Generating custom recordings of skeletal animations

• US 10,245,505 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Beran, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Larsen, Carl V
• Application Number:
  US14/209,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,846 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

User-generated recordings of skeletal animations are provided. Information is stored in a memory regarding a plurality of animated movements in memory. Each animated movement may be mapped to one or more skeletal-based body parts of a game character. A recording of a plurality of user movements may be captured over a period of time. One or more body parts of the user may be identified for each captured user movement. It may then be determined which skeletal-based body parts correspond to the identified body parts of the user. A custom animation may be generated that comprises a plurality of animated movements in which the determined skeletal-based body parts are mapped to the associated animated movement. The custom animation may be stored in memory and played during play of a game as designated by the user.

Claims

1. A method for generating custom recordings of skeletal animations, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of different animated movements for an animated game character in memory, wherein the plurality of different animated movements for the animated game character is mapped to at least a portion of a motion-captured plurality of user movements, each motion-captured plurality of user movements captured live by at least one sensor, and each stored animated movement being mapped to one or more skeletal-based game character body parts that are involved in the animated movement; and

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor enables custom animation of the animated game character based on the motion-captured plurality of user movements by;

matching each of the game character body parts that is moved for each movement portion of the custom animation with a corresponding skeletal-based game character body part,

identifying that the corresponding skeletal-based game character body part matches the first set of the mapped motion-captured plurality of user movements,

determining that at least a portion of the game character body parts that are moved for the custom animation is associated with a movement of another body part of the user, wherein the other body part of the user is part of a second set of the motion-captured plurality of user movements, and

generates a custom animation based on one or more stored animated movements involving the matching skeletal-based game character body parts, wherein the generated custom animation corresponds with the first set and the second set of motion-captured plurality of user movements, the custom animation further incorporating one or more animated movements mapped to the another body part of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least part of the motion-captured plurality of user movements is captured by at least one of a camera and a controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the game character body parts of the user include at least one of a head of the user and a torso of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a user designation includes designating a type of in-game event as a trigger for automatic play of the custom animation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one other custom animation and combining the custom animation with the other custom animation into a new composite animation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a plurality of templates for custom animations and generating a custom animation file in accordance with one of the templates as designated by the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a plurality of other custom animation files in memory, wherein each other custom animation file is triggered for play by a different in-game event.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of animated movements for the game character is part of a movement library associated with the game character, and further comprising downloading the movement library over a communication network.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a plurality of movement libraries in memory, wherein each movement library is associated with a different game character and comprises a plurality of animated movements each mapped to one or more skeletal-based game character body parts that are involved in the respective animated movement of the respective different game character.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different stored animated movements is identified for inclusion in a custom animation file on a geometry of recorded user movements.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein movement of the game character body parts during play of the game is controlled by the user in real-time until play of the custom animation is triggered by a designated in-game event, and wherein the user is not required to trigger the custom animation in real-time.

7. A system for generating custom recordings of skeletal animations, the system comprising:

memory for storing a plurality of different animated movements for an animated game character in memory, wherein the plurality of different animated movements for the animated game character is mapped to at least a portion of a motion-captured plurality of user movements, each motion-captured plurality of user movements captured live by at least one sensor, and each stored animated movement being mapped to one or more skeletal-based game character body parts that are involved in the animated movement; and

a processor for executing instruction stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions enables custom animation of the animated game character based on the motion-captured plurality of user movements by;

matching each of the game character body parts that is moved for each movement portion of the custom animation with a corresponding skeletal-based game character body part,

identifying that the corresponding skeletal-based game character body part matches the first set of the mapped motion-captured plurality of user movements,

determining that at least a portion of the game character body parts that are moved for the custom animation is associated with a movement of another body part of the user, wherein the other body part of the user is part of a second set of the motion-captured plurality of user movements, and

generates a custom animation based on one or more stored animated movements involving the matching skeletal-based game character body parts, wherein the generated custom animation corresponds with the first set and the second set of motion-captured plurality of user movements, the custom animation further incorporating one or more animated movements mapped to the another body part of the user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein a motion capture device that records a user performing the plurality of user movements includes at least one of a camera and a controller that detects motion.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the game character body parts of the user include at least one of a head of the user and a torso of the user.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the memory further stores a user designation and wherein the user designation includes designating a type of in-game event as a trigger for automatic play of the custom animation.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein another custom animation is generated and wherein further execution of instructions by the processor combines the custom animation with the other custom animation into a new composite animation.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the memory further stores a plurality of templates for custom animations and wherein a custom animation file is generated in accordance with one of the templates as designated by the user.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for generating custom recordings of skeletal animations, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of different animated movements for an animated game character in memory, wherein the plurality of different animated movements for the animated game character is mapped to at least a portion of a motion-captured plurality of user movements, each motion-captured plurality of user movements captured live by at least one sensor, and each stored animated movement is mapped to one or more skeletal-based game character body parts that are involved in the animated movement; and

enabling custom animation of the animated game character based on the motion-captured plurality of user movements by;

matching each of the game character body parts that are moved for each movement portion of the custom animation with a corresponding skeletal-based game character body part,

identifying that the corresponding skeletal-based game character body part matches the first set of the mapped motion-captured plurality of user movements;

determining that at least a portion of the game character body parts that are moved for the custom animation is associated with a movement of another body part of the user, wherein the other body part of the user is part of a second set of the motion-captured plurality of user movements, and

generating a custom animation based on one or more stored animated movements involving the matching skeletal-based game character body parts, wherein the generated custom animation corresponds with the first set and the second set of motion-captured plurality of user movements, the custom animation further incorporating one or more animated movements mapped to the another body part of the user.