US 11,948,240 B2
Systems and methods for computer animation using an order of operations deformation engine
Eric A. Soulvie, Tacoma, WA (US); Richard R. Hurrey, El Sobrante, CA (US); R. Jason Bickerstaff, Orinda, CA (US); Clifford S. Champion, San Jose, CA (US); Peter E. McGowan, Corona, CA (US); and Robert Ernest Schnurstein, Victorville, CA (US)
Assigned to O3 Story Technologies, Inc., Corona, CA (US)
Filed by Kitestring, Inc., Corona, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/296,852.
Application 18/296,852 is a continuation of application No. 17/384,146, filed on Jul. 23, 2021, granted, now 11,631,209.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/706,006, filed on Jul. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0245368 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. G06T 13/40 (2011.01); G06T 13/20 (2011.01); G06T 17/20 (2006.01); G06T 19/20 (2011.01)
CPC G06T 13/40 (2013.01) [G06T 13/20 (2013.01); G06T 17/20 (2013.01); G06T 19/20 (2013.01); G06T 2213/12 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for computer animation implemented by at least one processor in communication with at least one memory, the method comprising:
assigning at least one deformer instance to an asset mesh structure, wherein the at least one deformer instance includes a plurality of deformer channels, and wherein at least one deformer channel of the plurality of deformer channels is associated with a portion of the asset mesh structure and configured to adjust a visual appearance of the associated portion of the asset mesh structure;
optimizing execution of an order of operations for the at least one deformer instance at runtime by performing a machine-learning process to train an inference model by synthesizing a training set including channel value sets for the plurality of deformer channels;
determining to deform a region of the asset mesh structure defined proximate the portion of the asset mesh structure associated with the at least one deformer channel; and
based on a weight map associated with the region and the inference model:
causing a first portion of the region to be deformed to a first degree of deformation in response to deformation of the portion of the asset mesh structure; and
causing a second portion of the region to be deformed to a second degree of deformation in response to deformation of the portion of the asset mesh structure.