Pixar

Other

Lucas Digital Ltd.

The Gillette Company

Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd.

Pixar Animation Studios

John R Anderson

Lena Petrovic

Mark Joseph Meyer

Andrew Witkin

Manuel Kraemer

Robert L Cook

Adam Woodbury

Rob Cook

Maxwell E Planck

Michael E Osborne

Erin Tomson

Robert Harold Johnson

Steve Sullivan

Gordon Gerald Guay

Yun Xu

Michael Kass

Rick Sayre

Cary Phillips

Michael John Moloney

Tuan M Vu

William F Sheffler

Corey Edward Corbeil

Michael B Comet

Marilyn Jeanne Westgate

Janet Kelley O'Grady

Maureen Sullivan Morrissey

James Robert Tooley

Ferdi Scheepers

Gregory Thomas Danti

Robert Houlihan

Jose F Zamudio-Tena

Nicolas Popravka

Jim Hourihan

Seth Rosenthal

Hiromi Ono

Robert Johnson

Janet Kelley O'grady

Robert Michael Houlihan

Techniques are disclosed for accounting for features of computer-generated dynamic or simulation models being at different scales. Some examples of dynamic or simulation models may include models representing hair, fur, strings, vines, tails, or the like. In various embodiments, features at different scales in a complex dynamic or simulation model can be treated differently when rendered and/or simulated.

Simulation of hair in a distributed computing environment

Scale separation in hair dynamics

Techniques are disclosed for orienting (or reorienting) properties of computer-generated models, such as those associated with dynamic models or simulation models. Properties (e.g., material or physical properties) that influence the behavior of a dynamic or simulation model (e.g., a complex curve model representing a curly hair) may be oriented or re-oriented as desired using readily available reference frames. These references frame may be obtained using a proxy model that corresponds to the dynamic or simulation model in a less computationally expensive manner in some embodiments than some techniques for determining reference frames directly using the dynamic or simulation model. In some embodiments, the proxy model may include a smoothed version of the dynamic or simulation model. In other embodiments, the proxy model may include a filtered or simplified version of the dynamic or simulation model.

Reorienting properties in hair dynamics

A method for a computer system for inspecting an animation sequence having a series of specified poses of an animated character includes receiving a mathematical performance style model associated with the animated character, receiving the series of specified poses of the animated character, each specified pose comprising respective values for the plurality of animation variables, determining an associated quality factor for each specified pose in response to the respective values for the plurality of animation variables and in response to the mathematical performance style model associated with the animated character, and providing feedback to a user in response to an associated quality factor for at least one specified pose.

Methods and apparatus for performance style extraction for quality control of animation

A method for a computer system includes performing rendering operations for a plurality of scenes to form a plurality of intermediate rendering data in response to a plurality of scene descriptor data associated with the plurality of scenes, processing the plurality of intermediate rendering data to form a model for the plurality of intermediate rendering data, and determining a higher quality plurality of intermediate rendering data in response to the model for the plurality of intermediate rendering data.

Accelerated statistical rendering methods and apparatus

A method for specifying a design for an animatronics unit includes receiving motion data comprising artistically determined motions, determining a design for construction of at least a portion of the animatronics unit in response to the motion data, and outputting the design for construction of the animatronics unit.

Methods and apparatus for designing animatronics units from articulated computer generated characters

A method for rendering an image including objects defined by surfaces. A rendering application selects an object in a first image and determines a surface of the object. An initial set of illumination values is calculated and is separated into low and high spatial frequency components associated with the surface of the object. The rendering application independently adjusts the illumination values of the low and high spatial frequency components based lighting information in the first image, and generates a modified set of illumination values by combining the adjusted low and high spatial frequency components. The surface of the object is then rendered using the modified set of illumination values. Advantageously, embodiments of the invention provide techniques for rendering an object without introducing halo effects around the object. Additionally, embodiments of the invention provide for rendering a sequence of frames without introducing fluctuations in the low frequency components from across frame.

Tone mapping for motion pictures

A method for determining behavior of an animatronics unit includes receiving animation data comprising artistically determined motions for at least a portion of an animated character, determining a plurality of control signals to be applied to at least the portion of the animatronics unit in response to the animation data, estimating the behavior of at least the portion of the animatronics unit in response to the plurality of control signals by driving a software simulation of at least the portion of the animatronics unit with the plurality of control signals, and outputting a representation of the behavior of at least the portion of the animatronics unit to a user.

Methods and apparatus for estimating and controlling behavior of animatronics units

A method for a computer system includes determining a plurality of illumination modes associated with a plurality of scene descriptors, wherein the plurality of scene descriptors includes a first scene descriptor and a second scene descriptor, determining a first plurality of weights, wherein each weight from the first plurality of weights is associated with an illumination mode from the plurality of illumination modes, determining illumination data associated with the first scene descriptor in response to the first plurality of weights and in response to the plurality of illumination modes, determining a second plurality of weights, wherein each weight from the second plurality of weights is associated with an illumination mode from the plurality of illumination modes, and determining illumination data associated with the second scene descriptor in response to the second plurality of weights and in response to the plurality of illumination modes.

Methods and apparatus for determining high quality sampling data from low quality sampling data

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed for creating posed models. In various embodiments, deformations resulting from posing a model can be represented in a set of training poses. The sets of training poses for the model and a desired target pose (e.g., a simulated or sculpted pose) can be used to create a final pose for the model. Arbitrary deformer activation weights can be determined by projecting a target pose onto the set of training poses. The deformer activation weights can be applied to one or more deformers to approximate the desired pose.

Rig baking for arbitrary deformers

Realistic sprays for simulated fluids are created by adding a set of spray particles to a boundary region just below the fluid surface. The fluid surface is determined by solving a level set equation for a zero level corresponding to the fluid surface. Additionally, the boundary region is determined by solving the level set equation for a non-zero level corresponding to a surface at the specified depth from the fluid surface. The set of spray particles inherit an initial state, for example a velocity, from the fluid simulation. Subsequent motion of the spray particles is determined according to a ballistic simulation, rather than a fluid simulation, thereby substantially reducing the computational burden required to animate the fluid. Spray particles that sink below a specified depth from the fluid surface are removed.

Water particle manipulation

A method for a computer system includes retrieving a plurality of base poses for an object, retrieving a plurality of base texture maps associated with the plurality of base poses, receiving a desired pose for the object, determining a plurality of coefficients associated with the plurality of base poses in response to the desired pose and to the plurality of base poses, and determining a desired texture map in response to the plurality of coefficients and to the plurality of base texture maps.

Dynamic wrinkle mapping

A method for exporting animation data from a native animation environment to a non-native animation environment includes determining first object poses in response to a first object model in the native environment and animation variables, determining a second object model including a geometric object model, determining second object poses in response to the second object model and animation variables, determining surface errors between the first object poses and the second object poses, determining a corrective object offsets in response to the surface errors, determining actuation values associated with the corrective object offsets in response to the surface errors, determining a third object model compatible with the non-native animation environment in response to the second object of poses, the corrective offsets, and the actuation values, and storing the third object model in a memory.

Methods and apparatus for export of animation data to non-native articulation schemes

A method for a computer system includes determining a model for a first personality of a component of an object, wherein the model for the first personality of the component is associated with a component name and a first personality indicia, determining a model for a second personality of the component of the object, wherein the model for the second personality of the component is associated with the component name and the second personality indicia, determining a multiple personality model of the object, wherein the model of the object includes the model for the first personality of the component, the model of the second personality of the component, the first personality indicia, and the second personality indicia, and storing the multiple personality model of the object in a single file.

Multiple personality articulation for animated characters

Growing community of inventors

San Anselmo, CA, United States of America

John R Anderson