Method and apparatus for creating lifelike digital representations of computer animated objects

A method for creating a graphical representation of a three-dimensional object, said method using a digital computer and comprising the following steps:

• receiving data concerning shapes of a plurality of animated objects;
• receiving weight data for each of said plurality of animated objects, said weight data varying as a function of time;
• generating a sequence of frames including a new animated object, said new animated object in each of said frames comprising a sum of said plurality of animated objects multiplied by their corresponding weights for a particular frame;
• and
• displaying on a computer screen a slide bar for each of said plurality of animated objects, said slide bar representing a weight of a corresponding animated object for a particular frame.

A method for creating a graphical representation of a three-dimensional object, said method using a digital computer and comprising the following steps:

• receiving data concerning shapes of a plurality of animated objects;
• receiving weight data for each of said plurality of animated objects, said weight data varying as a function of time;
• generating a sequence of frames including a new animated object, said new animated object in each of said frames comprising a sum of said plurality of animated objects multiplied by their corresponding weights for a particular frame;
• and
• displaying on a computer screen a graph corresponding to a weighting for an animated object over a plurality of frames.

A method for creating a graphical representation of a three-dimensional object, said method using a digital computer and comprising the following steps:

• receiving data concerning shapes of a plurality of animated objects;
• receiving weight data for each of said plurality of animated objects, said weight data varying as a function of time;
• generating a sequence of frames including a new animated object, said new animated object in each of said frames comprising a sum of said plurality of animated objects multiplied by their corresponding weights for a particular frame;
• and
• displaying said generated sequence of frames on a computer screen in a low resolution mode,
• wherein said base animated object and said plurality of animated objects are represented as a plurality of control points, each said control point having a corresponding coordinate in a space and wherein said step of displaying said generated sequence of frames on a computer screen in a low resolution mode includes the step of displaying a subset of said plurality of control points.