Pixar

William F Sheffler

Michael B Comet

Fernando Ferrari De Goes

Robert H Russ

Steven Clay Hunter

Christian D Hoffman

William A Wise

John R Anderson

Kurt Fleischer

Ryan Kautzman

Jiayi Chong

David Harless Mullins, Ii

David H Mullins, Ii

Jonathan Page

Techniques for computer animation are disclosed. These techniques include receiving a plurality of curvenet segments relating to a computer animation model comprising a surface mesh, and generating a cut-mesh that cuts the surface mesh using the curvenet segments. The techniques further include computing a deformation of the plurality of curvenet segments to the surface mesh using the cut-mesh, and displaying the computer animation model in a pose based on the deformation.

Character articulation through profile curves

Surface relaxation techniques are disclosed for smoothing the shapes of three-dimensional (3D) virtual geometry. In one embodiment, a surface relaxation application determines, for each of a number of vertices of a 3D virtual geometry, span-aware weights for each edge incident to the vertex based on the alignment of other edges incident to the vertex with an orthonormal frame of the edge constructed using a decal map. The surface relaxation application uses such span-aware weights to compute weighted averages that provide surface relaxation offsets. Further, the surface relaxation application may restore relaxation offsets from an original to a deformed geometry by determining relaxation offsets for both geometries and transferring the relaxation offsets from the original to the deformed 3D geometry using a blending of the determined relaxation offsets and a rotation. In another embodiment, volume is preserved by computing relaxation offsets in the plane and lifting relaxed vertices back to 3D.

Patch-based surface relaxation

This disclosure relates to computer-generated imagery (CGI) and computer-aided animation. More specifically, this disclosure relates to techniques for skin and volume simulation for use in CGI and computer-aided animation.

Systems and methods for generating skin and volume details for animated characters

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

A graphical user interface for a computer system includes a display portion configured to display a representation of a first three-dimensional object, wherein the first three-dimensional object has an associated first volume, and a control icon associated with the first three-dimensional object, wherein the control icon is configured to allow a user to specify a bend amount to the first three-dimensional object in a first dimension, wherein the display portion is also configured to display a representation of a bent first three-dimensional object, wherein the bent first three-dimensional object comprises the first three-dimensional object that is bent lengthwise in response to the bend amount, and that may have an adjusted thickness in response to the bend amount.

Integrated object bend, squash and stretch method and apparatus

A graphical user interface for a computer system includes a display portion configured to display a representation of a first three-dimensional object and a second three-dimensional object, wherein the first three-dimensional object has an associated first volume, and wherein the second three-dimensional object has an associated second volume, and a control icon associated with the first three-dimensional object, wherein a user can specify a modification to the first three-dimensional object in a first dimension via the control icon, wherein the display portion is also configured to display a representation of a modified first three-dimensional object, wherein the modified first three-dimensional object comprises the first three-dimensional object that is modified in the first dimension in response to the modification and that is modified in a second dimension in response to the modification and to a volume preservation value.

Growing community of inventors

Hercules, CA, United States of America

William F Sheffler