied for both original partitions of a same level, e.g., Lin F3. B1-2, and their sub-partitions.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lin’s with Poursohi. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to have the flexibility to balance the efficiency and quality for computer generated graphics.
However, Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic does not explicitly disclose determining a request of viewing the 3D model, a status of a user device comprises the status of the rendering viewpoint.
Shimizu teaches
determining a request of viewing the 3D model (
“The display unit 430 displays an image in the virtual space from the first-person viewpoint based on the eyes of the avatar. Note that the first-person viewpoint image based on the avatar's eyes is generated based on sensor data acquired by the orientation sensor mounted on the HMD 40.” Shimizu p. 5.
Here, HMD requests and displays viewing of a model of virtual space, including Lin’s 3D models, based on sensor data.), and
a status of a user device comprises the status of the rendering viewpoint (“The HMD 40 is an example of an information processing device, and is a terminal used by a user who views live video and live audio in virtual space. The HMD 40 is, for example, a head-mounted display to which applications such as VR (Virtual Reality) or AR (Augmented Reality) are applied. A user wearing the HMD 40 can use an input device such as a hand controller to move the avatar, which is the alter ego of the user, in the virtual space. Also, the user wearing the HMD 40 can view the live video from the first-person viewpoint based on the eyes of the avatar from the display of the HMD 40.” Shimizu. p. 3.
The user device is mapped to HMD.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Shimizu’s virtual reality setup with Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to for entertainment, e.g., VR gaming. “VR (Virtual Reality) applications, which have become popular in recent years, allow users to view a virtual space in which a 3D model is placed from any viewpoint. Such a VR world can be provided mainly using a non-transmissive HMD (Head Mounted Display) that covers the user's field of vision with a display unit.” Shimizu. p. 1.
Regarding Claim 3, Poursohi in view of Lin, Morovic, and Shimizu teaches The 3D model processing system according to claim 2,
wherein the status of the user device comprises a distance between a user representative object and the 3D model, an eye sight of a user, an eye gaze of the user, a connection speed of the user device, or a computing power of the user device (
[BRI on the record] With respect to “a user representative object,” the Examiner is reading the limitation to include avatar.
[0070] . . . The queries may be optimized based on different factors, such as a position of the user representative object of the user in the 3D space (e.g., the virtual world of XR) and a distance between the user representative object and the 3D model. It is worth mentioned that, the user representative object may be, for example, an avatar of the user, a virtual object to represent the user, a virtual object to represent a head-mounted display (HMD) device worn by the user, or other similar objects.
Spec. ¶ 70.
[Mapping Analysis]
Therefore, the different multi-level detail models can be switched according to the distance between the model and the viewpoint so as to improve the rendering efficiency.” Lin. p. 2.
“A user wearing the HMD 40 can use an input device such as a hand controller to move the avatar, which is the alter ego of the user, in the virtual space. Also, the user wearing the HMD 40 can view the live video from the first-person viewpoint based on the eyes of the avatar from the display of the HMD 40.” Shimizu p. 3.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lin’s with Poursohi. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to have the flexibility to balance the efficiency and quality for computer generated graphics.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Shimizu’s virtual reality setup with Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to for entertainment, e.g., VR gaming. “VR (Virtual Reality) applications, which have become popular in recent years, allow users to view a virtual space in which a 3D model is placed from any viewpoint. Such a VR world can be provided mainly using a non-transmissive HMD (Head Mounted Display) that covers the user's field of vision with a display unit.” Shimizu. p. 1.
Regarding Claim 4, Poursohi in view of Lin, Morovic, and Shimizu teaches The 3D model processing system according to claim 2, wherein the processor further executes:
in response to a distance between a user representative object and the 3D model getting smaller, upgrade the first level of detail or the second level of detail to provide more details of the 3D model (
“when the actual rendering, switching the hierarchical partition three-dimensional model of different fine degrees according to the distance of the model and the viewpoint, the farther the viewpoint distance, loading the coarser three-dimensional model, reducing the loading and rendering data amount, so as to improve the rendering efficiency of the three-dimensional scene when the data quantity is large.” Lin. p. 6.
A user wearing the HMD 40 can use an input device such as a hand controller to move the avatar, which is the alter ego of the user, in the virtual space. Also, the user wearing the HMD 40 can view the live video from the first-person viewpoint based on the eyes of the avatar from the display of the HMD 40.” Shimizu p.1.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lin’s with Poursohi. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to have the flexibility to balance the efficiency and quality for computer generated graphics.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Shimizu’s virtual reality setup with Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to for entertainment, e.g., VR gaming. “VR (Virtual Reality) applications, which have become popular in recent years, allow users to view a virtual space in which a 3D model is placed from any viewpoint. Such a VR world can be provided mainly using a non-transmissive HMD (Head Mounted Display) that covers the user's field of vision with a display unit.” Shimizu. p. 1.
Regarding Claim 5, Poursohi in view of Lin, Morovic, and Shimizu teaches The 3D model processing system according to claim 2, wherein the processor further executes:
in response to a distance between a user representative object and the 3D model getting greater, downgrade the first level of detail or the second level of detail to provide less details of the 3D model (
“when the actual rendering, switching the hierarchical partition three-dimensional model of different fine degrees according to the distance of the model and the viewpoint, the farther the viewpoint distance, loading the coarser three-dimensional model, reducing the loading and rendering data amount, so as to improve the rendering efficiency of the three-dimensional scene when the data quantity is large.” Lin. p. 6.
A user wearing the HMD 40 can use an input device such as a hand controller to move the avatar, which is the alter ego of the user, in the virtual space. Also, the user wearing the HMD 40 can view the live video from the first-person viewpoint based on the eyes of the avatar from the display of the HMD 40.” Shimizu p. 1.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lin’s with Poursohi. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to have the flexibility to balance the efficiency and quality for computer generated graphics.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Shimizu’s virtual reality setup with Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to for entertainment, e.g., VR gaming. “VR (Virtual Reality) applications, which have become popular in recent years, allow users to view a virtual space in which a 3D model is placed from any viewpoint. Such a VR world can be provided mainly using a non-transmissive HMD (Head Mounted Display) that covers the user's field of vision with a display unit.” Shimizu. p. 1.
Regarding Claim 6, Poursohi in view of Lin, Morovic, and Shimizu teaches The 3D model processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processor further executes:
determining a request of viewing the 3D model (
“The display unit 430 displays an image in the virtual space from the first-person viewpoint based on the eyes of the avatar. Note that the first-person viewpoint image based on the avatar's eyes is generated based on sensor data acquired by the orientation sensor mounted on the HMD 40.” Shimizu p. 5.
Here, HMD requests and displays viewing of a model of virtual space, including Lin’s 3D models, based on sensor data.);
determining a lowest level of details as a first level of detail for the plurality of first graded partitions (
Lin teaches splitting a model into a hierarchical partitions, stating “In a first aspect, the application embodiment provides a three-dimensional scene comprehensive method, comprising: using three-dimensional scene data to construct multi-level detail model, the multi-level detail model comprises three-dimensional scene data of different fine degree. dividing the space range of the three-dimensional scene data into a hierarchical partition, obtaining the hierarchical partition information, the hierarchical partition information comprises partition information of each layer, the spatial range of each layer is divided into corresponding number of partitions, the partition of the next level is obtained by dividing the partition of the upper level into the partition of the partition, The fine degree of the partition of the last level is lower than the fine degree of the partition of the next level. generating a hierarchical partition three-dimensional model according to the multi-level detail model and the hierarchical partition information; the hierarchical partition three-dimensional model is used for generating multi-level detail scene.” Lin p. 2.
The first original partition (e.g., Fig. 3 B1) and second original partition (e.g., Fig. 3 B2) are mapped to partitions of any level, except for the root level or the leaf level, because the root level only has one partition, and the leaf level is not further partitioned.
Lin teaches graded partitions of different levels of detail, stating “The application is suitable for three-dimensional model field, providing a three-dimensional scene comprehensive method, comprising: constructing multi-level detail model by three-dimensional scene data, the multi-level detail model comprises three-dimensional scene data of different fine degrees; dividing the space range of the three-dimensional scene data into a hierarchical partition, obtaining the hierarchical partition information, the hierarchical partition information comprises partition information of each layer, the spatial range of each layer is divided into corresponding number of partitions, the partition of the next level is obtained by dividing the partition of the upper level into the partition of the partition, the fine degree of the sub-area of the previous layer is lower than the fine degree of the sub-area of the next layer; generating a hierarchical partition three-dimensional model according to the multi-level detail model and the hierarchical partition information; the hierarchical partition three-dimensional model is used for generating multi-level detail scene. The solution through hierarchical partition division and hierarchical partition three-dimensional model of the three-dimensional scene to generate constructing multi-level detail scene, so as to improve the rendering efficiency of the three-dimensional scene.” Lin Abstract.
The first graded partitions are mapped to partitions of the first original partition and its sub-partitions under different lower hierarchical levels. For example, it could be F3. B1 and sub-partitions under F3. B1 and corresponds to first level of detail.
In this example, a lowest level of details corresponds to the detail level associated with Lin F3. B1.);
determining the lowest level of details as a second level of detail for the plurality of second graded partition (
The second graded partitions are mapped to partitions of the second original partition and its sub-partitions under different lower hierarchical levels. For example, it could be F3. B2 and sub-partitions under F3. B2.
In this example, a lowest level of details corresponds to the detail level associated with Lin F3. B2 and corresponds to second level of detail.);
providing one of the plurality of first graded partitions to a user device based on the first level of detail (
“In actual rendering, the more the distance from the viewpoint position and/or the larger the view field range, loading the coarser detail model, the smaller the amount of data required to be loaded and rendered, the higher the rendering efficiency. Here, the relatively rough detail model can be seen as one example of the model to be rendered. Therefore, the different multi-level detail models can be switched according to the distance between the model and the viewpoint so as to improve the rendering efficiency.” Lin. p. 2.
“The index can describe the spatial range and three-dimensional model information of each hierarchical partition, which can be used for three-dimensional model loading scheduling based on viewpoint, so as to avoid the pre-loading of the three-dimensional scene data.” Lin p. 16.
“The HMD 40 is an example of an information processing device, and is a terminal used by a user who views live video and live audio in virtual space. The HMD 40 is, for example, a head-mounted display to which applications such as VR (Virtual Reality) or AR (Augmented Reality) are applied. A user wearing the HMD 40 can use an input device such as a hand controller to move the avatar, which is the alter ego of the user, in the virtual space. Also, the user wearing the HMD 40 can view the live video from the first-person viewpoint based on the eyes of the avatar from the display of the HMD 40.” Shimizu p. 1.); and
providing one of the plurality of second graded partitions to the user device based on the second level of detail (
The second graded partitions are mapped to partitions of the second original partition and its sub-partitions under different lower hierarchical levels. For example, it could be F3. B2 and sub-partitions under F3. B2.
The analysis for this limitation is similar to “providing one of the plurality of first graded partitions to a user device based on the first level of detail.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lin’s with Poursohi. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to have the flexibility to balance the efficiency and quality for computer generated graphics.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Shimizu’s virtual reality setup with Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to for entertainment, e.g., VR gaming. “VR (Virtual Reality) applications, which have become popular in recent years, allow users to view a virtual space in which a 3D model is placed from any viewpoint. Such a VR world can be provided mainly using a non-transmissive HMD (Head Mounted Display) that covers the user's field of vision with a display unit.” Shimizu. p. 1.
Regarding Claim 8, Poursohi in view of Lin, Morovic, and Shimizu teaches The 3D model processing system according to claim 1,
wherein the first original partition belongs to a first location and the second original partition belongs to a second location (“using the method of combining non-limiting quadtree and hierarchical bounding box, dividing the three-dimensional scene into a plurality of hierarchical partitions, the spatial range of each layer is divided into a plurality of partitions, and the total space range of each layer is the same as the scene space range, the coarsely hierarchical partition is divided into a plurality of sub-partitions at the adjacent fine hierarchical level, until the most fine hierarchical partition is the spatial range of the original single three-dimensional model. the space range of each layer is divided into the corresponding number of partitions, the partition of the next level is obtained by further dividing the partition of the upper level of the partition.” Lin p. 17.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lin’s with Poursohi. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to have the flexibility to balance the efficiency and quality for computer generated graphics.
Regarding Claim 10, Poursohi in view of Lin, Morovic, and Shimizu teaches The 3D model processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processor further executes:
performing a flattening process to removing all hierarchies in the 3D model (
“The three-dimensional scene rendering is the process of generating the two-dimensional image from the digital three-dimensional scene by using the computer, mainly through organizing the pattern, managing and displaying to realize the reproduction of the three-dimensional real image.” Lin. p. 2.
When a 3D model is rendered/flattened into 2D, all hierarchies in the 3D model are removed.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Lin’s with Poursohi. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to have the flexibility to balance the efficiency and quality for computer generated graphics.
Claims 12-16 and 18 are substantially similar to Claims 2-6 and 8. The rejection analyses based on Poursohi in view of Lin, Morovic, and Shimizu for Claims 2-6 and 8 are applied to Claims 12-16 and 18.
Claims 9 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic as applied to Claim 1 or 11, in further view of Liu et al. (US 20180330480 A1).
Regarding Claim 9, Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic discloses The 3D model processing system according to claim 1.
Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic does not explicitly disclose wherein the processor further executes:
unwrapping the 3D model into a texture map;
baking out a baked texture by transferring a high-resolution model of a texture of the 3D model to a low-resolution model; and
applying the baked texture to a mesh of the 3D model.
Liu teaches wherein the processor further executes:
unwrapping the 3D model into a texture map (“For example, at 2020, the reduced 3D model is UV unwrapped to allow textures of the high-poly 3D model to be baked into the surface.” Liu ¶ 168. );
baking out a baked texture by transferring a high-resolution model of a texture of the 3D model to a low-resolution model (
“For example, at 2020, the reduced 3D model is UV unwrapped to allow textures of the high-poly 3D model to be baked into the surface.” Liu ¶ 168.
The low-resolution model is mapped to the reduced 3D model.
The high-resolution model is mapped to the high-poly 3D model. ); and
applying the baked texture to a mesh of the 3D model (
“After mesh reduction, texture mapping may be employed to add details from the high-poly model back into the low-poly model without a significant increase to the polygon count. Preferably, the end result is that the low-poly model looks indistinguishable from its high-poly model counterpart. In this way, the retopology process may be viewed as an optimization process since the objective is to make the low-poly model look as close to the high-poly model counterpart while reducing the polygon count to a specific target.” Liu ¶ 147.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Liu’s texturing method with Poursohi in view of Lin and Morovic. One of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to maintain relative high quality appearance while reducing computation. “After mesh reduction, texture mapping may be employed to add details from the high-poly model back into the low-poly model without a significant increase to the polygon count. Preferably, the end result is that the low-poly model looks indistinguishable from its high-poly model counterpart. In this way, the retopology process may be viewed as an optimization process since the objective is to make the low-poly model look as close to the high-poly model counterpart while reducing the polygon count to a specific target.” Liu ¶ 147.
Claim 19 is substantially similar to Claim 9. The rejection analyses based on Lin in view of Poursohi for Claim 9 is applied to Claim 19.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure..
Schissler et al. (US 20180232471 A1):
[0114] In some embodiments, a visual material classification algorithm comprises performing, using images of a real-world scene and a CNN based material classifier, a visual material segmentation, wherein the visual material segmentation indicates material classification probabilities for triangles associated with the 3D virtual model; identifying, using a patch segmentation algorithm, patches associated with the 3D virtual model, wherein each patch represents a localized group of triangles appearing to be a same material; and determining, using the material classification probabilities, material classifications for the patches, where each material classification may be associated with predetermined acoustic material properties.
Schissler teaches segmentation based on material type. However, Schissler does not disclose use the pre-defined material index to split/segment according to Claim 1.
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/ZHENGXI LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2611
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