Output details

Dynamic skin deformation with characteristic curves

Originality: Skin deformation is crucial for realistic and efficient character animation. All existing approaches to skin deformation are surface-based or volume-based. There are no research based studies which are curve-based. This paper is the first which introduces a curve-based approach to achieve highly computational efficient skin deformation. In order to create realistic skin deformation, it also combines the strengths of example-based and physics-based approaches. Three theoretical developments have been made by this work. First, the concept of curve-based skin deformation is proposed. Second, skin surfaces are defined with time-dependent 3D trigonometric curves. Third, an analytical approach to computing dynamic skin deformations is developed from 3D trigonometric curves and dynamics of physically-based curve deformations.

Significance: Character animation plays an important role in film and games industries. Skin deformation affects the realism of character animation and our work addresses how to simulate skin deformation more realistically and crucially more efficiently. It forms a foundation for a project “Integrated technique for fast and physics-based character modelling and animation” jointly funded by the Royal Society, UK (£12,000, You) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Rigour: The proposed approach is based on the theoretical principle that a 3D surface model can be defined by a set of curves on the surface. The deformation of the curves is based on the physics of bending deformation of elastic beams. These two aspects ensure the rigour of the proposed approach. All skin deformation examples given in the paper also demonstrate that the proposed approach can generate numerous skin deformations realistically and efficiently.