Systems and associated methods for creating a viewing experience

1. A process for generating a viewing experience, comprising steps of:

determining location data and movement data of (a) an object and (b) a participant within an event area;

determining a live three-dimensional model of the event area, the participant and the object based upon the location data and the movement data;

determining, for a spectator, any viewpoint relative to the three-dimensional model, the viewpoint defining an origin and a direction of the viewing experience and a virtual camera defining a virtual origin, relative to the three-dimensional model, and a virtual direction of the viewing experience based on viewing directives received from the spectator;

generating the viewing experience for the viewpoint from the three-dimensional model;

receiving primary images from a plurality of cameras positioned at the event area;

mapping at least one of the primary images to the three-dimensional model;

generating at least one virtual image of the object and/or the participant from the three-dimensional model and based upon the viewpoint or the virtual camera;

sending one or both of (i) the three-dimensional model and (ii) at least a portion of the at least one virtual image to a viewing device configured to provide the viewing experience;

determining when an obstruction is located between (i) one of the viewpoint and the virtual camera and (ii) one of the object and the participant; and

adding at least a portion of the virtual image, corresponding to a location of the obstruction, to the viewing experience to at least partially remove the obstruction from the viewing experience with the same viewpoint.

2. The process of claim 1 , the step of generating comprising implementing bokeh by blurring parts of the viewing experience that are less important to reduce latency of generating the viewing experience.

3. The process of claim 1 , the step of determining the location data and the movement data further comprising capturing light-field data relative to the object and the participant to enhance the three-dimensional model.

4. The process of claim 1 , the step of determining the viewpoint further comprising capturing light-field data relative to the viewpoint to enhance the three-dimensional model, wherein the light-field data comprises light intensity, light direction, and light color.

5. The process of claim 1 , the step of determining the location data and the movement data further comprising determining, of the participant, one or more of head movement, hand movement, and posture.

6. The process of claim 1 , the step of determining the viewpoint further comprising determining relative location data, of the viewpoint, with respect to one or more of (i) a permanent object location at the event area, (ii) the at least one object, (iii) the at least one participant, and (iv) a secondary grid at the event area.

7. The process of claim 6 , the secondary grid being a secondary virtual grid positioned between the viewpoint and the object or the participant.

8. The process of claim 1 , the step of mapping further comprising mapping light field data to the three-dimensional model.

9. The process of claim 1 , the process further comprising:

within the three-dimensional model, determining, around each of the participant and the object, a virtual grid having a plurality of cells; and

the step of mapping further comprising: mapping at least a portion of one of the primary images identified by at least one cell of the virtual grid corresponding to the participant or object within the three-dimensional model.

10. The process of claim 9 , the step of mapping further comprising mapping at least a portion of one of the primary images identified by a section of a secondary grid corresponding to the participant or object, wherein the secondary grid is a secondary virtual grid positioned between the viewpoint and the object or the participant.

11. The process of claim 1 , further comprising adding visual special effects and audible special effects to the viewing experience, the special effects being generated based upon one or both of (i) the location data and the movement data of the object and/or the participant and (ii) an occurrence of interest detected within the event area.

12. The process of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving sound feeds from a plurality of microphones positioned at the event area;

mapping the sound feeds to the three-dimensional model; and

generating the viewing experience to include sounds based upon the three-dimensional model.

13. The process of claim 1 , further comprising providing haptic feedback to the spectator based at least in part upon one or more of (a) the virtual camera and the location data of the object and the participant, (b) an occurrence of interest detected within the event area and the visual and audio special effects, and (c) feedback from other spectators sharing the viewing experience.