Ilya Baran
Semantic Deformation Transfer
Transferring existing mesh deformation from one character to another
is a simple way to accelerate the laborious process of mesh
animation. In many cases, it is useful to preserve the semantic characteristics
of the motion instead of its literal deformation. For example,
when applying the walking motion of a human to a flamingo,
the knees should bend in the opposite direction. Semantic deformation
transfer accomplishes this task with a shape space that enables
interpolation and projection with standard linear algebra. Given
several example mesh pairs, semantic deformation transfer infers
a correspondence between the shape spaces of the two characters.
This enables automatic transfer of new poses and animations.
Transferring existing mesh deformation from one character to another
is a simple way to accelerate the laborious process of mesh
animation. In many cases, it is useful to preserve the semantic characteristics
of the motion instead of its literal deformation. For example,
when applying the walking motion of a human to a flamingo,
the knees should bend in the opposite direction. Semantic deformation
transfer accomplishes this task with a shape space that enables
interpolation and projection with standard linear algebra. Given
several example mesh pairs, semantic deformation transfer infers
a correspondence between the shape spaces of the two characters.
This enables automatic transfer of new poses and animations.
Articulated Mesh Animation from Multi-view Silhouettes
Details in mesh animations are difficult to generate but they have
great impact on visual quality. In this work, we demonstrate a practical
software system for capturing such details from multi-view
video recordings. Given a stream of synchronized video images
that record a human performance from multiple viewpoints and an
articulated template of the performer, our system captures the motion
of both the skeleton and the shape. The output mesh animation
is enhanced with the details observed in the image silhouettes. For
example, a performance in casual loose-fitting clothes will generate
mesh animations with flowing garment motions. We accomplish
this with a fast pose tracking method followed by nonrigid deformation
of the template to fit the silhouettes.
Details in mesh animations are difficult to generate but they have
great impact on visual quality. In this work, we demonstrate a practical
software system for capturing such details from multi-view
video recordings. Given a stream of synchronized video images
that record a human performance from multiple viewpoints and an
articulated template of the performer, our system captures the motion
of both the skeleton and the shape. The output mesh animation
is enhanced with the details observed in the image silhouettes. For
example, a performance in casual loose-fitting clothes will generate
mesh animations with flowing garment motions. We accomplish
this with a fast pose tracking method followed by nonrigid deformation
of the template to fit the silhouettes.
Pinocchio: Automatic Rigging and Animation of 3D Characters
Animating an articulated 3D character currently requires manual
rigging to specify its internal skeletal structure and to define how
the input motion deforms its surface. We present a method for animating
characters automatically. Given a static character mesh and
a generic skeleton, our method adapts the skeleton to the character
and attaches it to the surface, allowing skeletal motion data to animate
the character. Because a single skeleton can be used with a
wide range of characters, our method, in conjunction with a library
of motions for a few skeletons, enables a user-friendly animation
system for novices and children. Our prototype implementation,
called Pinocchio, typically takes under a minute to rig a character
on a modern midrange PC.
Animating an articulated 3D character currently requires manual
rigging to specify its internal skeletal structure and to define how
the input motion deforms its surface. We present a method for animating
characters automatically. Given a static character mesh and
a generic skeleton, our method adapts the skeleton to the character
and attaches it to the surface, allowing skeletal motion data to animate
the character. Because a single skeleton can be used with a
wide range of characters, our method, in conjunction with a library
of motions for a few skeletons, enables a user-friendly animation
system for novices and children. Our prototype implementation,
called Pinocchio, typically takes under a minute to rig a character
on a modern midrange PC.
