Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Animation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-30
2002-10-08
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Animation
C345S474000, C345S475000, C345S951000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06462741
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for creating an animation having a presenting time specific to each frame by a computer and computer-readable recording media in which an animation creating program is recorded. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for creating an animation and a computer-readable recording medium in which an animation creating program, capable of readily determining the above mentioned presenting time.
2. Description of the Background Art
Moving image data such as those forming an animation consists of an extremely large number of images called frames. Some methods have been proposed and come in practice as methods of creating an animation having a motion whose timing is arbitrarily adjusted.
As a first example, a method of creating an animation in synchronization with a sound using a Director (product name), which is an authoring software produced by Macromedia Corporation, will be described.
FIGS. 17
,
18
A and
18
B respectively show a table called a score and casts for controlling an animation used in the Director. Columns of the score shown in
FIG. 17
include channels such as a sound channel
1001
, animation channel
1002
, and tempo channel
1009
, whereas rows include a plurality of frames
1003
of an animation changing with passage of time. Thus, a single row is regarded as a single frame
1003
. In the Director, a cell
1004
is positioned at the intersection of each channel (each column) and each frame
1003
(each row) in the score. The animation is created by making sound data
1001
, image data
1102
or the like in
FIGS. 18A and 18B
, which is called as a cast, correspond to cell
1004
.
Referring to
FIGS. 18A and 18B
, each cast is denoted by a cast number
1103
. As shown in
FIG. 17
, cell
1004
in the score which corresponds to each cast is generally denoted by a cast number
1005
. Although cast number
1005
is exemplified as {circle around (
11
)} here, actually, the number is not denoted with a circle. The casts in
FIGS. 18A and 18B
which are related to the score in
FIG. 17
are referred to as sprites.
As a plurality of sprites corresponding to the same cast number
1005
are arranged in a column in sound channel
1001
of the Director, the plurality of sprites are processed as single sound data. For example, for the sprites of cast number
1005
(cast number {circle around (
11
)}) corresponding to each sound channel
1001
of four frames
1003
as shown in
FIG. 17
, regeneration of the sound data is started at a time corresponding to the first frame
1003
at the left end in the score, and finished at a time corresponding to the last frame
1003
at the right end in the score.
In the score, the sprites corresponding to the same frame
1003
are regenerated at the same time. In the score shown in
FIG. 17
, for example, all the sprites corresponding to the same frame
1003
, that is, the sprite corresponding to cast number {circle around (
11
)} (sound data
1101
) and that corresponding to cast number {circle around (
21
)} (image data
1102
), are regenerated at the same time.
FIG. 19
shows an exemplary layout of a tempo setting screen used in the Director. On the tempo setting screen, generally, the number of frames
1003
corresponding to one second is determined by operating a slider
1303
. When a selection button
1304
(
1305
) is selected, the operation of slider
1303
is neglected. When regeneration of sound data
1101
corresponding to any of at least one sound channel
1001
is finished, a displaying process for next frame
1003
is started.
The time during which each frame
1003
in the score is presented to the animation is controlled by a tempo channel
1009
. The tempo setting screen layout shown in
FIG. 19
corresponds to cell
1004
for tempo channel
1009
. Numbers
1031
to
1034
of the corresponding tempo setting screen layouts are displayed on the cells. p Next, a second example will be described. Among a variety of video editing methods using a computer, there is a method of editing a video after sounds are visually edited as a waveform to facilitate an operation of synchronization adjustment. An exemplary user interface for such editing method is shown in FIG.
20
. In the editing method, an image track
1402
for the video is brought into synchronization with a sound track
1401
in which the sound is displayed as the waveform. More specifically, at image track
1402
, each image is moved to a position corresponding to that portion of the waveform in sound track
1401
which indicates the corresponding sound by an inputting device such as a mouse.
A third example will be described as the art disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 4-324777. In the aforementioned laid-open application, a difference between regeneration times for video and sound data is detected. Based on the detected difference, a reading time interval for regenerating one data is adjusted to that for the other data, so that video and sound data are regenerated in synchronization to each other.
Referring to
FIG. 21
, a procedure for bringing the animation created by image data
1102
into synchronization with sound data
1101
using the Director in the above described first example will be described. It is noted that sound data
1101
consists of sounds “ichi, ni, san, shi.”
First, an initial value “2” is set for a variable i indicating an order of frames (S
1201
). Then, sound and image data
1101
and
1102
are regenerated (screen display and sound output) (S
1202
), a determination is made as to whether image data
1102
(cast number {circle around (
22
)}) of the second (i=2) frame is in synchronization with sound data
1101
corresponding to the sound “ni” (S
1203
). If a timing for regenerating image data
1102
is faster, the tempo setting screen layout shown in
FIG. 19
corresponding to tempo channel
1009
of the first (i=1) frame is displayed, and slider
1303
is operated, such that the timing for regenerating image data
1102
is set slightly later (S
1205
). Next, sound and image data
1101
and
1102
are again regenerated (S
1202
). If the timing for regenerating sound data
1101
is faster, the tempo setting screen layout shown in
FIG. 19
corresponding to tempo channel
1009
of the first (i=1) frame is displayed, and slider
1303
is operated such that the timing for regenerating image data
1102
is set slightly faster (S
1204
).
When synchronization of image data
1102
and sound data
1101
for the second (i=2) frame is achieved by such repetition of adjusting processes (S
1202
to
1205
), the process proceeds to the adjustment for the next (i=3) frame (S
1207
).
The above described adjusting processes are similarly repeated for image data
1102
corresponding to each of sound data
1101
(i=3) corresponding to “san” and sound data
1101
(i=4) corresponding to “shi.”
When an animation including only image is to be created without any sound, in order to achieve a precise animation having a motion changing with passage of time as desired by the producer, a procedure similar to that according to the flow chart shown in
FIG. 21
is required. Thus, a laborious and complicated operation is required for creating the animation. Naturally, when an animation consists of a large number of frames is to be created, the level of such laborious operation further increases.
When synchronization of an animation of image data and sound data is to be achieved in the video editing system utilizing a waveform of the sound data which has been described as the second example, it is not easy to determine to which portion of the sound data the image data for each frame correspond while referring to the waveform of sound data over a long period of time. Therefore, a process shown in
FIG. 21
is required for regenerating the sound data and image data of the animation to detect portions which are not in synchronization with each other and, based on the detection
Conlin David G.
Dike Bronstein Roberts & Cushman
Nguyen Kimbinh T.
Pledger Timothy Carter
Zimmerman Mark
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