Methods and apparatus for auto-scaling properties of simulated objects

• US 7,864,180 B1
• Filed: 06/06/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pixar (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Pixar (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Waggoner, Christine, Baraff, David
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHU K
• Application Number:
  US11/758,969
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/474, 345/475
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/16 Cloth

Abstract

A method for auto-scaling properties of simulated objects includes receiving a metric associated with a reference object. A value associated with a property of a simulated object is adjusted in response to the metric. The value of the property is related to an at-rest shape or desired rest state associated with the simulated object. The property may be a geometric property of the simulated object. Some examples of geometric properties are dimensions (e.g., length, width, height), angle, momentum and rotation, mass, density, and the like. The at-rest shape or desired rest state associated with the simulated object may be related to shape of the simulated object in response to one or more internal forces and expected external forces.

Claims

1. A method for simulating motion of objects, the method comprising:

receiving, at one or more computer systems, information specifying a property of an object whose motion is determined by a simulation of the object according to a model defining physics of the simulation, the property related to a rest state of the object in the simulation;

receiving, at the one or more computer systems, information specifying a metric associated with a reference object;

modifying, with one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, a value for the property of the object in response to the metric to invoke a change in the rest state of the object; and

storing the modified value for the property of the object in a storage device associated with the one or more computer systems.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the information specifying the property of the object comprises receiving a geometric property of the object.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein shape of the object is related to the rest state of the object, the shape of the object configured to respond to one or more forces in the simulation seeking to maintain the shape of the object that are a function of the shape and the rest state.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the value for the property of the object in response to the metric comprises either increasing or decreasing the value of the property of the object.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the information specifying the metric associated with the reference object comprises a set of values associated with one or more physically exaggerated animation variables of the reference object.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the information specifying the metric associated with the reference object comprises receiving a set of measurements associated with one or more properties of the reference object, wherein the one or more properties comprise at least one of a length, an angle, motion, position, or mass.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the information specifying the metric associated with the reference object further comprises receiving a length determined between one or more locations associated with a surface of the reference object.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference object comprises a non-simulated character object.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the object comprises a cloth object.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying the object on a display device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code for simulating motion of objects, the computer-readable medium comprising:

code for receiving a property of an object whose motion is determined by a simulation of the object according to a model defining physics of the simulation, the property related to a rest state of the object in the simulation;

code for receiving a metric associated with a reference object; and

code for modifying a value for the property of the object in response to the metric to invoke a change in the rest state of the object.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the code for receiving the property of the object comprises code for receiving a geometric property of the object.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein shape of the object is related to the rest state of the object, the shape of the object configured to respond to one or more forces in the simulation seeking to maintain the shape of the object that are a function of the shape and the rest state.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the code for modifying the value for the property of the object in response to the metric comprises code for either increasing or decreasing the value of the property of the object.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the code for receiving the metric associated with the reference object comprises code for receiving a set of values associated with one or more physically exaggerated animation variables of the reference object.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the code for receiving the metric associated with the reference object comprises code for receiving a set of measurements associated with one or more properties of the reference object, wherein the one or more properties comprise at least one of a length, an angle, motion, position, or mass.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the code for receiving the metric associated with the reference object comprises code for receiving a length determined between one or more locations associated with a surface of the reference object.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the reference object comprises a non-simulated character object.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the object comprises a cloth object.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 further comprising:

code for simulating the object, wherein the simulation uses the modified value for the property of the object.

21. A system for simulating motion of objects, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store a set of instructions, the set of instructions including;

instructions configured to information specifying a property of an object whose motion is determined by a simulation of the object according to a model defining physics of the simulation, the property related to a rest state of the object in the simulation;

instructions configured to receive information specifying a metric associated with a reference object; and

instructions configured to modify a value for the property of the object in response to the metric to invoke a change in the rest state of the object.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the instructions configured to receive information specifying the property of the object comprises instructions configured to receive a geometric property of the object.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein shape of the object is related to the rest state of the object, the shape of the object configured to respond to one or more forces in the simulation seeking to maintain the shape of the object that are a function of the shape and the rest state.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the instructions configured to modify the value for the property of the object in response to the metric comprise instructions configured to either increase or decrease the value of the property of the object.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the instructions configured to receive the metric associated with the reference object comprises instructions configured to receive a set of values associated with one or more physically exaggerated animation variables of the reference object.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the processor the instructions configured to receive the metric associated with the reference object comprises instructions configured to receive a set of measurements associated with one or more properties of the reference object, wherein the one or more properties comprise at least one of a length, an angle, motion, position, or mass.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the instructions configured to receive the metric associated with the reference object comprises instructions configured to receive a length determined between one or more locations associated with a surface of the reference object to determine the metric.

28. The system of claim 21 wherein the reference object comprises a non-simulated character object.

29. The system of claim 21 wherein the object comprises a cloth object.

30. The system of claim 21 further comprising instructions configured to simulate the object and display the object, wherein the simulation uses the modified value for the property of the object.