Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for creating lifelike digital representations of computer animated objects by providing corrective enveloping

US5883638A · kind A · utility

42Cited by
5References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 1, 1995
Grant dateMar 16, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 1, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T13/20
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for automatically generating features of computer animated objects that are represented by a skeleton surrounded by an envelope. An animator may modify the shape of the envelope for a particular configuration of the object's skeleton ("pose"). These envelope modifications for these poses are stored. When an animator desires to create a new pose, the stored modifications for previous poses are blended together, based upon the difference between each pose and the new pose, to automatically generate a modified envelope shape for the new pose. When satisfied with a particular envelope shape for a pose, the animator may store the modification in the database and the modification may then be used for subsequent poses.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.