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34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
University of Ulster
Muscle and Flesh Simulation Tool: Design and implementation of an innovative and affordable muscle and flesh simulation method using shape deltas for History Channel series, Jurassic Fight Club
As we strive to increase the realism of computer-generated characters, the techniques pursued by creature developers are increasing in complexity and are both time-consuming for the artist to set up and to simulate. Perceiving the underlying muscle and flesh movement is an important part of selling the believability of a creature to an audience. Current techniques range from implementing a multidimensional-spring driven tetrahedral mesh or a muscle system. However, both approaches are solely the domain of a facility with a dedicated R&D department.
The problem was to design a solution that could deliver 5 screen hours of flesh and muscle simulations for a History Channel series featuring computer generated dinosaurs with an off-the-shelf 3D authoring tool.
Maguire designed a solution developing upon his earlier research on a shape based Facial Action Coding System [FACS, Ekmann 1977] for animating facial expressions. This approach took multiple targets based on facial muscles and attached them to a simple 2D controller for an animator. Using a similar approach, could shape targets be used to simulate the muscles and flesh of a limb? Could the shape targets be driven dynamically by a single dynamic spring?
A muscle when put under force, such as a foot stomp, will oscillate in all 3-axis. Maguire created a series of six shape targets based on the extremities of each muscle movement; anterior, posterior, superior, inferior, and proximal to distal.
The 3D authoring tool had a simple and fast dynamics system built in. Maguire created a simple single point oscillating spring and attached it to the leg of the creature. He normalised the output of the x,y,z translations of the spring and normalised the outputs using them to drive the flesh shape targets. The research enabled extremely realistic but affordable muscle system that increased the sustainability of the studio.
