Dynamically supporting custom dependencies during three-dimensional character animation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10134168-B2
Application number	US-201414229423-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2014
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention includes a double solve unit that configures a kinematic chain representing an animated character. The double solve unit generates a first solution for the kinematic chain based on a first solving order. While generating the first solution, the doubles solve unit determines the recursion depth of each output connector included in the kinematic chain. Subsequently, the double solve unit identifies any output connectors for which the recursion length exceeds a corresponding expected recursion depth—indicating that a custom recursive dependency exists that is not reflected in the first solution. For these custom recursive output connectors, the double solve unit creates a second solving order and generates a more accurate solution. Advantageously, identifying the custom recursive dependencies as part of the solution process enables the double solve unit to portray animated movements without incurring the quality degradation or prohibitive execution time of conventional techniques.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for configuring a kinematic chain that represents an animated character, the method comprising:
calculating a first recursion depth value associated with the kinematic chain, wherein the first recursion depth value represents a maximum length of a plurality of recursion paths;
calculating a first output value based on a first solving order associated with the kinematic chain;
identifying, based on the first recursion depth value, a first custom connection not included in the first solving order;
in response, creating a second solving order associated with the kinematic chain, wherein the second solving order includes the first custom connection;
calculating a second output value based on the first output value and the second solving order;
performing one or more write operations that set a first angle in the kinematic chain based on the second output value; and
generating animation data associated with the animated character based on the first angle in the kinematic chain.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the kinematic chain includes a first recursive dependency path; the first output value does not correlate to the first recursive dependency path; and the second output value correlates to the first recursive dependency path.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating a second recursion depth value;
calculating a third output value based on the first solving order;
determining that the second recursion depth value does not exceed a second base depth value; and
in response, performing one or more write operations that set a second angle in the kinematic chain based on the third output value.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the kinematic chain includes both a first recursive dependency path and a second recursive dependency path; the first output value correlates to neither the first recursive dependency path nor the second recursive dependency path; the second output value correlates to the first recursive dependency path; and the third output value correlates to the second recursive dependency path.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second output value is not based on the third output value.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the second solving order comprises disabling a first output connector included in the kinematic chain.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the first output value comprises applying one or more inverse kinematics operations to a first input value based on the first solving order.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the first recursion depth value comprises determining the length of a recursive dependency path from a first output connector to a first input connector.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first recursion depth value is determined at least partially in parallel to calculating the first output value.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to configure a kinematic chain that represents an animated character by performing the steps of:
calculating a first recursion depth value associated with the kinematic chain, wherein the first recursion depth value represents a maximum length of a plurality of recursion paths;
calculating a first output value based on a first solving order associated with the kinematic chain;
identifying, based on the first recursion depth value, a first custom connection not included in the first solving order;
in response, creating a second solving order associated with the kinematic chain, wherein the second solving order includes the first custom connection;
calculating a second output value based on the first output value and the second solving order;
performing one or more write operations that set a first angle in the kinematic chain based on the second output value; and
generating animation data associated with the animated character based on the first angle the kinematic chain.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the kinematic chain includes a first recursive dependency path; the first output value does not correlate to the first recursive dependency path; and the second output value correlates to the first recursive dependency path.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , further comprising:
calculating a second recursion depth value;
calculating a third output value based on the first solving order;
determining that the second recursion depth value does not exceed a second base depth value; and
in response, performing one or more write operations that set a second angle in the kinematic chain based on the third output value.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the kinematic chain includes both a first recursive dependency path and a second recursive dependency path; the first output value correlates to neither the first recursive dependency path nor the second recursive dependency path; the second output value correlates to the first recursive dependency path; and the third output value correlates to the second recursive dependency path.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the second output value is not based on the third output value.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein creating the second solving order comprises disabling a first output connector included in the kinematic chain.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein calculating the first output value comprises applying one or more inverse kinematics operations to a first input value based on the first solving order.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein calculating the first recursion depth value comprises determining the length of a recursive dependency path from a first output connector to a first input connector.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the first recursion depth value is determined at least partially in parallel to calculating the first output value.

19. A system configured to characterize a kinematic chain that represents an animated character, the system comprising:
a memory that includes an inverse kinematics application; and
a processing unit coupled to the memory and configured to execute the inverse kinematics application and:
calculate a first recursion depth value associated with the kinematic chain, wherein the first recursion depth value represents a maximum length of a plurality of recursion paths;
calculate a first output value based on a first solving order associated with the kinematic chain;
identifying, based on the first recursion depth value, a first custom connection not included in the first solving order;
in response, create a second solving order associated with the kinematic chain, wherein the second solving order includes the first custom connection;
calculate a second output value based on the first output value and the second solving order;
perform one or more write operations that set a first angle in the kinematic chain based on the second output value; and
generate animation data associated with the animated character based on the first angle the kinematic chain.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the kinematic chain includes a first recursive dependency path; the first output value does not correlate to

Assignees

• Autodesk Inc

Inventors

• Ligenza Krystian

Classifications

• G06T13/40 Primary

  of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings · CPC title