Animation data generation apparatus, animation data generation method, animated video generation apparatus, and animated video generation method

• US 20020149622A1
• Filed: 04/10/2002
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uesaki, Akira, Mochizuki, Yoshiyuki, Asahara, Shigeo, Hijiri, Toshiki
• Granted Patent: US 6,828,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation

Abstract

The present invention relates to an animation data generation apparatus that supplies a state where a character string can be read, in a part of 3D character animation generated on the basis of functions. This animation data generation apparatus includes: an interface unit for setting characters which are used for animation, time allocation between 3D character animations in moving state and in standstill, and the type of the animation in moving state; a number-of-frame calculation unit for calculating the number of frames corresponding to animation on the basis of the time allocation; and an animation data generation unit 105 for generating data of the animation in standstill so that 3D characters corresponding to the set characters can be read, and generating data of the 3D character animation in moving state so as to link to the data of the animation in standstill, using the number of frames calculated by the number-of-frame calculation unit and a function corresponding to the animation type set by the interface unit.

Claims

1. An animation data generation apparatus comprising:

an interface unit for setting of time allocation between 3D character animations in moving state and in standstill, and a type of the animation in moving state;

a number-of-frame calculation unit for calculating the number of frames corresponding to animation, on the basis of the time allocation between animations set by the interface unit; and

an animation data generation unit for generating data of the animation in standstill so that the 3D characters can be read, and generating data of the 3D character animation in moving state so as to link to the animation data in standstill, using the number of frames calculated by the number-of-frame calculation unit and a function corresponding to the type of the animation in moving state set by the interface unit.

2. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the interface unit also sets characters which are used in animation, and

the animation data generation unit generates the animation data using 3D character data corresponding to the set characters.

3. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

a 3D character generation unit for generating 3D character data corresponding to the characters which are set by the interface unit, and

the animation data generation unit generating the animation data using the 3D character data which is generated by the 3D character generation unit.

4. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

a storage unit which has a table including the characters which are set by the interface unit and the 3D character data of the set characters in a correspondence with each other, and

the animation data generation unit generating the animation data using the 3D character data stored in the storage unit.

5. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the interface unit sets the type of animation using templates.

6. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the interface unit also sets arrangement of 3D characters in standstill, and

the animation data generation unit generates the animation data in standstill on the basis of the set arrangement of the 3D characters in standstill.

7. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 6 wherein

the interface unit sets the arrangement of 3D characters in standstill using templates.

8. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the animation data generation unit generates the animation data using a physical function as a function corresponding to the type of animation.

9. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the animation data generation unit generates the animation data using a function corresponding to at least one process among scaling, translating, and rotation.

10. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the animation data generation unit generates the animation data for each character.

11. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the animation data generation unit generates the animation data for each of individual parts of each character or each group of characters.

12. The animation data generation apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the interface unit receives speech input, and sets the type of the animation in moving state on the basis of the speech input.

16. The animated video generation apparatus of claim 15 wherein

the camera control unit calculates the camera position and posture using coordinates and a posture vector of the 3D characters in standstill.

17. The animated video. generation apparatus of claim 15 wherein

the camera control unit calculates a position and a posture of the camera using coordinates and posture vectors of the 3D characters in plural standstill states, for each of the standstill states, and calculates a position and a posture of the camera in moving state using a function for interpolating the camera positions and postures of the plural standstill states.

18. The animated video generation apparatus of claim 15 wherein

the camera control unit calculates a position and a posture of the camera using coordinates and posture vectors of 3D characters in plural standstill states, for each of the standstills, and calculates a position and a posture of the camera in moving state using a function that is optimized using an objective function based on generated animated video.

19. The animated video generation apparatus of claim 15 further including:

a composition unit for composing the 3D character animated video generated by the rendering unit upon a predetermined area of main video.

20. The animated video generation apparatus of claim 19 wherein

the composition unit composes the 3D character animated video upon an area of the main video other than an area which is desirable not to be obstructed by the 3D character animated video.

13. An animation data generation method comprising:

a setting step of setting time allocation between 3D character animations in moving state and in standstill, and a type of the animation in moving state;

a number-of-frame calculating step of calculating the number of frames corresponding to the animation on the basis of the set time allocation between animations; and

an animation data generation step of generating data of the animation in standstill so that 3D characters can be read, and generating data of the 3D character animation in moving state so as to link to the data of the animation in standstill, using the number of frames calculated in the number-of-frame calculation step and a function corresponding to the type of the animation set in the setting step.

14. A computer-readable program storage medium that contains a program for making a computer execute:

a setting step of setting time allocation between 3D character animations in moving state and in standstill, and a type of the animation in moving state;

a number-of-frame calculating step of calculating the number of frames corresponding to the animation on the basis of the set time allocation between animations; and

an animation data generation step of generating data of the animation in standstill so that 3D characters can be read, and generating data of the 3D character animation in moving state so as to link to the data of the animation in standstill, using the number of frames calculated in the number-of-frame calculation step and a function corresponding to the type of the animation set in the setting step.

15. An animated video generation apparatus comprising:

an interface unit for setting time allocation between 3D character animations in moving state and in standstill, and a type of the animation in moving state;

a number-of-frame calculation unit for calculating the number of frames corresponding to the animation on the basis of the time allocation between the animations set by the interface unit;

an animation data generation unit for generating data of the animation in standstill so that 3D characters can be read, and generating data of the 3D character animation in moving state so as to link to the data of the animation data in standstill, using the number of frames calculated by the number-of-frame calculation unit and a function corresponding to the type of the animation in moving state set by the interface unit;

a characteristic amount calculation unit for calculating a characteristic amount as an amount which is characteristic of the 3D character animation;

a camera control unit for calculating a position and a posture of a camera with respect to the animation data, on the basis of the characteristic amount, so that the 3D character animation in standstill can be read; and

a rendering unit for generating animated video of 3D characters using the camera position and posture calculated by the camera control unit and the animation data.

21. An animated video generation method comprising:

a setting step of setting time allocation between 3D character animations in moving state and in standstill, and a type of the animation in moving state;

a number-of-frame calculation step of calculating the number of frames corresponding to the animation on the basis of the time allocation between animations set in the setting step;

an animation data generation step of generating data of the animation in standstill so that 3D characters can be read, and generating data of the 3D character animation in moving state so as to link to the animation data in standstill, using the number of frames calculated in the number-of-frame calculation step and a function corresponding to the type of the animation set in the setting step;

a characteristic amount calculation step of calculating a characteristic amount as an amount which is characteristic of the 3D character animation;

a camera control step of calculating a position and a posture of a camera with respect to the animation data, on the basis of the characteristic amount, so that the 3D character of the animation in standstill can be read; and

a rendering step of generating 3D character animated video using the camera position and posture calculated in the camera control step and the animation data.

22. A computer-readable program storage medium that contains a program for making a computer execute:

a setting step of setting time allocation between 3D character animations in moving state and in standstill, and a type of the animation in moving state;

a number-of-frame calculation step of calculating the number of frames corresponding to the animation on the basis of the time allocation between animations set in the setting step;

an animation data generation step of generating data of the animation in standstill so that 3D characters can be read, and generating data of the 3D character animation in moving state so as to link to the animation data in standstill, using the number of frames calculated in the number-of-frame calculation step and a function corresponding to the type of the animation set in the setting step;

a characteristic amount calculation step of calculating a characteristic amount as an amount which is characteristic of the 3D character animation;

a camera control step of calculating a position and a posture of a camera with respect to the animation data, on the basis of the characteristic amount, so that the 3D character of the animation in standstill can be read; and

a rendering step of generating 3D character animated video using the camera position and posture calculated in the camera control step and the animation data.