Animation system and method for defining and using rule-based groups of objects

• US 6,353,437 B1
• Filed: 05/29/1998
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Avid Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Gagné, Réjean
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Cliff N.
• Application Number:
  US09/086,467
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 345/422, 345/473, 345/474, 345/420, 345/421
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/12 Rule based animation

Abstract

An animation system and method for defining and using one or more groups of objects in an animation allows an animator to define at least one membership rule that determines membership of an object in a group. Parameters such as properties, operators, effects, constraints, expressions and the like can be defined for the groups and can be inherited by each member of the group. A membership rule is evaluated at defined intervals to determine which objects in a scene satisfy the rule. The objects that satisfy the rule are included in the group defined by the membership rule. At least one parameter, selected by the animator for application to the group, is then inherited by each member of the group.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of defining and using a group of animation objects for in an animation including at least one object, comprising the steps of:

(i) defining at least one membership rule for a group of animation objects, the at least one membership rule having a preselected user-defined evaluation time associated therewith and being characterized so as to dynamically determine, during the associated preselected time, animation object membership for the group;

(ii) defining at least one parameter for the group;

(iii) evaluating, at a preselected interval, the at least one membership rule for each object in the animation and placing each object which meets the at least one membership rule into the group and applying the at least one parameter to each object within the group dynamically determining the animation object membership by evaluating, at the preselected time, the at least one membership rule for each animation object for compliance with the rule, and dynamically associating complying ones of the animation objects with the group during the preselected time; and

(iv) applying the at least one parameter to each said object associated with the group during the preselected time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said preselected time occurs after each user-modification of said animation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said preselected time corresponds to a frame in said animation.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of assigning an identifier to said membership rule.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said identifier is a name.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one parameter comprises at least one of a property, operator, effect, constraint and script.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein mid membership rule is a function.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said membership rule returns a Boolean value.

9. An animation system to define and use rules-based groups of animation objects in an animation produced therewith, the system comprising:

a storage device to score information defining animation objects and animation information relating thereto;

at least one output device display a graphical user interface to a user;

at least one user input device to receive input from a user, said input;

(a) defining at least one membership rule for a group of animation objects, the at least one membership rule having a preselected user-defined evaluation time associated therewith and being characterized so as to dynamically determine, during the associated preselected time, animation object membership for the group; and

(b) defining at least one parameter for the group; and

a computer operatively connected to said storage device, said output device and said user input device, said computer;

(i) determining when a preselected time has occurred for each said at least one membership rule for each group;

(ii) for each group, dynamically determining the animation object membership by evaluating, at the preselected time, the at least one membership rule for each animation object for compliance with the rule, and dynamically associating complying ones of the animation objects with the group during the preselected time;

(iii) applying the at least one parameter to each object associated with the group during the preselected time; and

(iv) repeating steps (i) to (iii) for each said preselected time.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said at least one user input device further receives from a group to define said preselected time.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said at least one user input device further receives input from a user comprising an identifier to be associated with said at least one membership rule.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said output device also displays to said user a list of said parameters available to be applied to each said group.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said at least one user input device further receives input from a user to define said at least one parameter to be applied to each said animation object in a group.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein said preselected time occurs after each modification of said animation by a user.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein said membership rule is a function.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein said membership rule returns a Boolean value.