Methods, systems, and computer readable media for utilizing synthetic animatronics
AssigneeThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
InventorsGregory Welch, Kurtis P. Keller, Andrei State, Henry Fuchs, Ryan Edward Schubert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for utilizing synthetic animatronics are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method for synthetic animatronics includes providing a display surface having different regions that accommodate different positions or deformations of a subject, mapping images of the subject to the different regions on the display surface, and displaying the mapped images on the different regions of the display surface at different times in accordance with a desired animation of the subject.
Claims12
A method for conducting synthetic animatronics, the method comprising:
- providing a 3-D display surface having different regions that accommodate different positions or deformations of a 3-D representation of a subject;
- mapping a plurality of points on a 3-D virtual surface representing the subject to a plurality of points on the 3-D display surface such that the mapping accommodates imagery of a plurality of poses of the 3-D representation of the subject over a period of time;
- dynamically modifying the mapped imagery corresponding to successive poses of the subject represented by the virtual imagery to reduce perception of distortion or other visual artifacts;
- and
- displaying the mapped imagery on the different regions of the display surface at different times over the period of time in order to achieve a desired animation of the plurality of poses of the 3-D representation of the subject, wherein achieving the desired animation includes producing, synthetically and without real movement of the 3-D display surface, apparent animatronic movement of the subject from a plurality of different viewpoints.
A system for conducting synthetic animatronics, the system comprising:
- a 3-D display surface including different regions that accommodate different positions or deformations of a 3-D representation of a subject;
- and
- a computer for performing synthetic animatronics that includes a synthetic animatronics module configured to map a plurality of points on a 3-D virtual surface representing the subject to a plurality of points on the 3-D display surface such that the mapping accommodates imagery of a plurality of poses of the 3-D representation of the subject over a period of time, to dynamically modify the mapped imagery corresponding to successive poses of the subject represented by the virtual imagery to reduce perception of distortion or other visual artifacts, and to display the mapped imagery on the different regions of the display surface at different times over the period of time in order to achieve a desired animation of the plurality of poses of the 3-D representation of the subject, wherein achieving the desired animation includes producing, synthetically and without real movement of the 3-D display surface, apparent animatronic movement of the subject.
A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising:
- mapping a plurality of points on a 3-D virtual surface representing the subject to a plurality of points on the 3-D display surface such that the mapping accommodates imagery of a plurality of poses of the 3-D representation of the subject over a period of time, wherein the display surface includes the different regions that accommodate different positions or deformations of a subject;
- dynamically modifying the mapped imagery corresponding to successive poses of the subject represented by the virtual imagery to reduce perception of distortion or other visual artifacts;
- and
- displaying the mapped imagery on the different regions of the display surface at different times over the period of time in order to achieve a desired animation of the plurality of poses of the 3-D representation of the subject, wherein achieving the desired animation includes producing, synthetically and without real movement of the 3-D display surface, apparent animatronic movement of the subject from a plurality of different viewpoints.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.