Avid Technology Limited

Softimage

Rejean Gagne

Sylvain G Moreau

Yves Boucher

Michael Chilton Sheasby

Daniel Desbois

Michel Gangnet

Claude Cajolet

Gareth John Morgan

Jean-Claude Bouchard

Michael Gachet

Vincent Verville

A method and system for editing function curves in a computer-based editing or animation environment. The method consists of defining a region having two dimensions. The region contains a number of selected keys associated with one or more function curves. Resizing or moving the region causes the selected keys to be resized or moved accordingly.

Method and system for editing function curves in two dimensions

A user-interface (UI) device allows the assignment of multiple parameter values to a multiple-selection of objects through a familiar UI mechanism. A multiple selection of objects is made. A object inspector is opened such as would normally be used to enter single values to be applied to properties of all the selected objects. For example, a group of graphical objects is selected and a line-weight parameter is adjusted to make the lines of the objects heavier. According to the invention, the same type of inspector device may be used to apply multiple values by providing for the indication of a function definition instead of an explicit value in a field normally used to enter a single value. The text boxes normally used for entry of values are provided with the ability to accept symbolic notation, e.g, a string, to indicate value ranges instead ofjust discrete values. The UI is programmed to parse the symbolic definition and generate values for each selected object so that each object receives a value of the selected parameter independently of the other objects. In an example, an indicator of a Gaussian probability function is entered as a string with a mean and variance to specify a range. The objects receive values pseudorandomly so that each may be assigned a different value for the parameter. This avoids the need to separately assign values to a large number of objects.

Extended support for numerical controls

A method and system employing an NLE to create and modify 3D animations by mixing and compositing animation data includes Actions which represent one or more animatable parameters for an animation object. The Actions are presented in an Action list from which a user may select and are positioned on an NLE-type time line for the animation object. Actions can be manipulated in a manner, which is believed to be intuitive, and is similar to the manipulation of clips in conventional NLE systems, to alter the length or speed of components of the animation and can be mixed and/or composited and otherwise manipulated to produce a desired 3D computer generated animation.

Method and system employing an NLE to create and modify 3D animations by

A method of and a system for controlling an inverse kinematics generated animation of an articulated chain is described. A resolution plane in a default orientation is computed by determining a root-effector vector extending from a root of an articulated chain to an end effector of the articulated chain and letting the resolution plane extend through the root-effector vector. A control icon representative of a position relative to the root is visually displayed. The resolution plane of an articulated chain is manipulated by manipulating the icon and re-determining the resolution plane using the root-effector vector and a root-control vector extending from the root to the icon. The animation of the articulated chain is constrained relative to the resolution plane and a solution of positions and orientations of all limbs of the articulated chain in achieving a goal is computed and displayed.

Control solutions for the resolution plane of inverse kinematic chains

A three-dimensional graphic object appearing in an animation is deformed to simulate the effects of motion on the object. A user can selectively apply a stretch, yield, or flex deformation effect to the control vertices of the object, to change the shape of the object as a function of any of a linear velocity, angular velocity, linear acceleration, or angular acceleration of the object. Various other parameters for each of these deformation effects can also be selected and set by the user, including a sensitivity to the motion in generating the deformation and a maximum deformation. The flex deformation can selectively be set to either a linear or curved profile, simulating the effect of friction applied by the environment on one or more surfaces of the object. The stretch deformation can selectively be set to either a constant or a free volume to simulate the effect of inertia, causing a body to elongate or shrink in the direction of the movement. The yield deformation can be set either a linear or curved profile, simulating the displacement of an object's internal matter toward one end that occurs, relative to the direction of the object's motion, i.e., causing one end to bulge. For each control vertex on the object, an effect offset is determined for each motion component and for each selected deformation effect. The sum of the effect offsets for the control vertex represents a total offset that is added to the original control vertex to determine a deformed control vertex. This step is repeated for all control vertices to produce the deformed object.

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Montreal, Canada

Rejean Gagne