BACKGROUND

Much video content produced today, including but not limited to movies, television and cable programs, and games, is at least partially generated using two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics techniques. For example, video content for online multiplayer games and modern animated movies may be generated using various computer graphics techniques as implemented by various graphics applications to generate 3D representations or models of scenes, and then applying rendering techniques to render 2D representations of the scenes. As another example, scenes in some video content may be generated by filming live actor(s) using green- or blue-screen technology, and filling in the background and/or adding other content or effects using one or more computer graphics techniques.

Generating a scene using computer graphics techniques may, for example, involve generating a background for the scene, generating one or more objects for the scene, combining the background and objects(s) into a 3D representation or model of the scene, and applying rendering techniques to render a representation of the model of the scene as output. Each object in a scene may be generated according to an object model that includes but is not limited to an object frame or shape (e.g., a wire frame), surface texture(s), and color(s). Rendering of a scene may include applying global operations or effects to the scene such as illumination, reflection, shadows, and simulated effects such as rain, fire, smoke, dust, and fog, and may also include applying other techniques such as animation techniques for the object(s) in the scene. Rendering typically generates as output sequences of 2D video frames for the scenes, and the video frame sequences may be joined, merged, and edited as necessary to generate final video output, for example a movie or game sequence.

