Determination and display of inverse kinematic poses of virtual characters in a virtual environment

A computer-implemented method to train a machine learning model to determine an output pose for a rig, the method comprising:

• obtaining a plurality of frames that depict a virtual character in a plurality of poses, the virtual character based on a reference rig that comprises a plurality of joints;
• analyzing the plurality of frames to determine an orientation of each joint of the plurality of joints of the reference rig in a respective pose of the plurality of poses;
• resolving a respective orientation of each joint of the reference rig into a swing decomposition component and a twist decomposition component;
• and
• training the machine learning model based on the swing decomposition component, the twist decomposition component, and the respective pose as input to the machine learning model, wherein one or more parameters of the machine learning model are updated based on a distribution of rotation constraints of the reference rig in the plurality of poses, and wherein, after the training, the machine learning model is capable of determining an output pose for an input rig based on an input pose and one or more of a position and an orientation of a target end effector located on the input rig.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining an input pose of a virtual character, wherein the virtual character is based on a rig that comprises a plurality of joints;
• receiving an indication of one or more of a position and an orientation of a target end effector located on the rig;
• determining an output pose for the rig wherein the determining comprises calculating a respective orientation and position of one or more joints of the plurality of joints of the rig based on the position of the target end effector and rotation constraints of a plurality of joints of a reference rig;
• and
• displaying the virtual character in the output pose in a virtual environment.

A system comprising:

• a memory with instructions stored thereon;
• and
• a processing device, coupled to the memory, the processing device configured to access the memory and execute the instructions, wherein the instructions cause the processing device to perform operations including:
• obtaining an input pose of a virtual character, wherein the virtual character is based on a rig that comprises a plurality of joints;
• receiving an indication of one or more of a position and an orientation of a target end effector located on the rig;
• determining an output pose for the rig, wherein the determining comprises calculating a respective orientation and position of one or more joints of the plurality of joints of the rig based on the position of the target end effector and rotation constraints of a plurality of joints of a reference rig;
• and
• displaying the virtual character in the output pose in a virtual environment.