Computer-assisted animation creation techniques for hair animation and shade, highlight, and shadow

制度:新 ; 報告番号:甲3062号 ; 学位の種類:博士(工学) ; 授与年月日:2010/2/25 ; 早大学位記番号:新532

Drawing from motion capture : developing visual languages of animation

The work presented in this thesis aims to explore novel approaches of combining motion capture with drawing and 3D animation. As the art form of animation matures, possibilities of hybrid techniques become more feasible, and crosses between traditional and digital media provide new opportunities for artistic expression. 3D computer animation is used for its keyframing and rendering advancements, that result in complex pipelines where different areas of technical and artistic specialists contribute to the end result. Motion capture is mostly used for realistic animation, more often than not for live-action filmmaking, as a visual effect. Realistic animated films depend on retargeting techniques, designed to preserve actors performances with a high degree of accuracy. In this thesis, we investigate alternative production methods that do not depend on retargeting, and provide animators with greater options for experimentation and expressivity. As motion capture data is a great source for naturalistic movements, we aim to combine it with interactive methods such as digital sculpting and 3D drawing. As drawing is predominately used in preproduction, in both the case of realistic animation and visual effects, we embed it instead to alternative production methods, where artists can benefit from improvisation and expression, while emerging in a three-dimensional environment. Additionally, we apply these alternative methods for the visual development of animation, where they become relevant for the creation of specific visual languages that can be used to articulate concrete ideas for storytelling in animation

Object-oriented motion abstraction

Ankara : Department of Computer Engineering and Information Science and Institute of Engineering and Science, Bilkent Univ., 1993.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1993.Includes bibliographical references leaves 74-77Erkan, BilgeM.S

Overcoming the curse of precision: exploring the ambiguous nature of visual perception using 3D animation software

3D animation software is extensively used to create graphics for special effects sequences in live-action films, in animated feature film production and for the generation of computer games and virtual reality content. It is a commonly held view within the computer graphics community that 3D animation software is “just another tool” for self-expression. This research questions that view by examining the inherent nature of the tool itself. In doing so, some of the philosophical assumptions embedded in the design of the new digital tool are revealed. 3D software assumes that vision is a mechanical process independent of any context, and thus reduces the world to mathematical principles. This research posits that no tool is neutral; all tools orient our behavior and contribute to the way we perceive the world. The researcher has been trained in the use of traditional artistic methods, and like a growing number of other visual artists in recent years, has incorporated computer graphics into her artistic practice. This exegesis reflects upon the various ways an artist may ‘see’ and interpret a visual representation of the world and how traditional painting and drawing practice can inform the creation and manipulation of geometry in 3D animation software, and suggest what other variables and settings might be appropriate to arrive at a result that is different from the ‘photorealistic’. The project work outcomes embedded in this investigation explore how a tool of such mathematical precision can be deliberately used to create work that communicates the subjective and ambiguous nature of everyday visual experience. The researcher’s previous experience as an observational drawer and painter is compared throughout this investigation with her more recent experience as a 3D animator. The research concludes that 3D is a powerful tool for creating animated graphics and, when used in conjunction with traditional drawing and painting techniques, can successfully be used to illustrate aspects of subjective visual perception. However, without reference to paintings and observational sketches, the 3D user is likely to approach the visual world in terms of the software’s inherent Cartesian assumptions. 3D software, therefore, is too prescriptive to be used in isolation as a tool for the exploration of subjective perception. This finding has implications for the changing nature of visual arts practice and deserves further examination in order to encourage a more fruitful dialogue between traditional art practice and digital graphics software

Interactive crayon rendering for animation

This thesis describes the design and implementation of an interactive, nonphotorealistic rendering system for three-dimensional computer animation. The system provides a two-dimensional interface for coloring successive frames of animation using a virtual crayon that emulates the appearance of hand-drawn wax crayons on textured paper. The crayon strokes automatically track and move with threedimensional objects in the animation to preserve temporal coherency of strokes from one frame to the next. The system is intended to be used as an interactive renderer in conjunction with third-party three-dimensional modeling and animation tools

Digital production pipelines: examining structures and methods in the computer effects industry

Computer animated films require collaboration: blending artistic concept with technical skill, meeting budget constraints and adhering to deadlines. The path which production follows from initial idea to finished product is known as the pipeline. The purpose of this thesis is to collect, study and share information regarding production pipeline practices and to derive a conceptual definition. Research focused on selected companies in the United States which have produced at least one feature-length computer generated film and continue to produce them. The key finding of this thesis is a conceptual definition of digital production pipelines: A digital production pipeline must, by definition, utilize digital computing hardware and software to facilitate human work and collaboration for the overarching purpose of producing content for film. The digital production pipeline is not a structure, but rather a malleable set of components which can be arranged, configured, and adapted into new structures as needed. These malleable components are human groups with assigned task domains, and digital hardware and software systems. The human groups are normally referred to as departments or teams. The digital hardware and software systems are operating systems, software tools and applications, networks, processors, and storage. The digital production pipeline is the synergy of these two types of components into adaptable systems and structures

Stylised procedural animation

This thesis develops a stylised procedural paradigm for computer graphics animation. Cartoon effects animations - stylised representations of natural phenomena - have presented a long-standing, difficult challenge to computer animators. We propose a framework for achieving the intricacy of effects motion with minimal animator intervention.Our approach is to construct cartoon effects by simulating the hand-drawing process through synthetic, computational means. We create a system which emulates the stylish appearance, movements of cartoon effects in both 2D and 3D environments. Our computational models achieve this by capturing the essential characteristics common to all cartoon effects: structure modelling, dynamic controlling and stylised rendering.To validate our framework, we have implemented a cartoon effects system for a range of effects including water effects, fire, smoke, rain and snow. Each effect model has its own static structure such as how the different parts are related temporarily. The flexibility of our approach is suggested most evidently by the high-level controls on shape, colour, timing and rendering on the effects. Like their hand-drawn counterparts, they move consistently while retaining the hand-crafted look.Since the movements of cartoon effects are animated procedurally, their detailed motions need not be keyframed. This thesis therefore demonstrates a powerful approach to computer animation in which the animator plays the role of a high level controller, rather than the more conventional hand-drawing slave. Our work not only achieves cartoon effects animation of un-precedented complexity, but it also provides an interesting experimental domain for related research disciplines toward more creative and expressive image synthesis in animation

Acceleration Techniques for Photo Realistic Computer Generated Integral Images

The research work presented in this thesis has approached the task of accelerating the generation of photo-realistic integral images produced by integral ray tracing. Ray tracing algorithm is a computationally exhaustive algorithm, which spawns one ray or more through each pixel of the pixels forming the image, into the space containing the scene. Ray tracing integral images consumes more processing time than normal images. The unique characteristics of the 3D integral camera model has been analysed and it has been shown that different coherency aspects than normal ray tracing can be investigated in order to accelerate the generation of photo-realistic integral images. The image-space coherence has been analysed describing the relation between rays and projected shadows in the scene rendered. Shadow cache algorithm has been adapted in order to minimise shadow intersection tests in integral ray tracing. Shadow intersection tests make the majority of the intersection tests in ray tracing. Novel pixel-tracing styles are developed uniquely for integral ray tracing to improve the image-space coherence and the performance of the shadow cache algorithm. Acceleration of the photo-realistic integral images generation using the image-space coherence information between shadows and rays in integral ray tracing has been achieved with up to 41 % of time saving. Also, it has been proven that applying the new styles of pixel-tracing does not affect of the scalability of integral ray tracing running over parallel computers. The novel integral reprojection algorithm has been developed uniquely through geometrical analysis of the generation of integral image in order to use the tempo-spatial coherence information within the integral frames. A new derivation of integral projection matrix for projecting points through an axial model of a lenticular lens has been established. Rapid generation of 3D photo-realistic integral frames has been achieved with a speed four times faster than the normal generation

A volume filtering and rendering system for an improved visual balance of feature preservation and noise suppression in medical imaging

Preserving or enhancing salient features whilst effectively suppressing noise-derived artifacts and extraneous detail have been two consistent yet competing objectives in volumetric medical image processing. Illustrative techniques (and methods inspired by them) can help to enhance and, if desired, isolate the depiction of specific regions of interest whilst retaining overall context. However, highlighting or enhancing specific features can have the undesirable side-effect of highlighting noise. Second-derivative based methods can be employed effectively in both the rendering and volume filtering stages of a visualisation pipeline to enhance the depiction of feature detail whilst minimising noise-based artifacts. We develop a new 3D anisotropic-diffusion PDE for an improved balance of feature-retention and noise reduction; furthermore, we present a feature-enhancing visualisation pipeline that can be applied to multiple modalities and has been shown to be particularly effective in the context of 3D ultrasound

Higher level techniques for the artistic rendering of images and video

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo