Telecom Italia Lab S.p.a.

Mauro Quaglia

Gianluca Francini

Claudio Lande

Skjalg Lepsoy

The method permits the animation of a synthesised model of a human face in relation to an audio signal. The method is not language dependent and provides a very natural animated synthetic model, being based on the simultaneous analysis of voice and facial movements, tracked on real speakers, and on the extraction of suitable visemes. The subsequent animation consists in transforming the sequence of visemes corresponding to the phonemes of the driving text into the sequence of movements applied to the model of the human face.

Method of animating a synthesized model of a human face driven by an acoustic signal

A method and an apparatus for the animation, driven by an audio signal, of a synthesised human face model are described, that allow the animation of any model complying with the ISO/IEC standard 14496 (&ldquo;MPEG-4 standard&rdquo;). The concerned phonemes are derived from the audio signal, and the corresponding visemes are identified within a set comprising both visemes defined by the standard and visemes typical of the language. Visemes are split into macroparameters that define shape and positions of the mouth and jaw of the model and that are associated to values indicating a difference from a neutral position. Such macroparameters are then transformed into face animaton parameters complying with the standard, the values of which define the deformation to be applied to the model in order to achieve animation.

Method of and apparatus for animation, driven by an audio signal, of a synthesized model of a human face

The method allows the creation of 3-D facial models, which can be used, for instance, for the avatar implementation, video-communication applications, video games, video productions, and for the creation of advanced man-machine interfaces. At least one image of a human face is provided together with a 3D facial model (M) having a vertex structure and comprising a number of surfaces chosen within the set formed by a face surface (V), surfaces of the right eye (OD) and left eye (OS), respectively, and surfaces of the upper teeth (DS) and lower teeth (DI), respectively. Among the vertices of the structure of the model (M) and on such at least one face image, respective sets of homologous points are chosen. The model structure (M) is then modified in such a way that the above respective sets of homologous points are made to coincide (FIG. ).

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Turin, Italy

Mauro Quaglia