Method for mapping facial animation values to head mesh positions

• US 6,876,364 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vidiator Enterprises Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vidiator Enterprises Incorporated
• Inventors: Neven, Hartmut, Buddemeier, Ulrich F., Derlich, Karin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sealey, Lance W.
• Application Number:
  US10/216,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20030043153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/629, 345/419, 382/100, 382/107, 382/155, 382/224, 706/2.52
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique for translating facial animation values to head mesh positions for rendering facial features of an animated avatar. In the method, an animation vector of dimension N_a is provided. N_a is the number of facial animation values in the animation vector. A mapping algorithm F is applied to the animation vector to generate a target mix vector of dimension M. M is the number of targets associated with the head mesh positions. The head mesh positions are deformed based on the target mix vector.

Claims

1. A method for translating facial animation values to head mesh positions for rendering facial features of an animated avatar, the method comprising:

providing an animation vector a of dimension N_a, where N_a is a number of facial animation values in the animation vector;

applying a mapping algorithm F to the animation vector to generate a target mix vector g of dimension M, where M is a number of targets associated with the head mesh positions;

applying a calibration vector c to the target mix vector g to generate a calibrated target mix vector g_c; and

deforming the head mesh positions based on the calibrated target mix vector g_c.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the targets include independent targets and dependent targets, wherein the dependent targets are generated by linear superposition of vertex coordinates of the independent targets.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the animation vector is determined by sensing facial features, associated with independent targets, of human subject.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the animation vector is obtained by applying facial feature position sensing to annotated vertices on a model.

5. A method for translating facial animation values to head mesh positions for rendering facial features of an animated avatar, the method comprising:

providing an animation vector a of dimension N_a where N_a is a number of facial animation values in the animation vector;

defining groups that associate sets of the animation values with sets of targets;

applying a mapping algorithm F independently to each grouped set of animation values to generate corresponding target mix group-vectors;

combining the target mix group-vectors to generate a target mix vector g of dimension M, where M is a number of targets associated with the head mesh positions; and

deforming the head mesh position based on the target mix vector g.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the targets include independent targets and dependent targets, wherein the dependent targets are generated by linear superposition of vertex coordinates of the independent targets.

7. A system for translating facial animation value to head mesh positions for rendering facial features of an animated avatar, the system comprising:

means for providing an animation vector a of dimension N_a, where N_a is a number of facial animation values in the animation vector;

means for applying a mapping algorithm F to the animation vector to generate a target mix vector g of dimension M, where M is a number of targets associated with the head mesh positions;

means for applying a calibration vector c to the target mix vector g to generate a calibrated target mix vector g_c; and

means for deforming the head mesh positions based on the calibrated target mix vector g_c.

8. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to translate facial animation values to head mesh positions for rendering facial features of an animated avatar, by;

obtaining an animation vector a of dimension N_a, where N_a is a number of facial animation values in the animation vector;

applying a mapping algorithm F to the animation vector to generate a target mix vector g of dimension M, where M is a number of targets associated with the head mesh positions;

applying a calibration vector c to the target mix vector g to generate a calibrated target mix vector g_c; and

deforming the head mesh positions based on the calibrated target mix vector g_c.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the instructions for obtaining the animation vector include instructions for determining the animation vector by sensing facial features, associated with independent targets, of a human subject.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the instructions for obtaining the animation vector include instructions for obtaining the animation vector by applying facial feature position sensing to annotated vertices on a model.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the targets include independent targets and dependent targets, the machine-readable medium further including instructions stored thereon to generate the dependent targets by linear superposition of vertex coordinates of the independent targets.

12. A system for translating facial animation value to head mesh positions for rendering facial features of an animated avatar, the system comprising:

means for obtaining an animation vector a of dimension N_a, where N_a is a number of facial animation values in the animation vector;

means for defining groups that associate sets of the animation values with sets of targets;

means for applying a mapping algorithm F independently to each grouped set of animation values to generate corresponding target mix group-vectors;

means for combining the target mix group-vectors to generate a target mix vector g of dimension M, where M is a number of targets associated with the head mesh positions; and

means for deforming the head mesh position based on the target mix vector g.

13. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to translate facial animation values to head mesh positions for rendering facial features of an animated avatar, by;

obtaining an animation vector a of dimension N_a, where N_a is a number of facial animation values in the animation vector;

defining groups that associate sets of the animation values with sets of targets;

applying a mapping algorithm F independently to each grouped set of animation values to generate corresponding target mix group-vectors;

combining the target mix group-vectors to generate a target mix vector g of dimension M, where M is a number of targets associated with the head mesh positions; and

deforming the head mesh position based on the target mix vector g.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the targets include independent targets and dependent targets, the machine-readable medium further including instructions stored thereon to generate the dependent targets by linear superposition of vertex coordinates of the independent targets.