Stretchable Character Jumping Simulation via Animation Blending and Inverse Kinematics
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current computer game technologies face challenges in efficiently generating realistic jumping motions for characters with stretchable body parts, as they often require excessive computational resources, especially when inverse kinematics is performed in real-time.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves generating image frames for a character's jumping motion using either blended prestored animation clips or a combination of blending and inverse kinematics, depending on predetermined conditions such as distance, height difference, and character speed, to optimize resource usage and realism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If inverse kinematics is performed in real-time to simulate stretching of bones, then the realism of character motion is improved, but computational resources consumed increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates and stores animation clips for various jumping scenarios before the actual jumping action occurs. When a jump is needed, the system retrieves the appropriate pre-computed animation clip rather than performing real-time inverse kinematics, thereby maintaining realism while reducing computational resource consumption during game execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of pre-computed animation clips and blends them to generate the final character motion. Instead of calculating unique motions in real-time, the system combines and blends existing animation clip copies to achieve the desired jumping motion, reducing the computational burden while maintaining visual quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If inverse kinematics are used to determine character poses in real-time, then motion accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the computationally intensive pose calculation in advance during animation clip generation, not during real-time game execution. The accurate poses are pre-determined and stored in animation clips, which can then be retrieved and blended instantly when needed, eliminating the processing time delay.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pre-computed pose data from animation clips as templates. When a jump occurs, the system copies and blends these pre-computed pose sequences rather than calculating them in real-time, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining the same motion accuracy and physical correctness.
3Use of energy by moving object
If animation clips are blended without inverse kinematics, then computational resources are reduced, but realism of stretching motions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inverse kinematics selectively only to specific body parts that require stretching (such as limbs), while using standard animation blending for the rest of the character. This localized application of IK maintains realism where needed without the computational cost of applying IK to the entire character model.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying full inverse kinematics to all body parts, the patent applies IK partially only to the extent necessary to achieve realistic stretching motions. The system uses a hybrid approach where animation blending handles general motion and IK handles only the specific stretching requirements, optimizing the balance between realism and computational cost.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments relate to generating image frames including a motion of a character with one or more stretchable body parts by either performing only blending of prestored animation clips or performing both the blending of prestored animation clips and performing inverse kinematics operations where one or more bones in the body parts are stretched or contracted. Choosing whether to perform blending or the inverse kinematics depends on whether predetermined conditions are satisfied or not. Prestored animation clips to be blended may be determined according to the speed of the character when performing the jumping motion. When performing the inverse kinematics, physical properties of the character are simulated to determine the trajectory of the character during the jumping.