Creating Animations

• US 20110007078A1
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cao, Xiang, Helmes, John, Lindley, Sian Elizabeth, Sellen, Abigail
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation

Abstract

Animation creation is described, for example, to enable children to create, record and play back stories. In an embodiment, one or more children are able to create animation components such as characters and backgrounds using a multi-touch panel display together with an image capture device. For example, a graphical user interface is provided at the multi-touch panel display to enable the animation components to be edited. In an example, children narrate a story whilst manipulating animation components using the multi-touch display panel and the sound and visual display is recorded. In embodiments image analysis is carried out automatically and used to autonomously modify story components during a narration. In examples, various types of handheld view-finding frames are provided for use with the image capture device. In embodiments saved stories can be restored from memory and retold from any point with different manipulations and narration.

Claims

1. An animation creation apparatus comprising:

a multi-touch panel display;

a processor arranged to control the multi-touch panel display;

an image capture device in communication with the processor and arranged to capture images of animation components;

a memory arranged to store animation components;

a microphone in communication with the processor and arranged to capture sound during an animation narration;

a user interface engine arranged to control the multi-touch panel display such that, during the animation narration, user input received from a plurality of users via the multi-touch panel display is used to manipulate presentation of at least one of the animation components at the multi-touch panel display;

the processor being arranged to store in the memory an animation comprising the sound captured during an animation narration and the display of animation components at the multi-touch panel display during that animation narration.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the memory is arranged to store animation components selected from any of:

images of objects;

images of environments, sequences of images of objects, sequences of images of environments.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the user interface engine is arranged to provide simultaneous independent control of a plurality of animation components.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the processor is arranged to autonomously manipulate at least one of the animation components during an animation narration.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the processor comprises an image analysis component arranged to analyse the animation components and wherein the processor is arranged to carry out the autonomous manipulation on the basis of that image analysis.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the image analysis component is selected from any of:

face detector;

object recognition engine.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a hand-held view-finding frame arranged to support the image capture device using a fixing arranged to detachably fix the image capture device to the frame and comprising a view-finding aperture.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the fixing is positioned on the frame with respect to the view-finding aperture such that in use, when the image capture device is fixed to the fixing, the image capture device captures images of a scene depicted from a view point substantially in registration with the aperture.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the frame comprises at least one button arranged to actuate the image capture device and at least one handle for holding the frame.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein the at least one button is positioned in relation to the handle such that, in use, the at least one frame may be held and the image capture device actuated, with one hand.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the frame comprises an identifier and wherein the image capture device is arranged to associate the identifier with the images of animation components.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the processor is arranged to modify images of animation components on the basis of the associated identifier.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the view-finding aperture is rectangular and the frame comprises two handles substantially parallel to one another and positioned on opposite sides of the aperture and wherein the frame and aperture are sized and shaped to enable a plurality of users to operate it together.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the frame is substantially in the shape of a magnifying glass and wherein the processor is arranged to magnify at least parts of the images captured by the image capture device in a manner indicative of a magnifying glass.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the frame is substantially in the shape of a cone and wherein the processor is arranged to zoom at least parts of the images captured by the image capture device in a manner indicative of a telescope.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the frame comprises a housing holding the microphone and a support for mounting the frame on a surface.

17. An animation creation apparatus comprising:

a multi-touch panel display;

a processor arranged to control the multi-touch panel display;

an image capture device in communication with the multi-touch panel display and arranged to capture images of animation components;

a memory arranged to store animation components;

a microphone in communication with the multi-touch panel display and arranged to capture sound during an animation narration;

a user interface engine arranged to control the multi-touch panel display such that, during the animation narration, user input received from a plurality of users via the multi-touch panel display is used to manipulate at least one of the animation components;

the processor being arranged to store at the memory an animation comprising the sound captured during an animation narration and the display of animation components at the multi-touch panel display during that animation narration;

a hand-held view-finding frame arranged to support the image capture device using a fixing arranged to detachably fix the image capture device to the frame and comprising a view-finding aperture.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the frame comprises an identifier and wherein the image capture device is arranged to associate the identifier with the images of animation components.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18 wherein the processor is arranged to modify the images of animation components on the basis of the associated identifier.

20. A method of creating an animation comprising the steps of:

using an image capture device to capture images of animation components;

storing the animation components at a memory;

using a microphone in communication with a processor to capture sound during an animation narration;

using a user interface engine to control a multi-touch panel display such that, during the animation narration, user input received from a plurality of users via the multi-touch panel display is used to independently manipulate presentation of a plurality of the animation components at the multi-touch panel display;

using the processor to store at the memory an animation comprising the sound captured during an animation narration and the display of animation components at the multi-touch panel display during that animation narration.