Real-Time Character Animation for Computer Games

The importance of real-time character animation in computer games has increased considerably over the past decade. Due to advances in computer hardware and the achievement of great increases in computational speed, the demand for more realism in computer games is continuously growing. This paper will present and discuss various methods of 3D character animation and prospects of their real-time application, ranging from the animation of simple articulated objects to real-time deformable object meshes

Human-computer interaction : Guidelines for web animation

Human-computer interaction in the large is an interdisciplinary area which attracts researchers, educators, and practioners from many differenf fields. Human-computer interaction studies a human and a machine in communication, it draws from supporting knowledge on both the machine and the human side. This paper is related to the human side of human-computer interaction and focuses on animations. The growing use of animation in Web pages testifies to the increasing ease with which such multimedia features can be created. This trend shows a commitment to animation that is often unmatched by the skill of the implementers. The paper presents a set of guidelines and tips to help designers prepare better and more effective Web sites. These guidelines are drawn from an extensive literature survey

Sketch-based virtual human modelling and animation

Animated virtual humans created by skilled artists play a remarkable role in today’s public entertainment. However, ordinary users are still treated as audiences due to the lack of appropriate expertise, equipment, and computer skills. We developed a new method and a novel sketching interface, which enable anyone who can draw to “sketch-out” 3D virtual humans and animation. We devised a “Stick FigureFleshing-outSkin Mapping” graphical pipeline, which decomposes the complexity of figure drawing and considerably boosts the modelling and animation efficiency. We developed a gesture-based method for 3D pose reconstruction from 2D stick figure drawings. We investigated a “Creative Model-based Method”, which performs a human perception process to transfer users’ 2D freehand sketches into 3D human bodies of various body sizes, shapes and fat distributions. Our current system supports character animation in various forms including articulated figure animation, 3D mesh model animation, and 2D contour/NPR animation with personalised drawing styles. Moreover, this interface also supports sketch-based crowd animation and 2D storyboarding of 3D multiple character interactions. A preliminary user study was conducted to support the overall system design. Our system has been formally tested by various users on Tablet PC. After minimal training, even a beginner can create vivid virtual humans and animate them within minutes

STUDENT’S SELF-CONFIDENCE TO UNDERSTANDING THE PHYSICS CONCEPTS THROUGH COMPUTER SIMULATION ANIMATION

The use of computer simulated animation as learning media in Physics has gained popularity. This research aims to test the student’s self-confidence to understanding and the student’s belief in the concepts of Physics presented by computer simulated animation. The study was conducted by means of in-depth interviews to one student on the physics concepts that were being studied through a computer simulated animation. The interview results show that the student does not believe in the accuracy of concepts presented by the animation. The student still doubt the accuracy of the physic concepts that have already understood and the concepts presented thorugh the animation after answering series of questions testing the accuracy of ith concepts. This research recommendation is that there should be teachers’ guidance to help students learning through computer simulated animation to understand physic concepts

PREPARATION OF COMPUTER ANIMATION MODEL FOR LEARNING ELECTRICAL MAGNETIC II PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM STUDENTS SEMESTER IV TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY SARJANAWIYATA TAMANSISWA UNIVERSITY 2014

The experiment was conducted with the purpose : (1) to obtain the product models of learning computer animation physics electricity magnetism two physical education programs for students of fourth semester, and (2) to determine the effectiveness of learning outcomes using computer models animation the magnetic power of two courses in four semesters students Education Program Physics FKIP-UST Yogyakarta. This research is about the development of computer animation models in order to determine the effectiveness of teaching and learning magnets electric two physical education programs to students. The location of this research is in the Physical Education Program Guidance and Counseling-UST Yogyakarta. The subject of research is the development of developing the model and the effectiveness of learning computer animation magnetic power of two in a four-semester students in 2014 a number of 30 students. Data collection techniques in this study uses observation sheet instruments Likert scale models and objective multiple choice test. Data analysis techniques are quantitative and qualitative assessment to determine the product descriptive computer animation models to study the effectiveness of learning outcomes and the two magnet power on students. The results of this study are: (1) the product obtained by the learning model of computer animation with a score of two electric magnets valuation predicate 82.76 enter good ranking, and (2) a score of effectiveness of learning outcomes assessment in groups using a computer animation model is 84.33 ranked the predicate very effective. The conclusion is obtained by the product of computer animated models of learning with both predicate ranking, and student learning outcomes and the effectiveness of using a computer animation model makes a predicate ranked excellent or very effective. Keywords: Modeling, Animation, Computer, Learning, Electricity, Magnetism

Software systems for modeling articulated figures

Research in computer animation and simulation of human task performance requires sophisticated geometric modeling and user interface tools. The software for a research environment should present the programmer with a powerful but flexible substrate of facilities for displaying and manipulating geometric objects, yet insure that future tools have a consistent and friendly user interface. Jack is a system which provides a flexible and extensible programmer and user interface for displaying and manipulating complex geometric figures, particularly human figures in a 3D working environment. It is a basic software framework for high-performance Silicon Graphics IRIS workstations for modeling and manipulating geometric objects in a general but powerful way. It provides a consistent and user-friendly interface across various applications in computer animation and simulation of human task performance. Currently, Jack provides input and control for applications including lighting specification and image rendering, anthropometric modeling, figure positioning, inverse kinematics, dynamic simulation, and keyframe animation

Computer‐simulated experiments and computer games: A method of design analysis

This paper describes a new research programme to design computer‐simulated experiments in the field of fuels and combustion, and describes a method of categorization based on a taxonomy proposed by Gredler. The key features which enhance science content and process skills are identified The simulations are designed to be as realistic as possible, and are built using three‐dimensional computer‐aided design, rendering and animation tools, with the intention of creating an interactive virtual laboratory on the computer screen. A number of computer games are also categorized against the computer simulations and the same taxonomy for comparison. The paper then describes how designers of computer simulations can add to their own learning by retrospectively analysing their own simulations

Geometric, Variational Integrators for Computer Animation

We present a general-purpose numerical scheme for time integration of Lagrangian dynamical systems—an important computational tool at the core of most physics-based animation techniques. Several features make this particular time integrator highly desirable for computer animation: it numerically preserves important invariants, such as linear and angular momenta; the symplectic nature of the integrator also guarantees a correct energy behavior, even when dissipation and external forces are added; holonomic constraints can also be enforced quite simply; finally, our simple methodology allows for the design of high-order accurate schemes if needed. Two key properties set the method apart from earlier approaches. First, the nonlinear equations that must be solved during an update step are replaced by a minimization of a novel functional, speeding up time stepping by more than a factor of two in practice. Second, the formulation introduces additional variables that provide key flexibility in the implementation of the method. These properties are achieved using a discrete form of a general variational principle called the Pontryagin-Hamilton principle, expressing time integration in a geometric manner. We demonstrate the applicability of our integrators to the simulation of non-linear elasticity with implementation details

Progress in the development of a video-based wind farm simulation technique

The progress in the development of a video-based wind farm simulation technique is reviewed. While improvements have been achieved in the quality of the composite picture created by combining computer generated animation sequences of wind turbines with background scenes of the wind farm site, extending the technique to include camera movements has proved troublesome

Investigating facial animation production through artistic inquiry

Studies into dynamic facial expressions tend to make use of experimental methods based on objectively manipulated stimuli. New techniques for displaying increasingly realistic facial movement and methods of measuring observer responses are typical of computer animation and psychology facial expression research. However, few projects focus on the artistic nature of performance production. Instead, most concentrate on the naturalistic appearance of posed or acted expressions. In this paper, the authors discuss a method for exploring the creative process of emotional facial expression animation, and ask whether anything can be learned about authentic dynamic expressions through artistic inquiry