Animating Three Dimensional Images by Selectively Processing Intermediate Animation Frames

United States Patent no. 5,756,354 (1998) 

Inventors: Aviv Tzidon and Menachem Polak

Abstract

A method and system for animating a 3-dimensional graphics model composed of geometrical elements which is viewed by an observer whose line of sight effects relative movement with respect to the model. Successive frames of pixels are processed by obtaining motion parameters corresponding to the relative movement of the observer's line of sight with respect to the model and processing all of the geometrical elements in the 3-dimensional graphics model in order to derive a large number of voxels some of which are hidden from the observer's line of sight and are therefore superfluous. The superfluous voxels are eliminated from the large number of voxels so as to derive successive intermediate frames each containing a relatively small number of voxels within the observer's line of sight, and each intermediate frame is processed at a rate no less than the frequency of fusion so as to produce and display successive intermittent frames of pixels wherein relative movement appears continuous to the observer.