3D Character Motion Compression Using Hierarchical Mesh Clusters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for compressing and streaming deformable 3D mesh data for real-time 3D animation are inefficient, leading to high data requirements and difficulty in capturing detailed motions like hair and clothing, with a lack of effective tools for post-processing and modification.
Innovation Solution
The system generates an interconnected graph-based representation of 3D character motion by automatically identifying mesh clusters, applying spatial and temporal compression, and using loss-less data compression to reduce storage and processing needs, while maintaining high fidelity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If deformable mesh based representation is used to capture detailed motion, then motion fidelity is improved, but data size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deformable mesh is segmented into multiple mesh clusters that are grouped hierarchically. Each cluster represents a local region of the mesh that moves together, reducing the number of independent position data streams from individual vertices to cluster-level transformations. This segmentation preserves detailed motion within clusters while reducing overall data requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the data representation from vertex-level position data to a hierarchical cluster transformation structure. By introducing temporal and spatial hierarchy dimensions, the system compresses the data while maintaining the ability to reconstruct detailed mesh motion through transformation propagation across the hierarchy.
2Manufacturing precision
If high-resolution mesh data is streamed in real-time, then visualization quality is improved, but processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh clusters and their hierarchical relationships are pre-computed and organized into a structured representation before streaming. This preliminary organization allows the system to transmit compressed transformation data rather than full vertex positions, reducing real-time processing requirements while maintaining visualization quality through efficient transformation application.
3Loss of information
If complete mesh data is transmitted, then data completeness is improved, but transmission efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential transformation parameters needed to represent mesh cluster motion, rather than transmitting complete vertex position data. By extracting and transmitting only the necessary transformation information at each hierarchy level, the system maintains data completeness for reconstruction while significantly improving transmission efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are described for performing spatial and temporal compression of deformable mesh based representations of 3D character motion allowing the visualization of high-resolution 3D character animations in real time. In a number of embodiments, the deformable mesh based representation of the 3D character motion is used to automatically generate an interconnected graph based representation of the same 3D character motion. The interconnected graph based representation can include an interconnected graph that is used to drive mesh clusters during the rendering of a 3D character animation. The interconnected graph based representation provides spatial compression of the deformable mesh based representation, and further compression can be achieved by applying temporal compression processes to the time-varying behavior of the mesh clusters. Even greater compression can be achieved by eliminating redundant data from the file format containing the interconnected graph based representation of the 3D character motion that would otherwise be repeatedly provided to a game engine during rendering, and by applying loss-less data compression to the data of the file itself.