Cross-Application Rigging Control Protocol Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in efficiently configuring, transferring, and evaluating rigging control systems for virtual characters across different applications, due to the use of incompatible rigging control protocols.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves receiving an input request for a behavior from a virtual character rig, converting the input to be compatible with a different rigging control protocol, evaluating control systems to determine the necessary output, converting the output back to the original protocol, and providing it to the application to manipulate the virtual character.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If rigging control systems use different rigging control protocols in different applications, then each application can be optimized for its specific requirements, but transferring and evaluating rigging control systems across applications becomes inefficient and incompatible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a protocol conversion system that acts as an intermediary between different rigging control protocols. The system receives control inputs from a first application using a first rigging control protocol, converts them to a second rigging control protocol for evaluation with the virtual character rig, then converts the outputs back to the first protocol for the application. This mediator approach enables cross-application compatibility without requiring all applications to use the same native protocol, thus maintaining adaptability while improving transfer efficiency.
2Reliability
If rigging control systems are customized for specific applications, then they can achieve optimal performance for that application, but the complexity of configuring and transferring them across different applications increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal rigging control evaluation system that can work with multiple different rigging control protocols through protocol conversion. The virtual character rigging system is designed to evaluate controls from different protocols by converting them to a standardized internal representation, then converting outputs back to the original protocol. This multi-functionality approach maintains application-specific optimization while reducing configuration and transfer complexity across different applications.
Data Source
AI summary
Various examples of cross-application systems and methods for authoring, transferring, and evaluating rigging control systems for virtual characters are disclosed. Embodiments of a method include the steps or processes of creating, in a first application which implements a first rigging control protocol, a rigging control system description; writing the rigging control system description to a data file; and initiating transfer of the data file to a second application. In such embodiments, the rigging control system description may be defined according to a different second rigging control protocol. The rigging control system description may specify a rigging control input, such as a lower-order rigging element (e.g., a core skeleton for a virtual character), and at least one rule for operating on the rigging control input to produce a rigging control output, such as a higher-order skeleton or other higher-order rigging element.