US6014150A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System and method of defining and employing behaviors for articulated chains
Assignee: Autodesk Inc
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Filing: 1997-10-07
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Granted: 2000-01-11
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Expires: 2017-10-07
Abstract
Abstract A system and method for defining and employing behaviours for articulated chains in computer animations. At least one control, such as a shape control or a resolution plane control, is defined for the articulated chain and is employed as a constraint by the animation engine when animating the chain with inverse kinematics. Each control comprises two or more keys, each key comprising a couple of an effector direction vector and an associated constraint. In the case of shape control keys, the associated constraints comprise a list of preferred limb orientations and in the case of resolution plane control keys, the associated constraints comprise a preferred orientation for the resolution plane. For any given goal, selected control keys are interpolated with appropriate weightings to obtain a resulting constraint to be employed by the animation engine.
Inventors
- 👤 Yves Boucher
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 13:58
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T13/00; G06T13/20; G06T13/40; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S345/00; Y10S345/949; Y10S345/953
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
A method of defining a behaviour for an articulated chain which includes a chain root, at least one joint, at least one limb and an end effector by defining a control comprising at least two keys, each key including a a vector, indicating a direction relative to said chain root, and a constraint for use in animating said chain via inverse kinematics, said constraint being a preferred configuration for said articulated chain when said end effector is located in said direction from said chain root.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
85 words
A method of defining a behaviour for an articulated chain which includes a chain root, at least one joint, at least one limb and an end effector by defining a control comprising at least two keys, each key including a a vector, indicating a direction relative to said chain root, and a constraint for use in animating said chain via inverse kinematics, said constraint being a preferred configuration for said articulated chain when said end effector is located in said direction from said chain root.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said constraint comprises a preferred orientation for each of said at least one limbs in said chain.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said end effector is positioned in said direction relative to said root and each of said at least one limbs is placed in a preferred orientation and said direction and each of said preferred orientations is extracted to obtain one of said at least two keys.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said constraint comprises a preferred orientation for a resolution plane, said resolution plane passing through said chain root and said end effector.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said end effector is positioned in said direction relative to said root and said resolution plane is placed in a preferred orientation and said direction and said preferred orientation is extracted to obtain one of said at least two keys.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said behaviour further comprises a second control, said second control also including at least two keys, each said key comprising a vector, indicating a direction relative to said chain root, and a preferred orientation for a resolution plane, said resolution plane passing through said chain root and said end effector.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1 wherein each said key further includes a distance measured along said direction, said constraint being a preferred configuration when said end effector is located at said distance in said direction from said chain root.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
160 words
A method of animating an articulated chain comprising a chain root, at least one joint, at least one limb and an end effector using inverse kinematics, comprising the steps of: (i) defining a control comprising at least two keys for said chain, each said key comprising a vector, indicating a direction relative to said chain root, and a constraint for use in animating said chain via inverse kinematics, said constraint being a preferred configuration when said end effector is located in said direction from said chain root; (ii) defining a goal for said end effector; (iii) determining a weight for each said key of said control, said weight indicating the degree of correspondence between said direction of said key and the direction between said chain root and said goal; (iv) interpolating between said constraints of all said at least two keys according to their relative weights to obtain a resultant constraint; and (v) animating said chain with said resultant constraint.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
160 words
A method of animating an articulated chain comprising a chain root, at least one joint, at least one limb and an end effector using inverse kinematics, comprising the steps of: (i) defining a control comprising at least two keys for said chain, each said key comprising a vector, indicating a direction relative to said chain root, and a constraint for use in animating said chain via inverse kinematics, said constraint being a preferred configuration when said end effector is located in said direction from said chain root; (ii) defining a goal for said end effector; (iii) determining a weight for each said key of said control, said weight indicating the degree of correspondence between said direction of said key and the direction between said chain root and said goal; (iv) interpolating between said constraints of all said at least two keys according to their relative weights to obtain a resultant constraint; and (v) animating said chain with said resultant constraint.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 8 wherein after step (i) is complete, steps (ii) through (v) can be re-performed as desired.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 9 wherein said constraint comprises a preferred orientation for each of said at least one limbs.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 9 wherein said constraint comprises a preferred orientation for a resolution plane, said resolution plane passing through said chain root and said end effector.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 10 wherein in step (I) at least a second control is defined, said second control also comprising at least two keys, each said key comprising a vector indicating a direction relative to said chain root, a constraint which is a preferred orientation for a resolution plane, said resolution plane passing through said chain root and said end effector.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of, prior to step (iii), selecting at least one of said controls and determining a default constraint for each control which is not selected, steps (iii) through (v) employing said at least one selected control and said default constraints.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 11 where in step (iv) said interpolation is performed by converting said orientation from a first representation to a unit quaternion representation, interpolating said unit quaternion representations and converting the results of said interpolation back into said first representation.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 14 wherein in step (iv) said interpolation is performed as spherical interpolation.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method of claim 8 where in step (i) each said key further includes a distance measured along said direction, said constraint being a preferred configuration when said end effector is located at said distance in said direction from said chain root, and where in step (iii) said determined weight further indicates the correspondence between said measured distance of each said key and the distance of said goal from said chain root.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-01-10 | 2003-07-12 | 2004-01-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-01-10 | 2007-07-12 | 2008-01-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-01-10 | 2011-07-12 | 2012-01-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |