Artistic simulation of curly hair
US9449417B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 1, 2013 |
| Grant date | Sep 20, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 19, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T13/40
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Techniques are disclosed for stably simulating stylized curly hair that address artistic needs and performance demands, both found in the production of feature films. To satisfy the artistic requirement of maintaining a curl's helical shape during motion, a hair model is developed based upon an extensible elastic rod. A method is provided for stably computing a frame along a hair curve for stable simulation of curly hair. The hair model introduces a new type of spring for controlling the bending and twisting of a curl and another for maintaining the helical shape during extension. The disclosed techniques address performance concerns often associated with handling hair-hair contact interactions by efficiently parallelizing the simulation. A novel algorithm is presented for pruning both hair-hair contact pairs and hair particles. The method can be used on a full length feature film and has proven to be robust and stable over a wide range of animated motion and on a variety of hair styles, from straight to wavy to curly.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.