Apparatuses and methods for use in creating an audio scene

Abstract

An apparatus for creating an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the apparatus comprising: an audio processor operable to create a weighted audio stream that comprises audio from an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar; and associating means operable to associate the weighted audio stream with a datum that represents a location of the portion of the hearing range in the virtual environment, wherein the weighted audio stream and the datum represent the audio scene.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to devices and methods for creating audio scenes, and has particular, but by no means exclusive, application to creating audio scenes for virtual environments. Background technique [0002] Significant progress has been made in recent years in creating visually immersive virtual environments. These advances have led to the widespread use of massively multiplayer role-playing games, in which participants enter a common virtual environment (such as a battlefield) and are represented in the virtual environment by avatars, often in the form of animated characters. form. In the case of a virtual environment in the form of a battlefield, the avatar may be a soldier. [0003] The widespread adoption of visually immersive virtual environments is due in part to dramatic improvements in image processing techniques that have made it possible to generate highly detailed and realistic graphical virtual environments. The po...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, despite the extensive use of 3D sound cards, today's visually immersive virtual environments often do not provide realistic mechanisms for participants to communicate with each other

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