Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd.

Other

Industrial Light & Magic

Steve Sullivan

Kevin Wooley

Michael Sanders

Frederic P Pighin

Cary Phillips

Francesco G Callari

Michael Koperwas

Spencer Reynolds

Colin Davidson

Adam Schnitzer

Kiran Bhat

Brian Cantwell

Max S-Han Chen

Eduardo Hueso

Brett Allen

Christopher David Twigg

Rachel Rose

Jung-Seung Hong

John R Anderson

Domenico P Porcino

Kent Oberheu

Greg James

Louise Rasmussen

Jeffery Bruce Yost

Jeffrey Bruce Yost

Alan D Trombla

Jonathan Stone

Seth Rosenthal

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 method is described that includes receiving, from a first device, input used to select a first object in a computer-generated environment. The first device has at least two degrees of freedom with which to control the selection of the first object. The method also includes removing, in response to the selection of the first object, at least two degrees of freedom previously available to a second device used to manipulating a second object in the computer-generated environment. The removed degrees of freedom correspond to the at least two degrees of freedom of the first device and specify an orientation of the second object relative to the selected first object. Additionally, the method includes receiving, from the second device, input including movements within the reduced degrees of freedom used to manipulate a position of the second object while maintaining the specified orientation relative to the selected first object.

Constrained virtual camera control

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.

In one general aspect, a method is described. The method includes generating a positional relationship between one or more support structures having at least one motion capture mark and at least one virtual structure corresponding to geometry of an object to be tracked and positioning the support structures on the object to be tracked. The support structures has sufficient rigidity that, if there are multiple marks, the marks on each support structure maintain substantially fixed distances from each other in response to movement by the object. The method also includes determining an effective quantity of ray traces between one or more camera views and one or more marks on the support structures, and estimating an orientation of the virtual structure by aligning the determined effective quantity of ray traces with a known configuration of marks on the support structures.

Three-dimensional motion capture

A handheld device includes: an input control configured to control and modify a virtual scene including a virtual camera; and a display that shows a representation of the controlled and modified virtual scene generated by the virtual camera. A system includes: a computer system configured to execute program instructions for generating a virtual scene including a virtual camera; and handheld device configured to communicate with the computer system for controlling and modifying the virtual scene, the handheld device comprising: an input control configured to control and modify the virtual scene; and a display that shows a representation of the controlled and modified virtual scene generated by the virtual camera.

Virtual-scene control device

Among other aspects, on computer-implemented method includes: receiving at least one command in a computer system from a handheld device; positioning a virtual camera and controlling a virtual scene according to the command; and in response to the command, generating an output to the handheld device for displaying a view of the virtual scene as controlled on a display of the handheld device, the view captured by the virtual camera as positioned.

Controlling a virtual camera

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for animation. An animation application creates an animation environment. An input device receives input from a user to the animation application. An output device displays output to the user of the animation application. The animation application is configured to have a mode of operation that includes displaying, through the output device, a 3D animation view of the animation environment overlain by a 2D edit view of the animation environment.

Animation environment

A system includes a visual data collector for collecting visual information from an image of one or more features of an object. The system also includes a physical data collector for collecting sensor information provided by at one or more sensors attached to the object. The system also includes a computer system that includes a motion data combiner for combining the visual information the sensor information. The motion data combiner is configured to determine the position of a representation of one or more of the feature in a virtual representation of the object from the combined visual information and sensor information. Various types of virtual representations may be provided from the combined information, for example, one or more poses (e.g., position and orientation) of the object may be represented.

Visual and physical motion sensing for three-dimensional motion capture

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that includes determining a transform of a portion of constituent components of a source shape. The transform includes one or more states for the portion of constituent components of the source shape. The method also includes accessing a mapping function that associates the one or more states with one or more controls for a target shape, where the one or more controls configured for access by a user for manipulating constituent components of the target shape. The method includes outputting a transform for the target shape based on the one or more controls associated with the transformed constituent components of the source shape.

Animation control retargeting

A system includes a computer system capable of representing one or more animated characters. The computer system includes a blendshape manager that combines multiple blendshapes to produce the animated character. The computer system also includes an expression manager to respectively adjust one or more control parameters associated with each of the plurality of blendshapes for adjusting an expression of the animated character. The computer system also includes a corrective element manager that applies one or more corrective elements to the combined blendshapes based upon at least one of the control parameters. The one or more applied corrective elements are adjustable based upon one or more of the control parameters absent the introduction of one or more additional control parameters.

Controlling animated character expression

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Steve Sullivan