4D parametric motion graphs for interactive animation

Abstract

A 4D parametric motion graph representation is presented for interactive animation from actor performance capture in a multiple camera studio. The representation is based on a 4D model database of temporally aligned mesh sequence reconstructions for multiple motions. High-level movement controls such as speed and direction are achieved by blending multiple mesh sequences of related motions. A real-time mesh sequence blending approach is introduced which combines the realistic deformation of previous non-linear solutions with efficient online computation. Transitions between different parametric motion spaces are evaluated in real-time based on surface shape and motion similarity. 4D parametric motion graphs allow real-time interactive character animation while preserving the natural dynamics of the captured performance.