Restricting smoothing operations on a three-dimensional geometrical primitive according to a surface normal

A computer-implemented method for restricting a smoothing operation on a three-dimensional geometric primitive for modeling characters in three-dimensional animation defined by a plurality of control points, comprising:

• computing a set of vectors describing how each control point moves as a result of applying a smoothing operation;
• filtering the set of vectors to apply a user-selected restriction to the set of vectors, wherein the user-selected restriction limits the set of vectors according to a normal of a surface corresponding to the three-dimensional geometric primitive;
• and
• applying the filtered set of vectors to the control points to smooth the three-dimensional geometric primitive;
• wherein the set of vectors are filtered so as to reproject a control point onto the surface corresponding to the three-dimensional geometrical primitive along a normal of a surface defined by the original three-dimensional geometrical primitive.

A computer program product, comprising:

• a computer-readable medium;
• computer program instructions stored on the computer readable medium which, when processed by a computer, instruct the computer to implement a method for restricting a smoothing operation on a three-dimensional geometric primitive for modeling characters in three-dimensional animation defined by a plurality of control points, comprising:
• computing a set of vectors describing how each control point moves as a result of applying a smoothing operation;
• filtering the set of vectors to apply a user-selected restriction to the set of vectors, wherein the user-selected restriction limits the set of vectors according to a normal of a surface corresponding to the three-dimensional geometric primitive;
• and
• applying the filtered set of vectors to the control points to smooth the three-dimensional geometric primitive;
• wherein the set of vectors are filtered so as to reproject a control point onto the surface corresponding to the three-dimensional geometrical primitive along a normal of a surface defined by the smoothed three-dimensional geometrical primitive.

A computer program product, comprising:

• a computer-readable medium;
• computer program instructions stored on the computer readable medium which, when processed by a computer, instruct the computer to implement a method for restricting a smoothing operation on a three-dimensional geometric primitive for modeling characters in three-dimensional animation defined by a plurality of control points, comprising:
• computing a set of vectors describing how each control point moves as a result of applying a smoothing operation;
• filtering the set of vectors to apply a user-selected restriction to the set of vectors, wherein the user-selected restriction limits the set of vectors according to a normal of a surface corresponding to the three-dimensional geometric primitive;
• and
• applying the filtered set of vectors to the control points to smooth the three-dimensional geometric primitive;
• wherein the set of vectors are filtered so as to reproject a control point onto the surface corresponding to the three-dimensional geometrical primitive along a normal of a surface defined by the original three-dimensional geometrical primitive.