JP2000357244A - Animation generator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] When moving a virtual camera following a three-dimensional object, an animation with a flow that is easy to appreciate can be obtained even when a specific part of the object repeats small movements. An object of the present invention is to provide an animation generation device. SOLUTION: An animation generation unit 3 designates a model of a specific three-dimensional object to be mainly projected from a plurality of three-dimensional object models, obtains a center of gravity of the designated three-dimensional object model, and determines a drawing time. A projection attribute changing unit for changing temporally so as to occupy the center of the two-dimensional image of the animation projected every time;
By making the representative point of the whole model, not the part of the object model, the direction of the virtual camera,
The movement of each part is averaged, and excessive vibration of the direction of the virtual camera can be prevented, and smooth camera work can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to animation generation using computer graphics technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional technologies include computer graphics technology and animation technology. The computer graphics technology is a technology for defining and drawing a model in a computer for an object to be displayed on a screen as a target.

[0003] The animation technique is a technique for arranging and moving a model constructed in a computer based on a scenario created by a creator in advance in space and on a time axis, and changing a geometric shape and a surface attribute. is there. These techniques have been studied for many years. Many tools for creating animations for commercials and TV programs (eg LightWave and 3DstudioMax)
Is commercially available.

FIG. 12 shows a conventional animation generating apparatus. After defining the geometrical shape and surface attributes of a model of a three-dimensional object such as a human body composed of a plurality of parts in the model holding unit 1, the scenario holding unit 2 defines the plurality of models defined in the model holding unit 1. The appearance and exit of a model of a three-dimensional object, the movement in the middle, the temporal change of geometric shapes and surface attributes, the temporal change of multiple illumination types and their illumination attributes, the position and orientation of the virtual camera that holds the projection attributes A scenario indicating a direction and its temporal change is stored.

The animation generation unit 3 outputs a model of a three-dimensional object, lighting, the position of the next drawing time of the virtual camera, and the value of the attribute from the scenario stored in the scenario holding unit 2. When specified by the animation generation unit 3, the animation drawing unit 4 projects and converts the model of the three-dimensional object from the model holding unit 1 according to the position and attribute of the time output from the animation generation unit 3 and generates the two-dimensional animation. The image is drawn on the display unit 5 and an end notification is output to the animation generation unit 3.

The animation generation unit 3 determines the position in the space of the next drawing time of the model of the three-dimensional object based on the scenario stored in the scenario holding unit 2. In order to direct the virtual camera to follow, it is necessary to obtain the attribute of the projection transformation in advance so as to face the model of the target three-dimensional object and save the attribute in the scenario.

FIG. 13 shows another conventional example. The operation of the other constituent blocks except for the target part setting unit 3a conforms to each block in FIG. The target part setting unit 3a specifies a part of the model of the specific three-dimensional object that the virtual camera follows, and the animation generation unit 3 performs projection conversion to direct the virtual camera in the direction of the specified part (hereinafter, target part). Change the attribute value for each drawing time.

The time change of the position of the virtual camera is calculated by using the value stored in the scenario holding unit 2 and the direction of the virtual camera is defined as the direction of the vector from the position of the virtual camera at the drawing time to the target part. The two-dimensional image thus obtained has contents oriented in the direction of the target part. However, for example, if a part such as the palm of a human hand waving as a greeting or a human head shaking his head as a reply is specified as the target part, the direction in which the virtual camera turns can swing up, down, left and right in a short time,
Viewers must tolerate screen shakes that can cause seasickness.

[0009]

In this animation generating apparatus, it is required that a two-dimensional image of an animation centered on a target model be displayed following the movement of the model of the focused three-dimensional object during the animation. Have been. In a conventional animation generation device, when a two-dimensional image of an animation is generated following a movement of a model of a focused three-dimensional object, the two-dimensional image is roughly classified into two types.

The first method is to manually create a time conversion of the projection attribute in advance so that the virtual camera always faces the model of the three-dimensional object, and to set the projection attribute to a finite discrete time by specifying a key frame. Can be changed, and a smooth animation flow can be drawn, but requires the effort of the creator and the sense of setting the virtual camera.

A second method is to specify a target part so that the virtual camera always faces a specific part of the model of the three-dimensional object, and the projection attribute is directed to the target part at each drawing time. If the target part moves finely or violently or shakes slightly, the projection attribute is changed accordingly, and
Since the direction of the visible scene projected on the two-dimensional image changes little by little, the animation flow becomes unbearable for viewers to watch.

An object of the present invention is to easily generate a two-dimensional image centering on a target model of an animation by designating a model of a focused three-dimensional object.

[0013]

In the animation generating apparatus according to the present invention, the animation generating unit 3 specifies a model of a specific three-dimensional object to be mainly projected from a plurality of three-dimensional object models, and specifies the model. A projection attribute changing unit 6 is provided, which obtains the center of gravity of the model of the obtained three-dimensional object and temporally changes the center of the two-dimensional image of the animation projected at each drawing time.

According to the configuration of the present invention,
By making the representative point of the whole model, not the part of the object model, the direction of the virtual camera,
The movement of each unit is averaged, and excessive swinging of the direction of the virtual camera can be prevented, so that relatively smooth camera work can be obtained.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An animation generating apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises: a model holding unit for storing a geometric shape and a surface attribute of a model of a three-dimensional object composed of a plurality of parts; The time when the models of the plurality of three-dimensional objects stored in the system appear in a series of scenes of the animation, perform operations, and exit, as well as the temporal changes in the position, geometric shape, and surface attributes in space, and the series of scenes in the animation The type of the plurality of lights to be arranged, the period in which the lights are arranged, the time change of the position in the space and the lighting attribute, and the position and projection in the space of the virtual camera for projecting and converting the animation into a two-dimensional image. A scenario holding unit that stores a scenario describing the time change of the attribute, and according to the scenario stored in the scenario holding unit, Wherein stored in the serial model holding unit 3
An animation generation unit for arranging a model of a dimensional object in space and time; and at the time output from the animation generation unit, the model holding having the position of the time output from the animation generation unit, a geometric shape, and a surface attribute. Illuminating the models of the plurality of three-dimensional objects stored in the unit with the plurality of lights output from the animation generation unit using the lighting attributes at the times output from the animation generation unit; An animation drawing unit that draws with the projection attribute of the output time and outputs a drawing end notification to the animation generation unit; and wherein the animation generation unit is stored in the scenario holding unit and appears and exits in the animation. A plurality of the three-dimensional objects stored in the model holding unit; The model of the specific three-dimensional object to be projected is mainly specified from the model of the object and the period of the specified three-dimensional object, the center of gravity of the model of the specified three-dimensional object is obtained, and the two-dimensional animation is projected at each drawing time. A projection attribute changing unit that changes with time so as to occupy the center of the image.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the animation generating apparatus according to the first aspect, the projection attribute changing unit includes a movable area holding unit that holds a movable area of the center of gravity of the model of the designated three-dimensional object. It is characterized in that the projection attribute is changed when exceeding the movable area. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the animation generating apparatus according to the first aspect, the projection attribute changing unit includes a motion vector holding unit that holds a range of the magnitude of the motion vector of the center of gravity of the model of the specified three-dimensional object. It is characterized in that the projection attribute is changed when it exceeds the range.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the animation generating apparatus according to the first aspect, the projection attribute changing unit holds a range of an area occupying the center of the two-dimensional image of the model of the specified three-dimensional object. With a range holder,
It is characterized in that the projection attribute is changed when exceeding the range. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the animation generating device according to the first aspect, the projection attribute changing unit holds a ratio of an area occupying the center of the two-dimensional image of the designated three-dimensional object model. And the projection attribute is changed when the ratio is exceeded.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 will be described. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows an animation generating apparatus according to (Embodiment 1). The model holding unit 1 is configured such that, for example, a model of a target three-dimensional object (hereinafter, an object) is composed of a plurality of parts, each part is represented by a geometrical shape by a plurality of polygons and curved surfaces, and the gloss and fineness of the surface are The surface attribute covered with a material such as irregularities and a texture such as a color or a pattern is stored. As shown in the example of FIG.
16 and a data structure having a hierarchical relationship shown in FIG. 101 represents the content of data stored in the model holding unit 1, and 102 represents the content of the geometric shape data of the model.

The scenario holding unit 2 describes the appearance time and exit time of an object appearing in the animation, and the position, size and surface attribute at a specific time in the meantime. A scenario is described in which lighting attributes such as position, luminance, and color are described, and projection attributes such as the position, direction, and zoom value of a virtual camera for converting an animation into a two-dimensional image are stored.

The animation generation unit 3 extracts a plurality of objects appearing at a frame at a specific time on the time axis based on the description of the scenario stored in the scenario holding unit 2 and determines which object in the space It appears in such a position, direction and size, and calculates what kind of gloss and color it has. The lighting calculates the number and type of each, and the values of lighting attributes such as position and direction, luminance and color, and the virtual camera calculates the values of projection attributes such as position and direction, zoom, and depth of field.

The animation generation unit 3 first extracts an object appearing at the animation start time, and outputs its identifier, arrangement in a space, and surface attributes. The animation drawing unit 4 generates the geometric shape of the model of the object specified by the animation generation unit 3 and
Output to The animation generation unit 3 extracts a plurality of objects appearing at the next drawing time, outputs the plurality of objects to the animation drawing unit 4, draws a model of the object, and displays the model on the display unit 5 until the animation end time. .

The projection attribute changing unit 6 designates a specific object (hereinafter, a target object) to which the virtual camera is directed, and a part or all of the period during which the virtual camera appears.
If the target object and the period are specified, the projection attribute changing unit 6 changes the direction of the virtual camera to the target object in the projection attributes stored in the scenario holding unit 2 and outputs the result.

In the conventional method in which the direction in which the virtual camera is directed is the target part (in the example of FIG. 2, the palm or head), the direction in which the virtual camera is directed is sensitive to a small motion such as shaking the hand or neck. (See Embodiment 1), the contents included in the displayed two-dimensional image fluctuated in a short time and became very difficult to see due to a difference in an object appearing in a part other than the target part and in a viewing direction. In), the direction in which the virtual camera faces is a direction connecting the center of gravity of the target object from the position of the virtual camera.

Here, as a method of determining the center of gravity, the body density of each part is determined, the weight and the position are measured, and the points are obtained which are integrated and balanced. As a simple method, the balance point may be obtained by modeling the center of gravity and weight of each part. As a further simplified method, a rectangular parallelepiped or a sphere containing the entire model of the object may be obtained, and the center thereof may be set as the center of gravity of the object.

As described above, not the part of the object model but the representative point of the whole model is set to the direction in which the virtual camera is directed. Can be prevented. The projection attribute is changed so that such a center of gravity is displayed at the center point of the generated two-dimensional image, and is output to the display unit 5 via the animation drawing unit 4. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of changing the projection attribute of the virtual camera in the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 4 shows (Embodiment 2)
1 shows an animation generation device. In the same manner as in the case where the projection attribute changing unit 6 of the first embodiment designates a model and a period of an object and displays the projection attribute, the animation generating unit 3 feeds back the attribute.
In this (Embodiment 2), the projection attribute change unit 6 includes the movable region holding unit 7 for holding the movable region of the center of gravity of the designated model of the three-dimensional object, and changes the projection attribute when it exceeds the movable region.

The current center of gravity is obtained in the same manner as described above, but the direction of the virtual camera is not changed within the movable area stored in the movable area holding unit 7 around the center of gravity obtained at the time of the previous drawing. When the moving area is exceeded, the direction of the virtual camera is changed, and the center of gravity stored in the moving area holding unit is updated. In the flowchart for changing the projection attribute of the virtual camera in the second embodiment, only the step A in the flowchart in the first embodiment is replaced with the flow shown in FIG.

The direction of the virtual camera is set at a point between the line connecting the previous center of gravity and the center of gravity of the next drawing time so as to adjust the magnitude of the change in direction.
The angle of the vector of the direction of the previous virtual camera may be an intermediate angle between the angles of the vectors pointing to the center of gravity of the virtual camera at the next drawing time of the virtual camera at the next drawing time.

Further, the comparison with the movable area is performed using a three-dimensional coordinate system, but the movable area may be a rectangular parallelepiped or a sphere. Further, a method based on a change in a two-dimensional image as a result of projection may be considered, assuming that the comparison with the movable region is a two-dimensional coordinate system after projection. (Embodiment 3) FIG. 6 shows an animation generating apparatus according to (Embodiment 3).

In the projection attribute changing unit 6 of the first embodiment, the animation attribute is fed back by the animation generation unit 3 in the case where the model and period of the object are designated and displayed. The projection attribute changing unit 6 of 3) includes a motion vector holding unit 8 for holding the range of the magnitude of the motion vector of the center of gravity of the model of the specified three-dimensional object, and Change projection attributes when exceeded.

The current center of gravity is obtained in the same manner as described above. If the center of gravity is within the boundary value of the magnitude of the motion vector stored in the motion vector holding unit 8 starting from the center of gravity obtained in the previous drawing, the virtual camera is turned. Do not change the direction. When the magnitude of the motion vector exceeds the boundary value, the direction of the virtual camera is changed according to the motion vector. The starting point of the vector stored in the motion vector holding unit is updated at each drawing time.
In the flowchart for changing the projection attribute of the virtual camera in the third embodiment, only the step A in the flowchart of the first embodiment is replaced with the flow shown in FIG.

The direction of the virtual camera is set at a point between the line connecting the previous center of gravity and the center of gravity of the next drawing time so as to adjust the magnitude of the change in direction.
The angle of the vector of the direction of the previous virtual camera may be an intermediate angle between the angles of the vectors pointing to the center of gravity of the virtual camera at the next drawing time of the virtual camera at the next drawing time.

Although the comparison of the motion vectors is performed using the three-dimensional coordinates, there may be a method in which the two-dimensional coordinates after the projection are used and the two-dimensional image as a result of the projection is changed. (Embodiment 4) FIG. 8 shows an animation generating apparatus according to (Embodiment 4). In this (Embodiment 4), in the same manner as in (Embodiment 4), the projection attribute when the model and period of the object are designated and displayed by the projection attribute changing unit 6 is fed back by the animation generation unit 3. The projection attribute changing unit 6 includes an area range holding unit 9 for holding a range of an area occupying the center of the two-dimensional image of the designated model of the three-dimensional object, and changes the projection attribute when the area exceeds the range.

As described above, the current center of gravity is obtained. If the center of gravity is within the boundary value of the area range stored in the area range holding unit 9 when the center of gravity is arranged as the center of the two-dimensional image, the zoom value of the virtual camera is obtained. Does not change. When the boundary value of the area range is exceeded, the zoom value of the virtual camera is changed according to the occupied area. Here, the area range represents, for example, the size of a rectangle at the center of a two-dimensional image, and a boundary value composed of a frame of a minimum rectangle and a maximum rectangle can be considered.

In the flowchart for changing the projection attribute of the virtual camera in (Embodiment 4), only the step A in the flowchart in (Embodiment 1) is replaced with the flow shown in FIG. When the area becomes smaller than the smallest rectangle,
Change the zoom value to be greater than or equal to the area of the smallest rectangle,
When the area exceeds the maximum rectangle, change the zoom value so that it is less than or equal to the area of the maximum rectangle. In order to adjust the rate of change of the magnitude, the above-mentioned intermediate value may be taken. With such a configuration, even when the distance of the target object from the virtual camera is largely changed, the target object can be viewed without largely changing the size of the target object drawn on the two-dimensional image.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 10 shows an animation generating apparatus according to (Embodiment 5). In this (Embodiment 5), in the same manner as in the (Embodiment 1), the projection attribute when the object model and the period are specified and displayed by the projection attribute change unit 6 and the animation generation unit 3 feeds back the attributes. The projection attribute changing unit 6 includes an area ratio holding unit 10 for holding a ratio of an area occupying the center of the two-dimensional image of the designated three-dimensional object model, and changes the projection attribute when the ratio exceeds the ratio.

As described above, the current center of gravity is obtained. If the center of gravity is within the boundary value of the area ratio stored in the area range holding unit 9 when the center of gravity is arranged as the center of the two-dimensional image, the zoom value of the virtual camera is obtained. Does not change. When the boundary value of the area ratio is exceeded, the zoom value of the virtual camera is changed according to the area ratio occupied by the model of the target object. Here, the area ratio represents, for example, the ratio of the size of the rectangle when the center of the two-dimensional image is displayed to the entire area for displaying the two-dimensional image, and the boundary value of the ratio between the minimum rectangle and the maximum rectangle is considered. Can be

In the flowchart for changing the projection attribute of the virtual camera in the fifth embodiment, only step A of the flowchart in the first embodiment is replaced with the flow shown in FIG. When the area is less than the minimum area ratio, change the zoom value so that the area is equal to or greater than the minimum area ratio, and when the area exceeds the maximum area ratio, the area is reduced to the area less than the maximum area ratio. Change the zoom value so that In order to adjust the rate of change of the magnitude, the above-mentioned intermediate value may be taken. With such a configuration, even when the distance of the target object from the virtual camera is largely changed, the target object can be viewed without largely changing the size of the target object drawn on the two-dimensional image.

Although the above (Embodiment 2) to (Embodiment 5) are each specifically implemented, (Embodiment 2) to (Embodiment 5) are not contradictory. ,
A plurality of projection attributes are obtained and complemented so that the center of gravity of the target object becomes the center of the two-dimensional image by executing a plurality of the flows of FIG. 5, the flow of FIG. 7, the flow of FIG. 9, and the flow of FIG. It can also be configured to fit.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a relatively smooth camera work that can be easily set so as to follow the movement of a three-dimensional object when generating an animation. Further, the size of the three-dimensional object drawn at the time of generating the animation can be not significantly changed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an animation generation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an example of a data structure of an object model according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of changing a projection attribute of the virtual camera according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an animation generation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a main part flowchart of changing the projection attribute of the virtual camera according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an animation generation device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a main part flowchart of changing the projection attribute of the virtual camera according to the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of an animation generation device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a main part flowchart of changing the projection attribute of the virtual camera according to the embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an animation generation device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a main part of changing the projection attribute of the virtual camera according to the embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a conventional animation generation device.

FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of another conventional animation generation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Model holding | maintenance part 2 Scenario holding | maintenance part 3 Animation generation part 4 Animation drawing part 5 Display part 6 Projection attribute change part 7 Movable area holding part 8 Motion vector holding part 9 Area range holding part 10 Area ratio holding part

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Haruyo Okubo 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Osaka Pref.Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Person Yoshimori Nakase 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture F-term in Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. 5B050 BA08 BA09 BA18 EA04 EA24 EA27 FA02

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A model holding unit that stores a geometric shape and a surface attribute of a model of a three-dimensional object composed of a plurality of parts, and a model of the plurality of three-dimensional objects stored in the model holding unit is an animation. The time at which the user appears in a series of scenes, moves and exits, as well as the time change of the position, geometric shape, and surface attribute in space, and the types of the plurality of lights and the lights arranged in the series of scenes of the animation are arranged. A scenario holding unit for storing a scenario describing a time period and a time change of a position and a lighting attribute in a space, and a time change of a position and a projection attribute in a space of a virtual camera for projecting and converting the animation into a two-dimensional image. According to the scenario stored in the scenario storage unit, the model of the three-dimensional object stored in the model storage unit. An animation generation unit for arranging files in a space-time, and at the time output from the animation generation unit, the position of the time output from the animation generation unit and stored in the model holding unit having a geometric shape and a surface attribute. Illuminated the plurality of models of the plurality of three-dimensional objects with the plurality of lights output from the animation generation unit with the lighting attribute at the time output from the animation generation unit, and output from the animation generation unit. An animation drawing unit for drawing with the projection attribute at the time and outputting a drawing end notification to the animation generation unit; and the model holding unit, wherein the animation generation unit is stored in the scenario holding unit and goes up and down in the animation. From the models of the plurality of three-dimensional objects stored in the The model and the period of the specific three-dimensional object to be projected are designated, and the center of gravity of the designated model of the three-dimensional object is determined to occupy the center of the two-dimensional image of the animation projected at each drawing time. An animation generation device comprising: a projection attribute changing unit that changes over time. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said projection attribute changing unit includes a movable region holding unit for holding a movable region of a center of gravity of a model of the designated three-dimensional object, and changes a projection attribute when the moving region exceeds said movable region. 2. The animation generating device according to 1. 3. A projection attribute changing unit comprising a motion vector holding unit for holding a range of a magnitude of a motion vector of a center of gravity of a model of a specified three-dimensional object, and changing a projection attribute when the range exceeds the range. 2. The animation generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 4. A projection attribute changing section includes an area range holding section for holding a range of an area occupying the center of a two-dimensional image of a designated three-dimensional object model, and changes a projection attribute when the area exceeds the range. 2. The animation generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 5. A projection attribute changing unit comprising an area ratio holding unit for holding a ratio of an area occupying the center of a two-dimensional image of a designated three-dimensional object model, and changing a projection attribute when the ratio exceeds the ratio. 2. The animation generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: