Animation data transfer between geometric models and associated animation models

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9858700-B2
Application number	US-201514711542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2015
Priority date	May 13, 2015
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

Systems and techniques are provided for transferring changes in animation data between geometric models of a character having different resolutions. For example, systems and techniques are provided for transferring changes in geometric properties between the geometric models. A method may include obtaining a first geometric model of the character and a second geometric model of the character, the geometric models having different resolutions with different numbers of data points. The method may further include determining one or more correspondences between data points of the first geometric model and data points of the second geometric model. The correspondences include one or more data points of the first geometric model that overlap with one or more data points of the second geometric model. The method may further include determining a feature change in the first geometric model, which includes a change in a geometric property of at least one data point of the first geometric model relative to an initial geometric property of the at least one data point prior to the change. The method may further include transferring the feature change in the first geometric model to the second geometric model using the one or more correspondences, including interpolating a change in a geometric property of at least one data point of the second geometric model.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of transferring changes in geometric properties between geometric models of a character, comprising:
obtaining a first geometric model of the character and a second geometric model of the character, the first and second geometric models having different resolutions with different numbers of data points,
determining one or more correspondences between data points of the first geometric model and data points of the second geometric model, the one or more correspondences including one or more data points of the first geometric model that overlap with one or more data points of the second geometric model;
determining an initial position of at least one data point of the first geometric model;
determining a feature change in the first geometric model, the feature change including a change in a position of the at least one data point of the first geometric model relative to the initial position of the at least one data point prior to the change, wherein the feature change is maintained in a change space for the first geometric model, the change space including differences between updated values of the data points of the first geometric model and initial values of the data points of the first geometric model; and
transferring the change space associated with the first geometric model to the second geometric model using the one or more correspondences, the transferring including applying the differences between the updated values and the initial values of the data points of the first geometric model to the corresponding one or more data points of the second geometric model that overlap with the one or more data points of the first geometric model and interpolating a change in a position of at least one data point of the second geometric model that does not overlap the at least one data point of the first geometric model.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more correspondences between the data points of the first geometric model and the data points of the second geometric model includes overlaying the data points of the first geometric model and the data points of the second geometric model.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data points of the first geometric model overlap with a subset of the data points of the second geometric model.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a geometric property of a data point of the second geometric model includes at least one or more of a position of the data point, an amount of change in the position of the data point, or a weight associated with the data point that defines an amount by which the data point changes with respect to a skeleton of the second geometric model.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initial position of the at least one data point of the first geometric model is determined when the one or more correspondences are determined.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the feature change further includes determining an amount of change in the position of the at least one data point of the first geometric model caused by one or more blendshapes of a first animation model for the character, the first animation model including blendshapes that are configured to change features of the first geometric model of the character.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein interpolating the change in the position of the at least one data point of the second geometric model includes interpolating an amount of change in the position of the at least one data point caused by one or more blendshapes of a second animation model for the character, the second animation model including blendshapes that are configured to change features of the second geometric model of the character.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the feature change further includes determining a change in a weight associated with the at least one data point of the first geometric model, wherein the weight defines an amount by which a position of the at least one data point changes with respect to a skeleton of the first geometric model.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein interpolating the change in the position of the at least one data point of the second geometric model includes interpolating a change in a weight associated with the at least one data point, wherein the weight defines an amount by which the position of the at least one data point changes with respect to a skeleton of the second geometric model.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initial values of the data points of the first geometric model are determined when the one or more correspondences are determined.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein interpolating the change in the position of the at least one data point of the second geometric model includes performing a Laplace smoothing function.

12. A system for transferring changes in geometric properties between geometric models of a character, comprising:
a memory storing a plurality of instructions; and
one or more processors configurable to:
obtain a first geometric model of the character and a second geometric model of the character, the first and second geometric models having different resolutions with different numbers of data points;
determine one or more correspondences between data points of the first geometric model and data points of the second geometric model, the one or more correspondences including one or more data points of the first geometric model that overlap with one or more data points of the second geometric model;
determine an initial position of at least one data point of the first geometric model;
determine a feature change in the first geometric model, the feature change including a change in a position of the at least one data point of the first geometric model relative to the initial position of the at least one data point prior to the change, wherein the feature change is maintained in a change space for the first geometric model, the change space including differences between updated values of the data points of the first geometric model and initial values of the data points of the first geometric model; and
transfer the change space associated with the first geometric model to the second geometric model using the one or more correspondences, the transferring including applying the differences between the updated values and the initial values of the data points of the first geometric model to the corresponding one or more data points of the second geometric model that overlap with the one or more data points of the first geometric model and interpolating a change in a position of at least one data point of the second geometric model that does not overlap the at least one data point of the first geometric model.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein determining the one or more correspondences between the data points of the first geometric model and the data points of the second geometric model includes overlaying the data points of the first geometric model and the data points of the second geometric model, and wherein the data points of the first geometric model overlap with a subset of the data points of the second geometric model.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein a geometric property of a data point of the second geometric model includes at least one or more of a position of the data point, an amount of change in the position of the data point, or a weight associated with the data point that defines an amount by which of the data point changes with respect to a skeleton of the second geometric model.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the initial position of the at least one da

Assignees

• Lucasfilm Entertainment Co Ltd

Inventors

• Rose Rachel
• Ye Yuting
• Jones Scott

Classifications

• G06T13/40 Primary

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