Post-render motion blur
Granted: March 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9275490
A method of applying a post-render motion blur to an object may include receiving a first image of the object. The first image need not be motion blurred, and the first image may include a first pixel and rendered color information for the first pixel. The method may also include receiving a second image of the object. The second image may be motion blurred, and the second image may include a second pixel and a location of the second pixel before the second image was motion blurred.…
Controlling animated character expression
Granted: February 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9256973
A system includes a computer system capable of representing one or more animated characters. The computer system includes a blendshape manager that combines multiple blendshapes to produce the animated character. The computer system also includes an expression manager to respectively adjust one or more control parameters associated with each of the plurality of blendshapes for adjusting an expression of the animated character. The computer system also includes a corrective element…
Scale independent tracking pattern
Granted: February 9, 2016
Patent Number:
9256778
In one aspect, a computer implemented method of motion capture, the method includes tracking the motion of a dynamic object bearing a pattern configured such that a first portion of the patterns is tracked at a first resolution and a second portion of the pattern is tracked at a second resolution. The method further includes causing data representing the motion to be stored to a computer readable medium.
Navigable interfaces for graphical representations
Granted: December 29, 2015
Patent Number:
9223488
A system includes a computing device that includes a memory configured to store instructions. The computing device also includes a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method that includes defining a first portion of a display as a workspace for a graphical representation of a portion of a network of processing operations. The workspace provides a navigable view of the graphical representation for editing the displayed portion of the network. The method also…
Refining facial animation models
Granted: November 24, 2015
Patent Number:
9196074
A system includes a computing device that includes a memory configured to store instructions. The computing device also includes a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method that includes producing an animation model from one or more representations of an object provided from a deformable likeness of the object. The one or more representations are based upon position information from a collection of images of the object captured by at least one camera. The…
Combining shapes for animation
Granted: November 10, 2015
Patent Number:
9183660
A system includes a computing device that includes a memory for storing instructions. The computing device also includes a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method that includes combining, in a nonlinear manner, a first set of vertex displacements that represent the difference between a first animated expression and a neutral animated expression with a second set of vertex displacements that represent the difference between a second animated expression and the…
Modifying an animation having a constraint
Granted: November 3, 2015
Patent Number:
9177408
A computer-implemented method for handling a modification of an animation having a constraint includes detecting a user modification of an animation that involves at least first and second objects, the first object constrained to the second object during a constrained period and non-constrained to the second object during a non-constrained period. The method includes, based on the user modification, selecting one of at least first and second compensation adjustments for the animation…
Subdivision of surfaces approximation
Granted: September 29, 2015
Patent Number:
9147288
This document describes systems and techniques for representing computer-generated objects with a limit mesh. In general, the systems and techniques may generate an object's form or appearance based on an estimation of how the object would look if shapes that form the object were infinitely subdivided to create a smooth surface for the object. For example, when a user views a distance object in a video game, its shape can be estimated by calculating an approximation of what the object…
Visual and physical motion sensing for three-dimensional motion capture
Granted: September 22, 2015
Patent Number:
9142024
A system includes a visual data collector for collecting visual information from an image of one or more features of an object. The system also includes a physical data collector for collecting sensor information provided by at one or more sensors attached to the object. The system also includes a computer system that includes a motion data combiner for combining the visual information the sensor information. The motion data combiner is configured to determine the position of a…
Refraction determination for animating 3D objects
Granted: September 22, 2015
Patent Number:
9142055
This disclosure describes technology, which can be implemented as a method, apparatus, and/or computer software embodied in a computer-readable medium, capable of deforming internal geometry within an outer geometry to account for light bending due to refraction, for example, for real-time modeling of a gaze direction of a 3D computer generated character's eyes. In some implementations, internal eye geometry can be deformed to capture the effect of refraction in real-time such that the…
Pose space simplicial interpolation
Granted: September 1, 2015
Patent Number:
9123175
An animation rig is displayed in a plurality of reference poses. The animation rig has a pose deformation in each pose. A refinement deformation for each reference pose is received. Each refinement deformation is mapped to a respective point in n-dimensional space. A complex is built in the n-dimensional space. The complex includes a mesh of simplices, each corner of each simplex associated with one of the deformations.
Stereoscopic conversion
Granted: August 25, 2015
Patent Number:
9118902
In one aspect, a method is performed by one or more processors. The method includes receiving a primary view image showing a scene from a view of a primary camera; depth values for one or more objects in the scene; and a camera offset between the primary camera and a secondary camera. The method further includes determining disparities for each pixel in the primary view image. The method further includes generating a secondary view image using the primary view image, the depth values,…
Virtual director's viewfinder
Granted: July 28, 2015
Patent Number:
9094608
A virtual director's viewfinder includes: a housing with a form factor of a director's viewfinder; at least one mechanical viewfinder control connected to the housing, the virtual director's viewfinder encoding a setting of the mechanical viewfinder control into digital setting information; at least one communication device for communication of the digital setting information to a computer system, and for receiving from the computer system an image generated using the digital setting…
Transforming animations
Granted: July 14, 2015
Patent Number:
9082229
A system includes a computing device that includes a memory configured to store instructions. The computing device also includes a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method that includes identifying one or more frames included in series of frames that represent a portion of an animated character. The identified one or more frames can be reconstructed from a portion of the series of frames absent the identified one or more frames. The method also includes…
Rolling shutter timing tester
Granted: July 7, 2015
Patent Number:
9077961
A device includes a plurality of vertically aligned pairs of light sources. The device is configured to sequentially illuminate the vertically aligned pairs of light sources. The output illuminating can be captured by a camera having a rolling shutter delay to create an image having a rolling shutter artifact. The image can be analyzed to determine the rolling shutter delay of the camera.
Accelerated subsurface scattering determination for rendering 3D objects
Granted: June 30, 2015
Patent Number:
9070208
The present disclosure includes, among other things, systems, methods, and program products for estimating radiant exitance due to subsurface scattering. For example, one or more aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be embodied in one or more methods that include distributing a plurality of sample points across the surface of a 3D object model to be rendered into a 2D image and determining a solid angle subtended by a first sample point and a second sample point…
Visually representing a composite graph of image functions
Granted: May 19, 2015
Patent Number:
9035949
Visually representing a composite graph of image functions includes providing a visual representation of a composite graph for an image, the visual representation including first items corresponding to respective image functions, and second items corresponding to containers for image functions, the image to be rendered by performing the image functions in an order defined by the composite graph. The user selects an expansion mode for presenting contents of a first container, each of the…
Editable character action user interfaces
Granted: May 12, 2015
Patent Number:
9030477
A system includes a computing device that includes a memory configured to store instructions. The computing device also includes a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method that includes defining at least one of a location in a virtual scene and a time represented in a timeline as being associated with a performance of an animated character. The method also includes aggregating data that represents actions of the animation character for at least one of the…
Configuring stereo cameras
Granted: May 5, 2015
Patent Number:
9025007
A computer-implemented method for configuring stereo cameras includes detecting, in a computer system, a relocation of a manipulator in a virtual set. The manipulator defined in the computer system to specify an aspect of the virtual set. The method includes receiving an input in the computer system, the input specifying an aspect of a projection environment. The method includes configuring, using the relocation and the input, first and second cameras to capture a stereo view of a scene…
Post-render motion blur
Granted: May 5, 2015
Patent Number:
9025902
A method of applying a post-render motion blur to an object may include receiving a first image of the object. The first image need not be motion blurred, and the first image may include a first pixel and rendered color information for the first pixel. The method may also include receiving a second image of the object. The second image may be motion blurred, and the second image may include a second pixel and a location of the second pixel before the second image was motion blurred. The…
