Application of 3D human pose estimation for motion capture and character animation

Abstract. Interest in motion capture (mocap) technology is growing every day, and the number of possible applications is multiplying. But such systems are very expensive and are not affordable for personal use. Based on that, this thesis presents the framework that can produce mocap data from regular RGB video and then use it to animate a 3D character according to the movement of the person in the original video. To extract the mocap data from the input video, one of the three 3D pose estimation (PE) methods that are available within the scope of the project is used to determine where the joints of the person in each video frame are located in the 3D space. The 3D positions of the joints are used as mocap data and are imported to Blender which contains a simple 3D character. The data is assigned to the corresponding joints of the character to animate it. To test how the created animation will be working in a different environment, it was imported to the Unity game engine and applied to the native 3D character. The evaluation of the produced animations from Blender and Unity showed that even though the quality of the animation might be not perfect, the test subjects found this approach to animation promising. In addition, during the evaluation, a few issues were discovered and considered for future framework development

Pengembangan Video Animasi Pembelajaran Subtema Pembentukan Karakter untuk Siswa SDLB Tunarungu

Abstrak: Setiap anak berhak mendapat pendidikan untuk mengembangkan potensi yang ada dalam dirinya, tidak terkecuali bagi mereka yang memiliki perbedaan dalam kemampuan atau yang sering disebut dengan istilah difabel. Pengembangan video animasi pembelajaran untuk siswa tunarungu bertujuan untuk menghasilkan, mengetahui kelayakan video animasi dan respon siswa tunarungu terhadap video animasi pembelajaran pembentukan karakter. Dalam penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian dan pengembangan Sadiman. Hasil dari pengembangan ini adalah sebuah video animasi pembelajaran pembentukan karakter. Penelitian ini memperoleh hasil dari ahli media 94%, ahli materi 92%, uji coba kelompok besar 91%. Berdasarkan hasil tersebut, video animasi pembelajaran  pada materi pembentukan karakter dinyatakan valid, layak dan cukup efektif digunakan dalam pembelajaran. Dengan demikian video animasi dapat digunakan untuk kebutuhan pembelajaran.Abstract: Every child has the right to get an education to develop the potential that exists in him, not least for those who have differences in abilities or often referred to as diffables. Development of learning animation videos for deaf students aims to produce, to know the feasibility of animated videos and the response of deaf students to animated character formation learning videos. In this study using research methods and development of Sadiman. The result of this development is an animation video for character building learning. This study obtained results from media experts 94%, material experts 92%, large group trials 91%. Based on these results, learning animation videos on character building material were declared valid, feasible and quite effective to be used in learning. Thus, animated videos can be used for learning needs

Efektivitas Penggunaan Video dengan Pengayaan Tokoh dan Animasi terhadap Pemahaman Konseptual Siswa

Abstrak: Dalam pembelajaran tradisional, siswa tidak dapat mengulang lagi penjelasan guru di luar kelas. Salah satu solusi bagi siswa yang pemahaman konseptualnya rendah yaitu siswa bisa mengikuti bimbingan belajar. Kesamaan dalam fitur bimbingan belajar online yaitu menghadirkan video dengan pengayaan tokoh dan animasi. Fitur tersebut adalah bentuk dari Agent pedagogical. Tujuan penelitian ini yaitu untuk mengetahui efektivitas video dengan pengayaan tokoh dan animasi terhadap peningkatan pemahaman konseptual pelajaran sains materi tata surya di kelas VII SMP. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode Pre-eksperimental dengan One Group Pretest Postest Design. Analisis data menggunakan uji paired sample t-test dan uji n-gain. Berdasarkan hasil analisis data diperoleh nilai signifikansi (Sig.) 0,000 yakni lebih kecil dari probabilitas (0,05). Video dengan pengayaan tokoh dan animasi mampu meningkatkan kemampuan pemahaman konseptual siswa. Agent pedagogical pada video tersebut dapat digunakan sebagai inovasi pendidikan.Abstract: In traditional learning, students cannot repeat the teacher's explanation outside the classroom. One solution for students who have low conceptual understanding is that students can take tutoring. The similarity in online tutoring features is to present videos with character enrichment and animation. This feature is a form of the pedagogical agent. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of video with character enrichment and animation to increase conceptual understanding of science subjects in the solar system in class VII junior high school. This study uses a pre-experimental method with One Group Pretest Postest Design. Data analysis used paired sample t-test and n-gain test. Based on the results of data analysis, the significance value (Sig.) 0.000 is smaller than the probability (0.05). Videos with character enrichment and animation can improve students' conceptual understanding abilities. The pedagogical agent in the video can be used as an educational innovation

TV 2.0: animation readership / authorship on the internet

Traditional platforms for animation, such as broadcast television or cinema, are rapidly becoming obsolete as a new type of spectator demands more choice, the ability to interact with animated content and access to global distribution for their own user-generated work. Audiences are no longer satisfied with receiving a top down distribution of content from traditional cinema or broadcasters. Internet technologies are emerging to address this demand for active spectatorship and enable communities of interest to evolve their own alternative distribution methods. Viewing animation online has become increasingly accessible with the mass adoption of broadband and the emergence of new file formats. TV 2.0 is an amalgamation of Internet technologies that combine video on demand with the social networking capabilities of Web 2.0. In the age of TV 2.0, the role of the viewer has increased in complexity with new possibilities for active interaction and intervention with the content displayed. This new audience seeks a form of spectatorship that can extend beyond the passive recipience of programming distributed by elite broadcasters. TV 2.0 on the Internet has changed both methods of distribution and traditional patterns for the viewing of animation. However, any potential for democratic participation in the visual culture of moving images that this could entail may be a brief historic moment before the assimilation and control of active readership by mainstream corporate culture

How can I produce a digital video artefact to facilitate greater understanding among youth workers of their own learning-to-learn competence?

In Ireland, youth work is delivered largely in marginalised communities and through non-formal and informal learning methods. Youth workers operate in small isolated organisations without many of the resources and structures to improve practice that is afforded to larger formal educational establishments. Fundamental to youth work practice is the ability to identify and construct learning experiences for young people in non-traditional learning environments. It is therefore necessary for youth workers to develop a clear understanding of their own learning capacity in order to facilitate learning experiences for young people. In the course of this research, I attempted to use technology to enhance and support the awareness among youth workers of their own learning capacity by creating a digital video artifact that explores the concept – learning-to-learn. This study presents my understanding of the learning-to-learn competence as, I sought to improve my practice as a youth service manager and youth work trainer. This study was conducted using an action research approach. I designed and evaluated the digital media artifact – “Lenny’s Quest” in collaboration with staff and trainer colleagues in the course of two cycles of action research, and my research was critiqued and validated throughout this process

Sketching-out virtual humans: From 2d storyboarding to immediate 3d character animation

Virtual beings are playing a remarkable role in today’s public entertainment, while ordinary users are still treated as audiences due to the lack of appropriate expertise, equipment, and computer skills. In this paper, we present a fast and intuitive storyboarding interface, which enables users to sketch-out 3D virtual humans, 2D/3D animations, and character intercommunication. We devised an intuitive “stick figurefleshing-outskin mapping” graphical animation pipeline, which realises the whole process of key framing, 3D pose reconstruction, virtual human modelling, motion path/timing control, and the final animation synthesis by almost pure 2D sketching. A “creative model-based method” is developed, which emulates a human perception process, to generate the 3D human bodies of variational sizes, shapes, and fat distributions. Meanwhile, our current system also supports the sketch-based crowd animation and the storyboarding of the 3D multiple character intercommunication. This 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