Virtual Avatar Animation via Hierarchical Behavior Commands
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtual avatar animation technologies are limited by their reliance on rigid motion plans and modality-specific rules, which restrict the ability to adapt or interrupt the avatar's motion in real-time.
Innovation Solution
A framework that allows for the control of virtual avatar motion through high-level symbolic and hierarchical behavior commands, using an abstract animation planning and mixing logic that is not tied to specific modalities or rules, enabling real-time modification and interruption of the avatar's performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed motion plan is used for virtual avatar animation, then the animation can be precomputed and controlled, but the system does not allow for on-the-fly adaptation and real-time interruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic motion planning system where the avatar's motion can be adjusted in real-time through a prioritized list of motion plans. Each motion plan has associated priority levels and time windows that allow dynamic modification, interruption, and reordering of motions based on incoming behavior commands, resolving the contradiction between reliable precomputed control and real-time adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The system precomputes multiple candidate motion plans and stores them in a prioritized list with associated metadata (priority levels, time windows, body part associations). This preliminary preparation enables both reliable motion control and real-time adaptation, as the system can select from pre-prepared options without requiring complex real-time computation
2Manufacturing precision
If modality-specific rules are used to control avatar behavior, then specific expressive modalities can be precisely controlled, but the system becomes tied to particular modalities and rules
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal motion control framework where behavior commands are translated into a prioritized list of motion plans that can handle multiple modalities (locomotion, manipulation, expression) through a common structure. The system uses generic concepts like priority levels, time windows, and body part associations that apply across different modalities, eliminating the need for modality-specific rule sets while maintaining precise control
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the avatar's behavior into independent motion plans associated with specific body parts (locomotion, manipulation, expression). Each motion plan can be independently controlled and modified through the prioritized list structure, allowing precise control of individual modalities while maintaining overall behavioral flexibility through the unified command translation mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
Described is a method for controlling motion of a digital character, comprising: receiving one or more behaviour commands; translating the one or more behaviour commands into a time-sequence of channel parameters for one or more animation channels; receiving one or more motion sources; determining one or more motion parameters by applying the channel parameters to corresponding blend nodes in a blend tree based on the motion sources; and controlling motion of the digital character based on the one or more motion parameters. Also described is a system implementing the method.