Image-based deformation of simulated characters of varied topology

• US 9,892,540 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2017
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Inventors: Nair, Srikumar, Borovikov, Igor, Tan Kok Yoong, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Demeter, Hilina K
• Application Number:
  US15/452,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20170178381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/205 Re-meshing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/16 Cloth
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2021 Shape modification

Abstract

A graphical asset associated with a simulated character of a video game is received. A first image and a second image associated with the simulated character are subsequently received, the first image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for a first topology of image deformation and the second image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for a second topology of deformation. A portion of the graphical asset is then deformed using the graphical displacement mapping information from the first image and the second image to change the 3D geometry of the portion of the graphical asset.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing device, a graphical asset associated with a simulated character of a video game, wherein the graphical asset comprises a vertex buffer, the vertex buffer comprising an array of vertex data, wherein the vertex data comprises a vertex position, a normal vector, a deformation map texture coordinate and a vertex color;

receiving, by the processing device, a first image and a second image associated with the simulated character, the first image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for a first topology of image deformation for the simulated character and the second image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for a second topology of deformation for the simulated character, wherein the graphical displacement mapping information comprises a maximum displacement in three-dimensional (3D) space that may be applied to a portion of the graphical asset;

determining a pixel location in the first image and the second image in view of the deformation map texture coordinate of the vertex data;

identifying a first color value at the pixel location of the first image and a second color value at the pixel location of the second image;

calculating a total displacement value for the portion of the graphical asset in view of the first color and the second color; and

deforming, by the processing device, the portion of the graphical asset by updating the portion of the graphical asset in view of the total displacement value to change a 3D geometry of the portion of the graphical asset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the total displacement value comprises:

determining a first weight value of the first image and a second weight value of the second image;

calculating a first displacement value;

calculating a second displacement value; and

combining the first displacement value and the second displacement value.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving user input from an input device to further deform the portion of the graphical asset; and

modifying the total displacement value in view of the user input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the portion of the graphical asset comprises:

adding the total displacement value to the vertex position of the vertex data; and

writing the modified vertex position back to the vertex buffer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first color value and the second color value comprise a numerical color channel triplet, the triplet corresponding to a coordinate in 3D geometry space.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical asset comprises a 3D geometry associated with a graphic rendering of an entire object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the object comprises at least one of the 3D geometry of a portion of the body of the simulated character, a shoe, a boot, a garment bottom, a garment top, a hat, or hair.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third image and a fourth image associated with the simulated character, the third image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for the first topology of image deformation and the fourth image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for the second topology of deformation; and

modifying the normal vector of the graphical asset using the graphical displacement mapping information from the third image and the fourth image to change the 3D geometry of the portion of the graphical asset.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory, to execute the instructions, wherein the processing device is to;

receive a graphical asset associated with a simulated character of a video game, wherein the graphical asset comprises a vertex buffer, the vertex buffer comprising an array of vertex data, wherein the vertex data comprises a vertex position, a normal vector, a deformation map texture coordinate and a vertex color;

receive a first image and a second image associated with the simulated character, the first image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for a first topology of image deformation for the simulated character and the second image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for a second topology of deformation for the simulated character, wherein the graphical displacement mapping information comprises a maximum displacement in three-dimensional (3D) space that may be applied to a portion of the graphical asset;

determine a pixel location in the first image and the second image in view of the deformation map texture coordinate of the vertex data;

identify a first color value at the pixel location of the first image and a second color value at the pixel location of the second image;

calculate a total displacement value for the portion of the graphical asset in view of the first color and the second color; and

deform the portion of the graphical asset by updating the portion of the graphical asset in view of the total displacement value to change a 3D geometry of the portion of the graphical asset.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein to calculate the total displacement value, the processing device is to:

determine a first weight value of the first image and a second weight value of the second image;

calculate a first displacement value;

calculate a second displacement value; and

combine the first displacement value and the second displacement value.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing device is further to:

receive user input from an input device to further deform the portion of the graphical asset; and

modify the total displacement value in view of the user input.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein to update the portion of the graphical asset, the processing device is to:

add the total displacement value to the vertex position of the vertex data; and

write the modified vertex position back to the vertex buffer.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the first color value and the second color value comprise a numerical color channel triplet, the triplet corresponding to a coordinate in 3D geometry space.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing device is further to:

receiving a third image and a fourth image associated with the simulated character, the third image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for the first topology of image deformation and the fourth image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for the second topology of deformation; and

modifying the normal vector of the graphical asset using the graphical displacement mapping information from the third image and the fourth image to change the 3D geometry of the portion of the graphical asset.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to:

receive, by the processing device, a graphical asset associated with a simulated character of a video game, wherein the graphical asset comprises a vertex buffer, the vertex buffer comprising an array of vertex data, wherein the vertex data comprises a vertex position, a normal vector, a deformation map texture coordinate and a vertex color;

receive, by the processing device, a first image and a second image associated with the simulated character, the first image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for a first topology of image deformation for the simulated character and the second image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for a second topology of deformation for the simulated character, wherein the graphical displacement mapping information comprises a maximum displacement in three-dimensional (3D) space that may be applied to a portion of the graphical asset;

determine a pixel location in the first image and the second image in view of the deformation map texture coordinate of the vertex data;

identify a first color value at the pixel location of the first image and a second color value at the pixel location of the second image;

calculate a total displacement value for the portion of the graphical asset in view of the first color and the second color; and

deform, by the processing device, the portion of the graphical asset by updating the portion of the graphical asset in view of the total displacement value to change a 3D geometry of the portion of the graphical asset.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein to update the portion of the graphical asset, the processing device is to:

add the total displacement value to the vertex position of the vertex data; and

write the modified vertex position back to the vertex buffer.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein to calculate the total displacement value, the processing device is to:

determine a first weight value of the first image and a second weight value of the second image;

calculate a first displacement value;

calculate a second displacement value; and

combine the first displacement value and the second displacement value.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising executable instructions to cause the processing device to:

receive user input from an input device to further deform the portion of the graphical asset; and

modify the total displacement value in view of the user input.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the processing device is further to:

receive, by the processing device, a third image and a fourth image associated with the simulated character, the third image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for the first topology of image deformation and the fourth image comprising graphical displacement mapping information for the second topology of deformation; and

modify, by the processing device, the normal vector of the graphical asset using the graphical displacement mapping information from the third image and the fourth image to change the 3D geometry of the portion of the graphical asset.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each of the first color value and the second color value comprise a numerical color channel triplet, the triplet corresponding to a coordinate in 3D geometry space.