Modeling and animation of facial expressions based on B-Splines

This paper describes a technique for the automatic adaptation of a canonical facial model to data obtained by a 3D laser scanner. The facial model is a B-spline surface with 13×16 control points. We introduce a technique by which this canonical model is fit to the scanned data and that takes into consideration the requirements for the animation of facial expressions. The animation of facial expressions is based on the facial action coding system (FACS). Using B-splines in combination with FACS, we automatically create the impression of a moving skin. To increase the realism of the animation we map textural information onto the B-spline surface.     

Cyclic animation using partial differential equations

This work presents an efficient and fast method for achieving cyclic animation using partial differential equations (PDEs). The boundary-value nature associated with elliptic PDEs offers a fast analytic solution technique for setting up a framework for this type of animation. The surface of a given character is thus created from a set of pre-determined curves, which are used as boundary conditions so that a number of PDEs can be solved. Two different approaches to cyclic animation are presented here. The first of these approaches consists of attaching the set of curves to a skeletal system, which is responsible for holding the animation for cyclic motions through a set mathematical expressions. The second approach exploits the spine associated with the analytic solution of the PDE as a driving mechanism to achieve cyclic animation. The spine is also manipulated mathematically. In the interest of illustrating both approaches, the first one has been implemented within a framework related to cyclic motions inherent to human-like characters. Spine-based animation is illustrated by modelling the undulatory movement observed in fish when swimming. The proposed method is fast and accurate. Additionally, the animation can be either used in the PDE-based surface representation of the model or transferred to the original mesh model by means of a point to point map. Thus, the user is offered with the choice of using either of these two animation representations of the same object, the selection depends on the computing resources such as storage and memory capacity associated with each particular application.     

基于运动捕获数据的虚拟人动画研究

随着三维游戏等行业对计算机动画制作需求的增加,在三维动画制作软件中人工调整虚拟人动作的工作方式已经不再适合现在的计算机动画制作。运动捕获技术是直接记录物体的运动数据并将其用于生成计算机动画,具有高效率、所生成的动画真实感强等优点,因而获得了广泛应用。提出了一种利用运动捕获数据来生成动画的方法,基于运动捕获得到的数据建立并驱动三维骨架模型,从而产生骨架的运动,形成动画。该方法可以充分利用现有的大量运动捕获数据,因此具有较大的应用前景。     

Perception-based fast rendering and antialiasing of walkthroughsequences

We consider accelerated rendering of high quality walkthrough animation sequences along predefined paths. To improve rendering performance, we use a combination of a hybrid ray tracing and image-based rendering (IBR) technique and a novel perception-based antialiasing technique. In our rendering solution, we derive as many pixels as possible using inexpensive IBR techniques without affecting the animation quality. A perception-based spatiotemporal animation quality metric (AQM) is used to automatically guide such a hybrid rendering. The image flow (IF) obtained as a byproduct of the IBR computation is an integral part of the AQM. The final animation quality is enhanced by an efficient spatiotemporal antialiasing which utilizes the IF to perform a motion-compensated filtering. The filter parameters have been tuned using the AQM predictions of animation quality as perceived by the human observer. These parameters adapt locally to the visual pattern velocity     

Efficient treatment of stress singularities in poroelastic wave based models using special purpose enrichment functions

The Finite Element Method is the most commonly used prediction technique to model the harmonic behavior of poroelastic materials. A major disadvantage of this method is its practical frequency limitation in that the computational efforts become prohibitively large at higher frequencies. A recently developed Wave Based Method is an efficient alternative deterministic prediction technique which aims at relaxing this frequency limitation by using exact solutions of the governing equations to approximate the field variables. This paper discusses the application of the Wave Based Method for the particular case that stress singularities are present in corners of the poroelastic domain. Based on an asymptotic analysis, the paper derives a criterion to predict the presence of stress singularities and proposes a suitable set of enrichment functions to extend the conventional set of expansion functions. The beneficial effect of incorporating these functions on the convergence of the Wave Based Method is illustrated by means of a numerical validation study.     

Computer animation survey

Each section examines a single technique of conventional, manual animation. Within each section various means of automating the technique are considered. It is seen, for each technique, that there are advantages to using electronic rather than mechanical hardware. Desirable characteristics for an electronic base for animation are identified.     

基于多分辨率模型的快速运动过渡生成算法

运动捕获技术可以记录人体关节运动的细节,是当前最有前景的计算机动画技术.然而,运动数据的重用性一直是个难点,为此,多种运动编辑手段被提出.运动过渡是一种常见的编辑技术,它可以将输入的两端运动序列拼接,形成新的运动序列.其中,过渡点选择的合理与否直接影响着结果运动的质量.在两运动间选择过渡点,需要对输入运动的每一对帧之间分别计算帧间的距离,其计算复杂度是O(n2)的,通过引入多分辨率模型,文中将该复杂度降低到O(nlog2n),同时试验结果表明,此方法并未损害到结果运动的质量.     

Interactive Construction and Animation of Layered Elastically Deformable Characters

An interactive system is described for creating and animating deformable 3D characters. By using a hybrid layered model of kinematic and physics-based components together with an immersive 3D direct manipulation interface, it is possible to quickly construct characters that deform naturally when animated and whose behavior can be controlled interactively using intuitive parameters. In this layered construction technique, called the elastic surface layer model, a simulated elastically deformable skin surface is wrapped around a kinematic articulated figure. Unlike previous layered models, the skin is free to slide along the underlying surface layers constrained by geometric constraints which push the surface out and spring forces which pull the surface in to the underlying layers. By tuning the parameters of the physics-based model, a variety of surface shapes and behaviors can be obtained such as more realistic-looking skin deformation at the joints, skin sliding over muscles, and dynamic effects such as squash-and-stretch and follow-through. Since the elastic model derives all of its input forces from the underlying articulated figure, the animator may specify all of the physical properties of the character once, during the initial character design process, after which a complete animation sequence can be created using a traditional skeleton animation technique. Character construction and animation are done using a 3D user interface based on two-handed manipulation registered with head-tracked stereo viewing. In our configuration, a six degree-of-freedom head-tracker and CrystalEyes shutter glasses are used to display stereo images on a workstation monitor that dynamically follow the user head motion. 3D virtual objects can be made to appear at a fixed location in physical space which the user may view from different angles by moving his head. To construct 3D animated characters, the user interacts with the simulated environment using both hands simultaneously: the left hand, controlling a Spaceball, is used for 3D navigation and object movement, while the right hand, holding a 3D mouse, is used to manipulate through a virtual tool metaphor the objects appearing in front of the screen. Hand-eye coordination is made possible by registering virtual space to physical space, allowing a variety of complex 3D tasks necessary for constructing 3D animated characters to be performed more easily and more rapidly than is possible using traditional interactive techniques.     

基于物理的三维动画的OOP方法研究

本文阐述了采用用面向对象的方法来开发基于物理的三维动画软件的技术及实现方法，介绍了图形数据结构、类的建立、体素的快速消隐处理、三维几何造型技术和基于物理的动画处理技术。最后，给出尾鳍推进装置三维动画仿真的实例。     

Rational Zoom of Bit Maps Using B-Spline Interpdation in Computerized 2-D Animation

This paper describes the application of B-spline interpolation to the problem of rational transformation in computerized 2-D animation. The technique described herewith can also be applied to the resolution independence problem which arises when the same production workstation is used to produce animation series to be recorded on variable film sizes This article fully explains our solution to the problem of rational zoom. An algorithm has been written to speed up computations by spreading the computing load among similar technical workstations hooked up in a network. Large magnifications of professional quality can be achieved in very little time and very smooth animation effects can be obtained by applying rational zooms with magnification coefficients that are a time function.     

Exaggerating Character Motions Using Sub‐Joint Hierarchy

Motion capture cannot generate cartoon‐style animation directly. We emulate the rubber‐like exaggerations common in traditional character animation as a means of converting motion capture data into cartoon‐like movement. We achieve this using trajectory‐based motion exaggeration while allowing the violation of link‐length constraints. We extend this technique to obtain smooth, rubber‐like motion by dividing the original links into shorter sub‐links and computing the positions of joints using Bézier curve interpolation and a mass‐spring simulation. This method is fast enough to be used in real time.     

Collision response for deformable models based on hertz's contact theory

This paper presents an animation technique of collision response for deformable models defined as a spring-mass-damper system. Our approach is to calculate impulsive forces to prevent penetration of colliding objects by means of Hertz's contact theory. With this theory, contact duration and deformation in collision are obtained according to physical properties such as mass and elasticity. Animators, therefore, can represent the differences between materials such as rubber and steel in the sequence of collision animations with a few intuitive physical parameters. We also describe a deformation mapping technique which reduces the computational time of dynamic analysis and realizes the effect of global deformation.     

人脸建模和动画的基本技术

文中讨论了通过人脸的正向和侧面照片构造头部的三维模型,并赋予其简单动画的基本技术,基于此技术,实现了一个交互式人脸建模和动画的工具,详细阐述了在系统实现过程中应用到的人脸几何表示,由一般人脸变化到特定人脸,弹性网格,肌肉模型,关键,帧和表情提取等技术。     

Animation‐Aware Quadrangulation

Geometric meshes that model animated characters must be designed while taking into account the deformations that the shape will undergo during animation. We analyze an input sequence of meshes with point‐to‐point correspondence, and we automatically produce a quadrangular mesh that fits well the input animation. We first analyze the local deformation that the surface undergoes at each point, and we initialize a cross field that remains as aligned as possible to the principal directions of deformation throughout the sequence. We then smooth this cross field based on an energy that uses a weighted combination of the initial field and the local amount of stretch. Finally, we compute a field‐aligned quadrangulation with an off‐the‐shelf method. Our technique is fast and very simple to implement, and it significantly improves the quality of the output quad mesh and its suitability for character animation, compared to creating the quad mesh based on a single pose. We present experimental results and comparisons with a state‐of‐the‐art quadrangulation method, on both sequences from 3D scanning and synthetic sequences obtained by a rough animation of a triangulated model.     

Explicit and implicit animation with fuzzy constraints of a versatile multi‐body system for virtual hand surgery

This work is designed to control the movement of hand structural agents under external action, using the implicit animation driven by explicit animation technique (AI‐CAE technique). Starting from the configuration of a hand at rest obtained by a 3D scanner and after meshing of the structural agents, we seek the configuration of the rigid agents under orthopaedic surgeon external action and interacting reliance of deformable and rigid agents. We have developed a model and software tools to answer this interactive application with adaptive execution. The first contribution comes from notations and definition of a versatile multi‐body system dedicated to the explicit and implicit animation. The second contribution comes from the implicit animation driven by explicit animation itself, and from its ability to mimic the role of cartilages and ligaments. The resulting technique is applied to the bone structure consistency of a specific human hand in the context of virtual hand orthopaedic surgery. The versatile specific multi‐body is made up of hierarchical interacting agents conceivable as a construction set of rigid bones with cartilages–ligaments and underlying links. The explicit animation produces a desired configuration from geometric command parameters of torsion, flexion, pivot and axis shifting, given in a scenario subdivided into temporal sequences. The implicit animation controls the movement by implementing a physics‐based model and fuzzy constraints of position and orientation. It gives better configuration than the explicit animation because it takes into account the interactions between agents, and it gives a neat solution without the problems of complexity due to geometric modelling. A methodology based on the AI‐CAE technique is discussed, medical expertise and validation tests are presented. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

交互式动画卷积的设计与实现

随着计算机技术的发展，计算机辅助教学（ＣｏｍｐｕｔｅｒＡｉｄｅｄＩｎｓｔｒｕｃｔｉｏｎ，简称ＣＡＩ）应运而生，并在教学改革中发挥愈来愈重要的作用。本文介绍了信号与系统ＣＡＩ课件中用Ｃ语言实现交互式动画卷积的技术，包括交互方式中递归下降的表达式分析算法的实现和卷积的动画实现。实践结果表明，应用编译技术和动画技术是研制高质量ＣＡＩ课件与其他应用软件的有效方法     

Radar measurement of directional ocean wave spectra at low incidence angles†

Abstract

There exist several techniques for the measurement of directional ocean wave spectra. The most conventional technique is the employment of pitch-roll buoys but a disadvantage of this technique is that it measures at a fixed point. Another promising technique is the use of airborne or spaceborne radars. We present here results of a comparison between the data from an airborne radar, which is measuring near vertical incidence, and measurements of directional wave spectra obtained by means of a pitch-roll buoy and processed by using the Long-Hasselmann iterative algorithm. Although preliminary, these results constitute a step towards the employment of the airborne radar based on the Radar Ocean Wave Spectrometer (ROWS) principle as defined by Jackson (1981), as a validation tool for spaceborne synthetic aperture radars.     

The behavioral test-bed: Obtaining complex behavior from simple rules

Behavioral simulation is presented as a means to obtain complex global motion by simulating simple rules of behavior between locally related actors. A test-bed which has been developed to support experimentation with behavioral simulation is described. This test-bed has been used to create a library of physically behaving actors which can realistically reproduce the motion of flexible objects. The application of behavioral simulation to problems of motion specification in animation are described. The extension of this technique to simulate social behaviors is discussed.     

水墨动画的趣味性及其在现代技术下的表现

水墨动画是中国艺术家创造的独有动画艺术,它将传统的中国水墨画引入到动画制作中,以中国水墨画技法作为人物造型和环境空间造型的表现手段,其独特的神态和情态造型、意境表现中幽玄之意与场景变换、舒缓视觉节奏和优雅民乐的融汇成为这类艺术表现趣味性所在。