REORIENTING PROPERTIES IN HAIR DYNAMICS

• US 20110216074A1
• Filed: 03/04/2010
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pixar (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Pixar (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Witkin, Andrew P., Anderson, John, Petrovic, Lena
• Granted Patent: US 8,698,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for orienting (or reorienting) properties of computer-generated models, such as those associated with dynamic models or simulation models. Properties (e.g., material or physical properties) that influence the behavior of a dynamic or simulation model (e.g., a complex curve model representing a curly hair) may be oriented or re-oriented as desired using readily available reference frames. These references frame may be obtained using a proxy model that corresponds to the dynamic or simulation model in a less computationally expensive manner in some embodiments than some techniques for determining reference frames directly using the dynamic or simulation model. In some embodiments, the proxy model may include a smoothed version of the dynamic or simulation model. In other embodiments, the proxy model may include a filtered or simplified version of the dynamic or simulation model.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for orienting properties of computer-generated dynamic or simulation models, the method comprising:

receiving, at least one computer system in a set of one or more computer systems, information specifying a first pose associated with a curve model;

receiving, at least one computer system in the set of one or more computer systems, information specifying a second pose associated with the curve model;

receiving, at least one computer system in the set of one or more computer systems, information specifying a first pose associated with a proxy model;

receiving, at least one computer system in the set of one or more computer systems, information specifying a second pose associated with the proxy model;

determining, with one or more processors associated with one or more computer systems in the set of one or more computer systems, orientation of a property associated with the second pose of the curve model based on orientation of the property with the first pose of the curve model and a difference between orientation of the property with the first pose of the proxy model and orientation of the property with the second pose of the proxy model; and

storing information representing the determined orientation of the property associated with the second pose of the curve model in a storage device associated with the set of one or more computer systems.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems in the set of one or more computer systems, the orientation of the property associated with the second pose of the curve model comprises determining orientation of an offset vector, rotation angle, or curvature.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the property associated with the second pose of the curve model represents the intrinsic bend of the curve model.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems in the set of one or more computer systems, the orientation of the property associated with the second pose of the curve model comprises determining the orientation of the property associated with the second pose of the proxy model in response to a simulation.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising transferring, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems in the set of one or more computer systems, the property from the first pose of the curve model to the second pose of the curve model, the transferred property having the determined orientation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the proxy model represents a spatial low-pass filtered version of the curve model.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the proxy model represents a smoothed version of the curve model.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the curve model comprises a 1-D model of a string object, a hair object, a tail object, or a vine object.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the curve model comprises a dynamic or simulation curve model.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing code configured to direct one or more processors associated with one or more computer systems for orienting properties of computer-generated dynamic or simulation models, the computer-readable storage medium comprising:

code for receiving information specifying a first pose associated with a curve model;

code for receiving information specifying a second pose associated with the curve model;

code for receiving information specifying a first pose associated with a proxy model;

code for receiving information specifying a second pose associated with the proxy model;

code for determining orientation of a property associated with the second pose of the curve model based on orientation of the property with the first pose of the curve model and a difference between orientation of the property with the first pose of the proxy model and orientation of the property with the second pose of the proxy model; and

code for storing information representing the determined orientation of the property associated with the second pose of the curve model.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the code for determining the orientation of the property associated with the second pose of the curve model comprises determining orientation of an offset vector, rotation angle, or curvature.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the property associated with the second pose of the curve model represents the intrinsic bend of the curve model.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the code for determining the orientation of the property associated with the second pose of the curve model comprises code for determining the orientation of the property associated with the second pose of the proxy model in response to a simulation.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising code for transferring the property from the first pose of the curve model to the second pose of the curve model, the transferred property having the determined orientation.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the proxy model represents a spatial low-pass filtered version of the curve model.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the proxy model represents a smoothed version of the curve model.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the curve model comprises a 1-D model of a string object, a hair object, a tail object, or a vine object.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the curve model comprises a dynamic or simulation curve model.

19. A system for orienting properties of computer-generated dynamic or simulation models, the system comprising:

at least one storage device configured to store information specifying a first pose associated with a curve model, information specifying a second pose associated with the curve model, information specifying a first pose associated with a proxy model, and information specifying a second pose associated with the proxy model; and

one or more computer systems communicatively coupled to the at least one storage device and configured to determine orientation of a property associated with the second pose of the curve model based on orientation of the property with the first pose of the curve model and a difference between orientation of the property with the first pose of the proxy model corresponding to the curve model and orientation of the property with the second pose of the proxy model.