Methods and Systems for Monitoring User Activity and Managing Controllers in 3-D Graphics

A system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to perform a method for monitoring user activity and managing controllers in a 3-D environment comprising:
• monitoring user activity associated with a rigging of a character in a 3-D environment, the user activity being indicated by a change in animation curve data;
• detecting a change in the user activity, wherein the change in the user activity comprises the user utilizing a tool, the user manipulating a key, the user selecting a mode for a selected node, or the user changing a position of a selected node;
• identifying nodes associated with the change in the user activity in which the nodes are controllers that are manipulated by a user in the rigging of a character in a 3D environment;
• adjusting the nodes such that the nodes are matched to the change in the user activity wherein a currently selected node in the identified nodes has a string attribute that has been placed by the user either manually or automatically through a script;
• other nodes related to the currently selected node have this string attribute;
• the other nodes related to the currently selected node are found by searching for this string attribute that was placed on the currently selected node;
• tracking positions of controllers under an inactive kinematic mode and positions of controllers under a currently active kinematic mode;
• updating the positions of the controllers under the inactive kinematic mode to match the positions of the controllers under the currently active kinematic mode;
• and
• eliminating a change in a position and/or pose of an appendage of a character that is caused by the switching between inverse kinematics and forward kinematics during the course of animation to position and/or pose an appendage of a character.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution by a processor, performs the computer-implemented method for monitoring user activity and managing controllers in a 3-D environment, the method comprising:

• receiving user input in the form of user activity associated with a rigging of a character in a 3-D environment;
• monitoring the user activity, the user activity being indicated by a change in animation curve data;
• detecting a change in the user activity, wherein the change in the user activity comprises the user utilizing a tool, the user manipulating a key, the user selecting a mode for a selected node, or the user changing a position of a selected node;
• identifying nodes associated with the change in the user activity, in which the nodes are controllers that are manipulated by the user in the rigging of a character in a 3-D environment;
• adjusting the nodes such that the nodes are matched to the change in the user activity wherein a currently selected node in the identified nodes has a string attribute that has been placed by the user either manually or automatically through a script;
• other nodes related to the currently selected node have this string attribute;
• the other nodes related to the currently selected node are found by searching for this string attribute that was placed on the currently selected node;
• tracking positions of controllers under an inactive kinematic mode and positions of controllers under a currently active kinematic mode;
• updating the positions of the controllers under the inactive kinematic mode to match the positions of the controllers under the currently active kinematic mode;
• and
• eliminating a change in a position and/or pose of an appendage of a character that is caused by the switching between inverse kinematics and forward kinematics during the course of animation to position and/or pose an appendage of a character.