CSCE 689 - Computer Animation

 

INSTRUCTOR:

Jinxiang Chai
Email: jchai@cs.tamu.edu
Phone: 979/845-3510
Office: HRBB 527D
http://faculty.cs.tamu.edu/jchai/

COURSE INFORMATION:

Office hours: Thursday: 3:35-5:35 pm or by appointment
University credit: 3
Course room:  Richardson 912B
Course time: TR 2:20pm-3:35pm

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

 

 

This course introduces techniques for computer animation such as keyframing, simulation, motion capture, and physically-based optimization. We will focus primarily on character animation, but will also discuss animation of rigid bodies, deformable objects, crowd, and natural phenomena. Recent research results will be considered as well as basic techniques. Throughout the semester, we will read papers and analyze the ideas and the algorithms that they use.

This class is intended to give students both a broader understanding of advanced graphics techniques (through class discussions and homework assignments) and in-depth experience with a particular graphics topic (through a course project).  By the end of the class, you should be:

 

  • Comfortable with major terms and concepts in animation
  • Able to independently read and study most current animation research publications
  • Prepared to pursue further research in computer animation
  • Able to implement key parts of some animation techniques
  • Extremely familiar with at least one topic of current interest in animation

TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

 

 We will cover main topics in animation:

 

  • Numerical methods for animation
  • Simulation of rigid bodies, articulated characters, and deformable bodies
  • Kinematics and dynamics
  • Data-driven animation
  • Physically-based animation
  • Procedural animation
  • Video-based animation
  • Face, hand, cloth, crowd, etc.
  • Animation interfaces

 

TEXT

 

Recommended textbooks:

·        Selected papers from recent papers in computer animation

·        Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques, Rick Parent.

·        Physically Based Modeling (SIGGRAPH course notes by Baraff and Witkin)

·        Fluid Simulation for Computer Graphics (Robert Bridson, A K Peters, 2008)

·        Physically Based Deformable Models in Computer Graphics by Andrew Nealen, Mathias Muller, Richard Keiser, Eddy Boxerman and Mark Carlson

 

PREREQUISITIES:

 

  • Linear Algebra
  • Data structure
  • A good working knowledge of C and C++
  • Some mathematical sophistication
  • CPSC 441 is listed as prerequisites in the course catalog but it is not hard requirements. 

 

GRADING SCHEME:

 

Grading will be based on a set of programming assignments (60%) and a final project presentation (40%).  Homework and projects are due before class begins.

There will be no final exam. For the final project, collaboration and group final projects are encouraged but must be coordinated through the instructor.

 

Assignments

30%

Class participation

25%

Project

45%+

 

(A "+" denotes an area in which extra credit can be earned.)

 

LATE POLICY:

 

Students will be allowed a total of 3 (three) late days; each additional late day will incur a 20% penalty.

The last homework and final project are due during the final exam slot and no late days are permitted for these assignments.

 

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE:

 

The following is a tentative schedule for the class. It is subject to change.

 

Date

Subject

 

Readings

Notes

9/1/09

Introduction

 

[ppt]

9/3/09

A detailed overview of animation topics

 

[ppt]

9/8/09

Animation: rotation representation

    - USC's notes on Coordinate transform

    - Shoemake's paper on "Animating rotation with quaternion curves"

    - Grassia's paper on "Practical Parameterization of Rotations Using the Exponential Map"

 

[ppt]

9/10/09

Forward kinematics/inverse kinematics

 

 - IK survey paper

 - IK using nonlinear programming

 

[ppt]

9/15/09

Animation with Mocap

- ASF/AMC document

 

[ppt]

9/17/09

Motion capture data representation

 

[ppt]

9/22

Guest lecture:

Data-driven Inverse Kinematics

by Kevin Wei

 

 

 

[ppt]

9/24

Guest lecture:

Rigid-body simulation

by Shu-Wei Hsu

 

 

[ppt]

9/29

Mocap session

Motion capture lab (HRBB 505)

 

10/1

Guest lecture:

Wave Particles

by Cem Yuksel

 

 

[ppt]

10/6

Animation with Mocap

 

[ppt]

10/8

Numerical Optimization

Nonlinear least squares optimization

[ppt]

10/10

Guest lecture summaries are due

 

 

 

10/11

Project #1:

Forward kinematics and inverse kinematics

due by 10/26/2009

 

 

10/13

Data-driven Animation:

Motion graphs [Hui Lou]

 

-  Motion Graphs. Siggraph 2002

 

- Achieving Good Connectivity in Motion Graphs, SCA 2008

-           

 

10/15

Data-driven Animation:

Motion interpolations [Rhema Linder]

- Automated Extraction and Parameterization of Motions in Large Data Sets, Siggraph 2004.

 

- Near-optimal Character Animation with Continuous Control, Siggraph 2007

 

 

10/20

Physically-based animation:

[Kevin Wei]

 

- SIMBICON: Simple Biped Locomotion Control, Siggraph 2007

 

- Momentum Control for Balance, Siggraph 2009

 

 

10/22

Data-driven Animation:

[Sung Lee]

 

- Splicing Upper-Body Actions with Locomotion, Eurographics 2006

- Parametric Motion Graphs, i3D 2007

 

10/25

Final project proposal is due

 

 

10/27

Data-driven Animation:

Statistical modeling [Jianyuan Min]

 

Constraint-based Motion Optimization Using A Statistical Dynamic Model, Siggraph 20007

 

10/29

Rigid-body Simulation:

[James Huang]

 

- Nonconvex Rigid Bodies with Stacking, SIGGRAPH 2003

- Fast Frictional Dynamics For Rigid Bodies, SIGGRAPH 2005.

 

11/3

Rigid-body Simulation:

[Hao Liu]

 

- Many-Worlds Browsing for Control of Multibody Dynamics, SIGGRAPH 2007

- Backwards Steps in Rigid Body Simulation, SIGGRAPH 2008

 

11/5

Physically-based Deformation:

[Billy Clack]

 

- Large Steps in Cloth Simulation, SIGGRAPH 1998

 

11/10

Facial animation:

[Yen-Lin Chen]

- EXPRESSION CLONING, SIGGRAPH 2001

 

 

11/12

Facial animation:

[Yen-Lin Chen]

- Face/Off: Live Facial Puppetry, SCA 2009

 

 

11/17

Data-driven animation:

Hui Lou

- Mdeling Spatial and Temporal Variation in Motion Data, Siggraph Asia 2009

 

 

11/19

Physically-based optimization

[Jianyuan Min]

- Spacetime Constraints (optional), Siggaph 1998

- Synthesizing physically realistic human motion in low-dimensional, behavior-specific spaces, Siggraph 2004

 

 

11/24

Simulation of human motion

[Kevin Wei]

-          Simulation of Human Motion Data using Short-Horizon Model-Predictive Control, Eurographics 2008

-           

 

12/1

Cloth simulation II:

[Billy Clack]

- Simulation of Clothing with Folds and Wrinkles, SCA 2003

 

12/3

Motion Interpolation II:

[Rhema Linder]

- Geostatistical Motion Interpolation, Siggraph 2005

 

12/8

Physically-based simulation:

[Hao Liu]

- Sampling Plausible Solutions to Multi-body Constraint Problems, Siggraph 2000

 

tba

Physically-based simulation:

[James Huang]

 

- Energy stability and fracture for frame rate rigid body simulations, Siggaph 2009

 

 

12/15

Final project presentation