Multi-Character Animation Alignment System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for creating multi-character interaction scenarios in video games are inefficient and lack flexibility, as they often rely on physics engines for animation simulation, which can appear unnatural, or cinematic solutions that involve unnatural character repositioning, and may limit the selection of game characters.
Innovation Solution
A system that identifies and assigns game characters to predefined slots within interaction scenarios, processes animations to select the best match, and aligns character positions over time to ensure natural-looking interactions, allowing content creators to control conditions and context for interaction and slot assignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If physics engines are used for animation simulation, then animation generation is automated, but the animation appears unnatural
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that bridges physics-based automation and cinematic quality. The system uses physics engines to generate candidate animations and automatically selects/refines them to achieve natural-looking results, acting as a mediator between automated generation and visual fidelity requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates multiple candidate animations through physics simulation and selects the best matching one, effectively copying and comparing multiple simulated versions to find the most natural-looking animation that satisfies the interaction scenario requirements
2Ease of manufacture
If cinematic solutions are used with character repositioning, then interaction scenarios are pre-defined, but character repositioning appears unnatural
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts character positions and selects animations based on real-time game state and character locations, rather than using fixed pre-defined cinematic sequences. This allows the interaction scenarios to adapt to actual gameplay conditions while maintaining natural character movements
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes animation parameters and character position parameters dynamically to match the actual game context, selecting from multiple candidate animations those that best fit the current spatial relationships and interaction requirements without unnatural repositioning
3Ease of operation
If traditional methods are used for selecting game characters, then the process is simple, but the selection is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The character selection process is segmented into multiple independent evaluation dimensions (spatial relationships, interaction roles, animation compatibility, game state matching). Each dimension can be evaluated separately and combined to produce the final selection, allowing both simplicity in individual assessments and versatility in overall selection criteria
Data Source
AI summary
An example method of multi-character animation comprises: identifying a single scene origin in an animation scene of an interactive video game; aligning, to the single scene origin, each game character of a plurality of game characters associated with the animation scene; generating, with respect to the single scene origin, a respective animation for each game character of the plurality of game characters; and causing each game character of the plurality of game characters to be displayed, using the respective animation, in the interactive video game.