Worlds Inc (WDDD)

[3dknerd]

Avatar is just a name, originally when WDDD had 2D world they called them sprites.

Whether its a 2D sprite, a 3D sprite or avatar or a 2D object it matters not from a filtering point of view.

It's a matter of interpretation but if you consider a 2D mirror an object and a 3D Table an object a room full of such objects could well be too cluttered and hence require filtering.

These are generic computer science algorithms.

The concept of reducing clutter based on the number and nearness of multiple objects is common sense ... it's hard to see how that could have been patented in the first place.