Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Animation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-29
2001-10-23
Saras, Steven (Department: 2625)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Animation
C345S157000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307563
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a graphic control system for controlling motion of a computer graphics (CG) model that has a skeleton structure generated by computer graphics and that is adapted to be operated for presenting various postures of the model.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to impart a sequence of motions to a CG model or an object having a skeleton structure of a human body or an animal body for example, it is required to specify a change in an articular angle and a positional shift of joints or articular segments of the skeleton structure. Conventionally, this specification has been performed by use of a motion capture device. This device controls a CG model based on data obtained from sensors attached to a source moving body to capture motions thereof. The method used by this device is advantageous in that a multiple of control points or joints can be handled by use of a multiple of sensors. In addition, if sensors can be arranged in configuration generally simulating an object to be displayed, appreciably realistic motions can be imparted to the object of a human body for example. However, this motion capture device has drawbacks in that the device itself is very large in scale and lots of operations are required for controlling a CG model.
In consideration of the above-mentioned drawbacks, a system has been developed in which an input glove is used for a simplified input device to edit an animation in real-time by three-dimensional CG (hereafter referred to as 3D CG). The input glove is worn by a hand of the operator to detect movements of fingers, by which a computer is controlled. For example, such a system is disclosed in “Development and Operation of a Real-time Character Animation System,” Ogura, NICOGRAPH Collected Papers, 1993, pp. 131-139. In the disclosed system, control units arranged on joints of each finger of the input glove are assigned to joints or articular elements of a 3D CG object so that the motion thereof is controlled as if manipulating a puppet.
However, the above-mentioned real-time character animation system is intended to move a CG model in real-time while superimposing the same on a video taken from life. In this system, only simple operation is conducted by the input glove. The conventional input glove is not designed to handle complicated motions of CG model as with motion capture device. Therefore, CG model motions are confined to simple ones, thereby narrowing an application field. Another problem is that no consideration is taken into editing of recorded motions of CG model.
As described before, in order to impart a sequence of motions to a CG model having a skeleton structure of a human body or an animal for example, it is required to specify a change in the angle and position of joints contained in the skeleton structure. The location of the CG model is determined by three-dimensional coordinates of a parent or basic joint. Normally, the parent joint is often set to the waist or the pelvis of the CG model. Therefore, if both knees of the CG model are bent with no preparatory process performed, the CG mode floats in the air, which is an unnatural state or posture. To prevent this problem from occurring, the foot position of the CG model is specified beforehand on the reference plane (namely, the floor) of a virtual space, and motions of the feet are determined by functional approximation or the like, based on which the position of the CG model is determined by use of a method such as inverse cinema. However, because the above-mentioned method requires a high computational complexity, it is difficult to control a CG model real-time. The above-mentioned method also needs to determine the foot position beforehand, thereby making it difficult to freely move a CG model real-time by use of an external controller for example.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a CG (Computer Graphics) model motion control system capable of imparting complex motions to a CG model by use of an input device of simplified constitution having a plurality of control units.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a CG model motion recording system capable of imparting complex motions to a CG model by use of an input device having simplified constitution and facilitating edit operations.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a CG model position adjusting method capable of freely moving a CG model by use of an external controller for example while preventing CG model positions from becoming unnatural.
In a first aspect, the inventive apparatus is constructed for controlling a motion of a computer graphics model having a skeleton structure constituted by a plurality of articular elements manipulatable according to state values thereof. In the apparatus, input means has a plurality of control units, each of which is operable for time-sequentially inputting a control amount. Assignment means provides assignment information which determines correspondence between the control units of the input means and the articular elements of the computer graphics model. Parameter means provides a functional parameter which determines a relation between the control amount of each control unit and the state value of each articular element when the correspondence is determined between each control unit and each articular element according to the assignment information. Converter means operates based on the functional parameter for converting the control amount time-sequentially inputted by each control unit into a time-series of the state value of each articular element so that each articular element can be manipulated according to the time-series of the state value to effectuate the motion of the computer graphics model.
Preferably, the assignment means includes means for providing assignment information which determines correspondence between a single of the control units and a multiple of the articular elements so that the single of the control units can concurrently manipulate the multiple of the articular elements. Otherwise, the assignment means includes means for providing assignment information which determines correspondence between a multiple of the control units and a single of the articular elements so that the multiple of the control units can cooperate with one another to manipulate the single of the articular elements.
Specifically, the input means comprises a glove worn by a hand of an operator and having a plurality of control units disposed in contact with joints of fingers of the hand of the operator so that each control unit can detect an angular movement of each joint for inputting the control amount in terms of the detected angular movement.
Preferably, the parameter means comprises means for providing a functional parameter which determines a magnification rate of the control amount to compute the state value. Further, the parameter means comprises means for providing a functional parameter which determines an offset of the state value relative to the control amount. Moreover, the parameter means comprises means for providing a functional parameter which determines a polarity of the state value relative to the control amount. Additionally, the parameter means comprises means for providing a time-series of the functional parameter in parallel to the time-series of the state value.
In a second aspect, the inventive apparatus is constructed for recording a motion of a computer graphics model having a skeleton structure constituted by a plurality of articular elements manipulatable according to time-series data. In the apparatus, memory means has a plurality of record tracks corresponding to the plurality of the articular elements, each record track being separate from other record track and being writeable with the time-series data of the corresponding articular element. Select means is provided for selecting at least one record track to allow writing of the time-series data into the selected re
Alphonse Fritz
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Saras Steven
Yamaha Corporation
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