Project Description
Creating a rich repertoire of behaviors for animated characters is an
important problem. Central to all forms of motion synthesis is the
generation of a motion transition. Motion transitions are segues
between two sequences of animation. They often present difficulties
for synthesis methods, yet are important components for generating
compelling animation streams in computer games, virtual environments,
and interactive learning environments. We have studied using spacetime
constraints to generate transitions, and also linear blending. Methods
involving linear blending are more studied because of their
efficiency, computational speed, and widespread use.
The issue for using dynamic optimization (spacetime constraints) is
how to perform the optimization quickly and efficiently. For linear
blending, two things must be selected: the intervals over which
blending will occur, and the duration of these intervals.
We have developed algorithms to calculate visually pleasing transition
locations and transition durations for two categories of motion that
encompass most typical activities. We have also done formal studies to
understand better how people perceive motion transitions.
.
