Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Animation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-06
2003-08-19
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Animation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06608624
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for 3D animation production, and more particularly to a method for accelerating 3D animation production executing by computer programs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For the conventional 2D animation, a lot of sequential pictures are drawn by hand, and played continuously by high speed, e.g. above 24 pictures per second, then resulting in the residue image effect due to the persistence of vision, which is the basic principal of the animation.
The method for producing the conventional animation seen in the television or other mediums is that after a script is finished, the director and drawer draw out all of views. In the case of the animation of “the Egypt Prince”, it takes ten months to draw thousands of pictures for all of views. After the views of animation are completed, the animators produce a sequence of animations according to the views. In general, the animators are divided into two groups, one is a group for key drawings, and the other is a group for in between drawings when executing draft drawings for each sequence of animation. The group for key drawings generates action drawings of key drawings, while the group for in between drawings generates sequential action drawings for in between drawings. For example, the animator plans to draw an action for sitting on a chair, firstly, the group for key drawings draws decomposed actions for sitting on a chair for a character, such as walk, stop, bow and sit down etc. Those actions are called key frames. Thereafter, the group for in between drawings executes interpolating for in between actions. Those in between drawings are called interpolations.
The principal for generating the current 3D animation is similar with that of the conventional 2D animation, especially with regarding to the aspect of motion adjustment. The motions of a character are adjusted manually in each sequence of animation, or obtained through an expensive motion capture system. Those motion data could not be repeat-used whether adjusted manually or obtained through the motion capture system. Hence, the production cost is increased. It is subsequent to adjustment of motion to perform coloring through a computer. For an animation played for one second, it takes 450 minutes for coloring under single computer computation, then resulting in time consumption and highly cost.
In case of the sentence “Wang-fang picks up a cup”, if the animation for “Wang-fang picks up a cup” is produced by the method for the conventional 3D animation production, the animator should adjust motion of Wang-fang in key frames. It is assumed that Wang-fang sit down at that time, Wang-fang needs to stand up, and walk to nearby the cup, then pick up the cup with hand. However, if there is the same action order in next scene, while Wang-fang lays down in a bed in the next scene, the motions in the last scene could not be repeat-used in the next scene. It is required to re-adjust the motion of Wang-fang in the next scene.
All images of the contemporary 3D animation are obtained through computation of computer, and automatically linked together, which does not like the working flow of the conventional 2D animation. It is more economical in time and labor work for the current computer-generated animation than the conventional 2D animation production.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, there is an intention to provide a method for accelerating 3D animation production, utilizing convenience of the contemporary computer-generated animation, to overcome the above drawbacks of the conventional animation production.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a method for accelerating 3D animation production, in which utilizing a sentence as an input command, then analyzing grammar of the sentence through a main program. Thereafter, a subprogram finds out default parameters related to the result of the grammar analysis, and accordingly controls a 3D animation character executing appropriate actions or behaviors in response to the sentence.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for accelerating 3D animation production, in which sequential actions of a 3D animation character can be adjusted step by step, and the respective action for each step can be freely re-combined, to flexibly make various sequential actions for a 3D animation character. Then the time and cost for animation production are saved.
It is a further object to provide a method for accelerating 3D animation production, in which a user inputs all related data into computer in accordance with a script, then the computer programs can directly control 3D animation characters executing appropriate actions and behaviors to play the script.
According to the above objects, the present invention provides a method for accelerating 3D animation production, the method comprising: inputting a text string command; analyzing grammar of the text string command to find out the subject, the verb and the object or the quantity and object, through a main, program. Then, the main program deliveries order to a subprogram which controlling the subject to execute judgment and treatment of the action and behavior of the subject. After that, the subprogram finds out the default parameters relating to the relative coordinate and relationship between the subject and object, the current state of the subject, the actions and behaviors to be executed by the subject as well as environmental factors and personality of the subject. Finally, the subprogram judges and integrates those default parameters to control the subject executing appropriate actions or behaviors in response to the text string command.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5745738 (1998-04-01), Ricard
patent: 6369821 (2002-04-01), Merrill et al.
patent: 6421058 (2002-07-01), Parikh et al.
Cao Huedung X.
Image Tech Incorporation
Zimmerman Mark
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