Animation creating apparatus and method as well as medium having animation creating program recorded thereon

• US 6,466,215 B1
• Filed: 07/01/1999
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yuji, Iwata, Satoshi, Matsuda, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevenson, Philip H.
• Application Number:
  US09/345,504
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/474, 345/475
• US Class Current: 345/475
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

A storage unit includes a part table which stores animation parts indicative of actions and expressions of a person divided into a plurality of frames and which further stores attribute values of the animation parts. An entry unit is used to enter the attribute values of the animation parts in accordance with the proceeding steps of a story. An arithmetic unit selects animation parts from the storage unit using the attribute values entered through the entry unit and creates an animation in conformity with the story.

Claims

1. An animation creating apparatus comprising:

a storage unit storing animation parts indicative of a series of actions and expressions of a person divided into a plurality of frames and storing attribute values of said animation parts;

an entry unit entering said animation part attribute values in accordance with proceeding of a story; and

an arithmetic unit selecting animation parts from said storage unit using said animation part attribute values entered through said entry unit, said arithmetic unit linking thus selected said animation parts together to create an animation in conformity with said story,

wherein said storage unit stores attribute values of the foremost frame and the endmost frame, of said plurality of frames providing said animated parts, and

wherein upon the selection of animation parts from said storage unit, said arithmetic unit judges whether connectivity of animation parts is good or poor on the basis of attribute values in the current step and in the preceding step, said arithmetic unit, when poor connectively is judged, changing the attribute value to reselect another animation part for better connectivity.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said storage unit stores, as said animation part attribute values, attribute values comprising at least one of a character ID, an expression of a face, a state of a mouth, a state of eyes and a direction of the face.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said storage unit stores attribute values distinguishing repetitive animation parts which appear repetitively by the designated number of times, from non-repetitive animation parts which appear only once.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said entry unit enters all attribute values consisting of a plurality of items in each proceeding step of said story.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said entry unit enters only attribute values which have changed from the preceding step in each proceeding step of said story.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

upon the selection of animation parts from said storage unit, said arithmetic unit compares an attribute value at the foremost frame in the current step with an attribute value at the endmost frame in the preceding step, said arithmetic unit, when non-coincidence is detected, judging the connectivity of animation parts to be defective and changing the attribute value at the endmost frame in the preceding step into the attribute value at the foremost frame in the current step to thereby reselect another animation part.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said storage unit stores, as impression data, coordinate values in a predetermined impression coordinate space, of a specific attribute value of said animation part;

and wherein

said entry unit enters, in place of attribute values, impression distance conditions comprising at least one of a closest point and a farthest point in said impression coordinate space; and

wherein

said arithmetic unit selects animation parts satisfying thus entered said impression distance conditions relative to animation parts selected in the preceding step.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said impression coordinate space is a two-dimensional coordinate space having a coordinate axis along which the impression varies from strong to weak and having a coordinate axis along which the impression varies from warm to cold, with respect to the expression of face as said specific attribute values.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said storage unit stores, as impression data, categories, which are impression regions defined in a predetermined impression coordinate space, of specific attribute values of said animation parts;

and wherein

said entry unit enters and designates, in place of an attribute value, a category in said impression coordinate space; and

wherein

said arithmetic unit selects an animation part belonging to thus entered and designated said category.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said arithmetic unit, when a plurality of animation parts lie within thus entered and designated said category, selects one of said plurality of animation parts at random.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said storage unit further stores priorities of animation parts belonging to the same category;

and wherein

said arithmetic unit, when a plurality of animation parts lie within thus entered and designated said category, selects one of said plurality of animation parts in accordance with said priorities.

12. An animation creating method comprising:

a storage step for storing animation parts indicative of a series of actions and expressions of a person divided into a plurality of frames and for storing attribute values of said animation parts;

an entry step for entering said animation part attribute values in accordance with proceeding of a story; and

an arithmetic step for selecting animation parts from said storage step using said animation part attribute values entered through said entry step, said arithmetic step linking thus selected said animation parts together to create an animation in conformity with said story,

wherein in said arithmetic step, upon the selection of animation parts from said storage step, it is judged whether connectivity of animation parts is good or poor on the basis of attribute values in the current step and in the preceding step, and when poor connectivity is judged, the attribute value is changed so that another animation part is reselected for better connectivity, and

wherein in said arithmetic step, upon the selection of animation parts from said storage step, comparison is made between an attribute value at the foremost frame in the current step and an attribute value at the endmost frame in the preceding step, and when non-coincidence is detected, it is judged that the connectivity of animation parts is defective and the attribute value at the endmost frame in the preceding step is changed into the attribute value at the foremost frame in the current step so that another animation part is reselected.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein

in said storage step there are stored, as said animation part attribute values, attribute values comprising at least on of a character ID, an expression of a face, a state of a mouth, a state of eyes and a direction of the face.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein

in said storage step there are stored repetitive animation parts which appear repetitively by the designated number of times, and non-repetitive animation parts which appear only once.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein

in said entry step there are entered all attribute values consisting of a plurality of items in each proceeding step of said story.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein

in said entry step there are entered only attribute values which have changed from the preceding step in each proceeding step of said story.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein

in said storage step there are stored attribute values of the foremost frame and the endmost frame, of said plurality of frames providing said animation parts.

18. A method according to claim 12, wherein

in said storage step there are stored, as impression data, coordinate values in a predetermined impression coordinate space, of a specific attribute value of said animation part;

and wherein

in said entry step there are entered, in place of attribute values, impression distance conditions comprising at least one of a closest point and a farthest point in said impression coordinate space; and

wherein

in said arithmetic step there are selected animation parts satisfying thus entered said impression distance conditions relative to animation parts selected in the preceding step.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein

said impression coordinate space is a two-dimensional coordinate space having a coordinate axis along which the impression varies from strong to weak and having a coordinate axis along which the impression varies from warm to cold, with respect to the expression of face as said specific attribute values.

20. A method according to claim 12, wherein

in said storage step there are stored, as impression data, categories, which are impression regions defined in a predetermined impression coordinate space, of specific attribute values of said animation parts;

and wherein

in said entry step there is entered and designated, in place of an attribute value, a category in said impression coordinate space; and

wherein

in said arithmetic step there is selected an animation part belonging to thus entered and designated said category.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein

in said arithmetic step, when a plurality of animation parts lie within thus entered and designated said category, one of said plurality of animation parts is selected at random.

22. A method according to claim 20, wherein

in said storage step there are further stored priorities of animation parts belonging to the same category, and wherein

in said arithmetic step, when a plurality of animation parts lie within thus entered and designated said category, one of said plurality of animation parts is selected in accordance with said priorities.

23. A computer-readable storage medium having an animation creating program stored therein, said program comprising:

a storage module storing into a storage unit animation parts indicative of a series of actions and expressions of a person divided into a plurality of frames and for storing attribute values of said animation parts;

an entry module entering said animation part attribute values in accordance with proceeding of a story; and

an arithmetic module selecting animation parts from said storage module using said animation part attribute values entered through said entry module, said arithmetic module linking thus selected said animation parts together to create an animation in conformity with said story,

wherein said storage module stores attribute values of the foremost frame and the endmost frame, of said plurality of frames providing said animation parts, and

wherein upon the selection of animation parts from said storage module, said arithmetic module judges whether connectivity of animation parts is good or poor on the basis of attribute values in the current step and in the preceding step, said arithmetic module, when poor connectivity is judged, changing the attribute value to reselect another animation part for better connectivity.

24. An animation creating method comprising:

storing animation parts indicative of a series of actions and expressions of a person divided into a plurality of frames and storing attribute values of the animation parts;

entering the animation part attribute values in accordance with proceeding of a story; and

selecting the animation parts using the animation part attribute values, and linking the selected animation parts together to create an animation in conformity with the story,

wherein in said selecting the animation parts, upon the selection of the animation parts, it is judged whether connectivity of the animation parts is good or poor on the basis of attribute values in the current step and in the preceding step, and when poor connectivity is judged, the attribute value is changed so that another animation part is reselected for better connectivity, and

wherein in said selecting the animation parts, upon the selection of the animation parts, comparison is made between an attribute value at the foremost frame in the current step and an attribute value at the endmost frame in the preceding step, and when non-coincidence is detected, it is judged that the connectivity of the animation parts is defective and the attribute value at the endmost frame in the preceding step is changed into the attribute value at the foremost frame in the current step so that another animation part is reselected.