System and method for automatic animation generation

• US 6,433,784 B1
• Filed: 07/09/1998
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Afluo LLC (L2 Technology LLC)
• Original Assignee: Learn2 Corporation
• Inventors: Merrick, Richard, Thenhaus, Michael, Bell, Wesley, Zartler, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCUSO, HUEDUNG XUAN CAO
• Application Number:
  US09/112,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20020097244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/302, 345/474, 345/419, 434/185, 707/500.1
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/025 Phonemes, fenemes or fenones being the recognition units
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/105 Synthesis of the lips movements from speech, e.g. for talking heads
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80

Abstract

A system an method providing an easy to use tool for preparing animated characters for use on the Internet or in other environments. Requiring only limited user input and selection, the system and method essential automatically choreograph and synchronizes reusable animation components with dialog streams and with gestures. Once generated, the resulting choreography can be embedded into a hypertext markup language (HTML) web page with an appropriate audio player plug-in to deliver any number of animated dialogues with minimal wait time and minimal developer effort, or can be similarly embedded or used with other software.

Claims

1. An animation generation system using a talking character lip-synched speech, comprising:

a developer terminal, a character database containing data representative of at least one character and a collection of gestures associated with each said character, including gestures of limbs; and

an animation preparation application, said animation preparation application being in communication with said developer terminal and said character database and said animation preparation application generating a plurality of output files representative of animation displaying a talking character lip-synched to speech and to gestures, including gestures of limbs thereof, said animation preparation application automatically generating default choreography involving both lip-synching and limb gesture synching to speech;

wherein said collection of gestures is addressed through said animation application by first commands from a user, each first command specifying a selected gesture within said collection of gestures, including gestures of limbs, and by second commands each specifying high-level behavior of said at least one character;

said first commands and second commands being processed by said application to control an animation of said character, including gestures of limbs; and

a display displaying said gestures, including gestures of limbs of said character, and producing speech lip-synched to said gestures.

2. An animation generation system using a talking character lip-synched to speech, said characters having limbs animated to move in synch with said speech, comprising:

a developer terminal, a character database containing data representative of at least one character and a collection of gestures associated with each said character, including gestures of limbs; and

an animation preparation application, said animation preparation application being in communication with said developer terminal and said character database and said animation preparation application generating a plurality of output files representative of animation displaying a talking character lip-synched to speech and to gestures, including limb gestures, thereof, said animation preparation application automatically generating default choreography involving both lip-synching and limb gesture synching to speech;

wherein said collection of gestures is addressed through said animation application by first commands from a user, each first command specifying a selected gesture within said collection of gestures, and by second commands each specifying high-level behavior of said at least one character;

said first commands and second commands being processed by said application to control an animation of said character; and

a display and sound generating equipment displaying said animated character and producing sound lip-synched to said character and to limb gestures thereof.