Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd.

Rachel Rose

Kevin Wooley

Roger Cordes

Steve Sullivan

Kiran Bhat

Michael Koperwas

Frederic P Pighin

Cary Phillips

Nicholas Grant Rasmussen

Christopher David Twigg

Jung-Seung Hong

Michael Justin Lee Jutan

Darby Johnston

Lucas Adam Kovar

Scott R Jones

Yuting Ye

Nicholas Rasmussen

John Doublestein

An immersive content presentation system and techniques that can detect and correct lighting artifacts caused by movements of one or more taking camera in a performance area consisting of multiple displays (e.g., LED or LCD displays). The techniques include capturing, with a camera, a plurality of images of a performer performing in a performance area at least partially surrounded by one or more displays presenting images of a virtual environment. Where the images of the virtual environment within a frustum of the camera are updated on the one or more displays based on movement of the camera, and images of the virtual environment outside of the frustum of the camera are not updated based on movement of the camera. The techniques further include generating content based on the plurality of captured images.

Immersive content production system with multiple targets

A system includes a computing device that includes a memory configured to store instructions. The system also includes a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method that includes receiving multiple representations of one or more expressions of an object. Each of the representations includes position information attained from one or more images of the object. The method also includes producing an animation model from one or more groups of controls that respectively define each of the one or more expressions of the object as provided by the multiple representations. Each control of each group of controls has an adjustable value that defines the geometry of at least one shape of a portion of the respective expression of the object. Producing the animation model includes producing one or more corrective shapes if the animation model is incapable of accurately presenting the one or more expressions of the object as provided by the multiple representations.

Facial animation models

A system includes a computing device that includes a memory and a processor configured to execute instructions to perform a method that includes receiving multiple representations of one or more expressions of an object. Each representation includes position information attained from one or more images of the object. The method also includes producing an animation model from one or more groups of controls that respectively define each of the one or more expressions of the object as provided by the multiple representations. Each control of each group of controls has an adjustable value that defines the geometry of at least one shape of a portion of the respective expression of the object. Producing the animation model includes producing one or more corrective shapes if the animation model is incapable of accurately presenting the one or more expressions of the object as provided by the multiple representations.

Systems and techniques are provided for transferring changes in animation data between geometric models of a character having different resolutions. For example, systems and techniques are provided for transferring changes in geometric properties between the geometric models. A method may include obtaining a first geometric model of the character and a second geometric model of the character, the geometric models having different resolutions with different numbers of data points. The method may further include determining one or more correspondences between data points of the first geometric model and data points of the second geometric model. The correspondences include one or more data points of the first geometric model that overlap with one or more data points of the second geometric model. The method may further include determining a feature change in the first geometric model, which includes a change in a geometric property of at least one data point of the first geometric model relative to an initial geometric property of the at least one data point prior to the change. The method may further include transferring the feature change in the first geometric model to the second geometric model using the one or more correspondences, including interpolating a change in a geometric property of at least one data point of the second geometric model.

Animation data transfer between geometric models and associated animation models

A method of generating an animation rig for a 3-D computing environment may include accessing a plurality of blocks, each representing a particular rig element, and including interfaces that govern interactions with other rig elements and information for generating a portion of the animation rig corresponding to the particular rig element represented by the block. The method may also include receiving a selection of a first block that includes a first interface and first information and represents a first rig element, and receiving a selection of a second block that includes a second interface and second information and represents a second rig element. The method may additionally include receiving an instruction to connect the first interface to the second interface, generating the animation rig using the first information and the second information, and providing the animation rig to the 3-D computing environment.

Flexible 3-D character rigging blocks with interface obligations

A method of generating an animation rig for a three-dimensional (3-D) computing environment may include providing a rig generation environment that includes a library storing a plurality of blocks. Each of the plurality of blocks may represent particular rig elements and include information for generating the rig elements in the 3-D computing environment along with a first icon that is visually representative of the particular rig elements. The method may also include receiving and displaying two or more blocks in the rig generation environment, and receiving one or more graphical connections between the blocks. The method may additionally include generating the animation rig using the information of each of the two or more blocks and sending the animation rig from the rig generation environment to the 3-D computing environment.

Flexible 3-D character rigging development architecture

A computer-implemented method includes identifying a primary node that represents a first pose of an online character. The first pose is associated with a constraint being inactive. The method also includes identifying the primary node representing a second pose of the online character. The second pose is associated with the constraint being active. The method also includes calculating the difference between the primary node of the second pose and the primary node of the first pose. Further, the method includes applying the difference to the primary node of the first pose.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Rachel Rose