Adjusting relative left-right sound to provide sense of an avatar's position in a virtual space, and applications thereof
Disclosed herein is a web-based videoconference system that allows for video avatars to navigate within the virtual environment. The system has a presented mode that allows for a presentation stream to be texture mapped to a presenter screen situated within the virtual environment. The relative left-right sound is adjusted to provide sense of an avatar's position in a virtual space. The sound is further adjusted based on the area where the avatar is located and where the virtual camera is located. Video stream quality is adjusted based on relative position in a virtual space. Three-dimensional modeling is available inside the virtual video conferencing environment.
1. A computer-implemented method for providing a virtual conference including a plurality of participants, comprising:
from a perspective of a virtual camera of a first user, rendering for display to the first user a three-dimensional virtual space, the three-dimensional virtual space including an avatar with texture mapped video of a second user, the virtual camera at a first position in the three-dimensional virtual space and the avatar at a second position in the three-dimensional virtual space;
receiving an audio stream from a microphone of a device of the second user, the microphone positioned to capture speech of the second user; and
adjusting a volume of the received audio stream to determine a left audio stream and a right audio stream to provide a sense of where the second position is in the three-dimensional virtual space relative to the first position; and
outputting the left audio stream and the right audio stream to be played to the first user in stereo.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting a relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction of the second position to the first position.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction of the second position relative to the first position on a horizontal plane within the three-dimensional virtual space.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting a relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction of the second position relative to the first position on a horizontal plane within the three-dimensional virtual space.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction where the virtual camera is facing in the three-dimensional virtual space such that the left audio stream tends to have a higher volume when the avatar is located to the left of the virtual camera and the right audio stream tends to have a higher volume when the avatar is located to the right of the virtual camera.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on an angle between the direction where the virtual camera is facing and a direction where the avatar is facing such that the angle being more normal to where the avatar is facing tends to have a greater difference in volume between the left and right audio streams.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting volumes of both the first and second audio streams based on a distance between the second position and the first position.
8. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform operations for presenting in a virtual conference including a plurality of participants, the operations comprising:
from a perspective of a virtual camera of a first user, rendering for display to the first user a three-dimensional virtual space, the three-dimensional virtual space including an avatar with texture mapped video of a second user, the virtual camera at a first position in the three-dimensional virtual space and the avatar at a second position in the three-dimensional virtual space;
receiving an audio stream from a microphone of a device of the second user, the microphone positioned to capture speech of the second user; and
adjusting a volume of the received audio stream to determine a left audio stream and a right audio stream to provide a sense of where the second position is in the three-dimensional virtual space relative to the first position; and
outputting the left audio stream and the right audio stream to be played to the first user in stereo.
9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting a relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction of the second position to the first position.
10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting relative the volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction of the second position relative to the first position on a horizontal plane within the three-dimensional virtual space.
11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting relative a volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction of the second position relative to the first position on a horizontal plane within the three-dimensional virtual space.
12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction where the virtual camera is facing in the three-dimensional virtual space such that the left audio stream tends to have a higher volume when the avatar is located to the left of the virtual camera and the right audio stream tends to have a higher volume when the avatar is located to the right of the virtual camera.
13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on an angle between the direction where the virtual camera is facing and a direction where the avatar is facing such that the angle being more normal to where the avatar is facing tends to have a greater difference in volume between the left and right audio streams.
14. The device of claim 8 , wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting volumes of both the first and second audio streams based on a distance between the second position and the first position.
15. A system for providing a virtual conference including a plurality of participants, comprising:
a processor coupled to a memory;
a renderer, implemented on the processor, configured to render for display to a first user a three-dimensional virtual space from a perspective of a virtual camera of the first user the three- dimensional virtual space including an avatar with texture mapped video of a second user, the virtual camera at a first position in the three-dimensional virtual space and the avatar at a second position in the three-dimensional virtual space;
a network interface configured to receive an audio stream from a microphone of a device of the second user, the microphone positioned to capture speech of the second user;
an audio processor configured to adjust a volume of the received audio stream to determine a left audio stream and a right audio stream to provide a sense of where the second position is in the three-dimensional virtual space relative to the first position; and
a stereo speaker that outputs the left audio stream and the right audio stream to be played to the first user in stereo.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the audio processor is configured to adjust a relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction of the second position to the first position.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the audio processor is configured to adjust the relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on the direction of the second position to the first position on a horizontal plane within the three-dimensional virtual space.
18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the audio processor is configured to adjust a relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction of the second position relative to the first position on a horizontal plane within the three-dimensional virtual space.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the audio processor is configured to adjust the elative volume of the left and right audio streams based on a direction where the virtual camera is facing in the three-dimensional virtual space such that the left audio stream tends to have a higher volume when the avatar is located to the left of the virtual camera and the right audio stream tends to have a higher volume when the avatar is located to the right of the virtual camera.
20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the audio processor is configured to adjust a relative volume of the left and right audio streams based on an angle between the direction where the virtual camera is facing and a direction where the avatar is facing such that the angle being more normal to where the avatar is facing tends to have a greater difference in volume between the left and right audio streams.
21. The system of claim 15 , wherein the audio processor is configured to adjust volumes of both the first and second audio streams based on a distance between the second position and the first position.