Parallax scanning through scene object position manipulation

1. A method of generating virtual autostereoscopic images using a computer, comprising:

creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image;

defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space;

generating images by simulating, in the virtual three-dimensional space, a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object with respect to a fixed virtual point of view;

offsetting, with a vertex shader, a position of the at least one object;

storing the generated images; and

displaying the generated images.

2. A method of generating virtual autostereoscopic images using a computer, comprising:

creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image;

defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space;

generating images by simulating a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object by applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object, wherein the parallax offset varies with respect to a distance between the at least one object and a convergence plane, and further wherein the parallax offset is zero at the convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value;

storing the generated images; and

displaying the generated images.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the parallax offset varies linearly between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the parallax offset varies according to a nonlinear function between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the generating step further includes using a vertex shader to offset a position of the at least one object.

6. The method of claim 2 , further including maintaining the virtual point of view at a fixed location.

7. A method of generating an image, comprising:

creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software environment, a scene to be imaged;

automatically monitoring at least one scene parameter associated with the scene to be imaged, the scene parameter including a distance between an observer and an object in the scene;

determining a parallax scanning parameter based on the at least one scene parameter;

applying the parallax scanning parameter to at least one object in the scene with respect to a fixed virtual point of view associated with the scene;

generating an image including the at least one object; and

displaying the generated image on a display.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the parallax scanning parameter includes at least one of a parallax angle and a convergence distance.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the scene parameter includes an observer motion speed.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the scene parameter includes a distance between an observer and an object in the scene.

11. A computer readable memory storing machine readable code, the machine readable code containing instructions for a computer to perform a method comprising:

creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image;

defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space;

generating images by simulating, in the virtual three-dimensional space, a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object;

storing the generated images; and

displaying the generated images;

wherein the parallax scanning motion is simulated by applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object, wherein the parallax offset is zero at a convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value.

12. The computer readable memory of claim 11 , wherein the machine readable code contains instructions for the computer to maintain the virtual point of view at a fixed location.

13. A computer based imaging system, comprising:

a computer readable memory storing machine readable code containing instructions for creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image, defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space, and generating images by simulating a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object;

a processor that executes the instructions stored on the computer readable memory;

a data storage location that stores one or more of the generated images; and

a display that displays the generated images;

wherein the parallax scanning motion is simulated by applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object, wherein the parallax offset is zero at a convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value.

14. The computer based imaging system of claim 13 , wherein the computer readable memory includes instructions for maintaining the virtual point of view at a fixed location.

15. A method of generating virtual autostereoscopic images using a computer, comprising:

defining at least one object in a virtual three-dimensional space;

defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space;

generating images by simulating a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object by applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object, wherein the parallax offset is zero at a convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value;

storing the generated images; and

displaying the generated images.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the parallax offset varies linearly between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the parallax offset varies according to a nonlinear function between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the generating step further includes using a vertex shader to offset a position of the at least one object.

19. The method of claim 15 , further including maintaining the virtual point of view at a fixed location.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parallax offset varies linearly between a convergence plane and the threshold distance value.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parallax offset varies according to a nonlinear function between a convergence plane and the threshold distance value.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fixed point of view includes a first point of view associated with a first frame or a first set of frames and a second point of view associated with a second frame or a second set of frames.

23. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fixed point of view includes a first point of view associated with a first frame or a first set of frames and a second point of view associated with a second frame or a second set of frames.

24. A method of generating virtual autostereoscopic images using a computer, comprising:

creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image;

defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space;

generating images by simulating, in the virtual three-dimensional space, a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object at a first virtual point of view, wherein the first virtual point of view is fixed for at least one of a first frame and a first set of frames;

storing the generated images; and

displaying the generated images.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein generating images includes simulating, in a virtual three-dimensional space, a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object at a second virtual point of view, wherein the second virtual point of view is fixed for at least one of a first frame and a first set of frames.

26. The method of claim 24 , wherein the generating step further includes applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the parallax offset varies with respect to a distance between the at least one object and a convergence plane.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the parallax offset is zero at the convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value.

29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the parallax offset varies linearly between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.

30. The method of claim 26 , wherein the parallax offset varies according to a nonlinear function between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.