Development tools for animated character rigging
US8026917B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 2007 |
| Grant date | Sep 27, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 21, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T13/40
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Computer-implemented methods and computer program products for automatically transferring expressions between rigs with consistent joint structure, and for automatically transferring skin weights between different skin meshes based on joint positioning. A method is provided for transferring an expression between a source rig and a target rig, where each rig characterizes an animated character, and each rig, in turn, is characterized by a set of joints and a skin mesh having a plurality of vertices, with each vertex characterized by a matrix of weights relating a response of the vertex to movement of associated joints. A set of offsets is calculated of joint positions of a goal expression of the source rig relative to a neutral expression of the source rig. A scaling transformation is then applied to the set of offsets to produce a scaled set of offsets, which are added, in turn, to a neutral expression of the target rig. Methods are also provided for transferring a set of skin weights between a source rig and a target rig.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.