Looping Motion Space Registration for Seamless Character Animation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rendering technologies face challenges in generating realistic looping motion sequences for character animation, as existing methods like motion graphs limit variations and result in unrealistic transitions when looping motion clips, consuming valuable computational resources and producing artifacts such as jumping or sliding motions.
Innovation Solution
The method involves synchronizing motion clips to have the same number of periodic cycles, calculating a looping registration curve to align frames spatially and temporally, and padding clips so that the first and last frames are identical, allowing seamless joining of clips to create arbitrarily long motion sequences without artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If motion clips are looped to create longer sequences using traditional motion graph approaches, then the sequence length is extended, but unrealistic transitions and artifacts (jumping, sliding) occur because the clips are not time-warped to be in phase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by time-warping motion clips to adjust their temporal parameters. Specifically, the system modifies the timing and phase parameters of motion clips through registration curves that map source time to destination time, ensuring that looping transitions occur at corresponding phases of the motion cycle. This resolves the contradiction by allowing extended sequence length while maintaining transition realism through parameter adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-computing registration curves that identify matching transition frames between motion clips before actual animation playback. The system analyzes motion clips in advance to determine optimal loop points where poses match, and pre-adjusts the temporal parameters so that when clips are looped, transitions occur seamlessly without jumping or sliding artifacts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If motion graphs are used to represent transitions between motion clips, then a fixed set of variations can be sequenced, but the animator is limited to only those fixed variations and cannot create arbitrary motion sequences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning from static motion graphs with fixed transition paths to a dynamic registration-based system. The registration curves enable flexible, arbitrary sequencing of motion clips by allowing the animator to specify any start and end poses, and the system dynamically computes the appropriate temporal mapping and blending parameters. This resolves the contradiction by providing motion variation flexibility without requiring a complex pre-defined motion graph structure.
3Ease of operation
If frame-to-frame linear time dissolve is used to blend motion clips, then transitions between clips are created, but the character appears to jump or slide because motions are not time-warped to be in phase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary registration curve that mediates between source and destination motion clips. Instead of directly blending frames in linear time, the registration curve acts as an intermediate mapping layer that warps time parameters to ensure corresponding phases align. This intermediary transformation maintains motion continuity and prevents jumping or sliding artifacts while preserving the simplicity of the blending operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for generating a looping motion space for real-time character animation may include determining a plurality of motion clips to include in the looping motion space and determining a number of motion cycles performed by a character object depicted in each of the plurality of motion clips. A plurality of looping motion clips may be synthesized from the motion clips, where each of the looping motion clips depicts the character object performing an equal number of motion cycles. Additionally, a starting frame of each of the plurality of looping motion clips may be synchronized so that the motion cycles in each of the plurality of looping motion clips are in phase with one another. By rendering an animation sequence using multiple passes through the looping motion space, an animation of the character object performing the motion cycles may be extended for arbitrary length of time.