Computer Animation

On the function of an enigmatic ornament: wattles increase the conspicuousness of visual displays in male fowl

by K-lynn Smith

Bottom-Up Visual Attention for Virtual Human Animation

by Christopher Edward Peters

Peters, C., and O' Sullivan, C. "Bottom-up visual attention for virtual human animation", Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer Animation and Social Agents (CASA), Rutgers University, New York, pp. 111-117, 2003

We present a system for the automatic generation of bottom-up visual attention behaviours in virtual humans. Bottom-up... more We present a system for the automatic generation of bottom-up visual attention behaviours in virtual humans. Bottom-up attention refers to the way in which the environment solicits one’s attention without regard to task-level goals. Our framework is based on the interactions of multiple components: a synthetic vision system for perceiving the virtual world, a model of bottom-up attention for early visual processing of perceived stimuli, a memory system for the storage of previously sensed data and a gaze controller for the generation of resultant behaviours. Our aim is to provide a feeling of presence in inhabited virtual environments by endowing agents with the ability to pay attention to their surroundings.

A head movement propensity model for animating gaze shifts and blinks of virtual characters

by Christopher Edward Peters

Peters, C. and Qureshi, A.
Computers and Graphics, Elsevier Science, 2010 doi:10.1016/j.cag.2010.09.007
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0097849310001408
Bibtex available here: http://www.coventry.ac.uk/ec/~cpeters/bibtex/bibtex.html#CG10

An automatic model is presented for animating gaze shifts of virtual characters towards target locations in a virtual... more An automatic model is presented for animating gaze shifts of virtual characters towards target locations in a virtual environment. Two connected components are described: an eye-head controller and a blinking controller. The gaze control model is based on results from neuroscience, and dictates the contributions of the eyes and head to a gaze shift according to an individual's head movement propensity; that is, their tendency to recruit their head when making gaze motions under different conditions. The blink controller simulates gaze-evoked blinking, a specific category of behaviours that accompany gaze shifts. The probability of occurrence of such blinks, and their amplitude, is related to the gaze shift. These factors may allow for more believable gaze behaviour, providing variety in animation. The model is of particular significance to serious game environments, where the quality of a character's gaze behaviour may affect engagement, immersion and learning outcomes.

Building Interactive Animations using VRML and Java

by Ivan Ricarte

Co-authored with Fabiana Tamiosso, Alberto Raposo, and Léo Magalhães. Published in SIBGRAPI, 1997

This paper exploits the combination of VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) and Java for the construction of... more This paper exploits the combination of VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) and Java for the construction of highly interactive animations, whose behavior is defined in real-time by user’s actions. The animations are modeled in VRML, which allows the definition of a Java program to process and generate events that determine the behavior of scene elements. An application for the generation of Java graphical interfaces was developed, aiming to establish the communication between the user and the VRML environment, sending parameters to the program that controls the animation.

Animation modeling with Petri Nets

by Ivan Ricarte

Co-authoring with Alberto Raposo and Léo Magalhães. Published in Computer and Graphics, 1998

This paper introduces the use of Petri Nets as a modeling and analysis tool for animation environments. First of all... more This paper introduces the use of Petri Nets as a modeling and analysis tool for animation environments. First of all the original formulation for Petri Nets is applied in two animation situations. The first one is modeled as a state machine and the second one explores interdependent transitions. Increasing the complexity level, some modeling extensions are discussed and a more sophisticated animation example is presented.

Exploring the feasibility of an online contextualised animation‐based questionnaire for educational survey

by Yu-Ta Chien

Chien, Y. T. & Chang, C. Y. (2010). Exploring the feasibility of an online contextualized animation-based questionnaire for educational survey. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(5), E104-E109.

In order to explore students’ expectations of future classroom, we designed an online contextualized animation-based... more In order to explore students’ expectations of future classroom, we designed an online contextualized animation-based questionnaire (ABQ) to visually present the question context. We then compared ABQ results with traditional paper-based questionnaire (PBQ) results. The empirical results indicated that ABQ significantly changed students' attitudes positively (t = -5.580, p < .01, d = -1.096, large effect size) towards Dual/ Multiple Screens items; students had similar attitudes (t = 0.307, p = .759, d = 0.035) with PBQ towards Automatic Voice Recognition items. Most of the participants reported that ABQ helped them understand the item context in a clearer manner than PBQ (94% for Dual/ Multiple Screens item, 83% for Automatic Voice Recognition item). These findings suggest that ABQ puts items in context more vividly than PBQ, and is therefore more suitable to describe abstract or unfamiliar context of questionnaire.

Comparison of Different Instructional Multimedia Designs for Improving Student Science-Process Skill Learning

by Yu-Ta Chien

Chien, Y. T., & Chang, C. Y. (2012). Comparison of different instructional multimedia designs for improving student science-process skill learning. Journal of Science Education and Technology. 21(1), 106-113.

This study developed three forms of computer-based multimedia, including Static Graphics (SG), Simple Learner-Pacing... more This study developed three forms of computer-based multimedia, including Static Graphics (SG), Simple Learner-Pacing Animation (SLPA), and Full Learner-Pacing Animation (FLPA), to assist students in learning topographic measuring. The interactive design of FLPA allowed students to physically manipulate the virtual measuring mechanism, rather than passively observe dynamic or static images. The students were randomly assigned to different multimedia groups. The results of a one-way ANOVA analysis indicated that (1) there was a significant difference with a large effect size (f = .69) in mental effort ratings among three groups, and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA imposed less cognitive load on students than did SG (p = .007); (2) the differences of practical performance scores among groups reached the statistic significant level with a large effect size (f = .76), and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA fostered better learning outcomes than both SLPA and SG (p = .004 and p = .05, respectively); (3) the difference in instructional efficiency that was computed by the z-score combination of students’ mental effort ratings and practical performance scores among the three groups obtained the statistic significant level with a large effect size (f = .79), and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA brought students higher instructional efficiency than those of both SLPA and SG (p = .01 and .005, respectively); (4) no significant effect was found in instructional time-spans between groups (p = .637). Overall, FLPA was recommended as the best multimedia form to facilitate topographic measurement learning. The implications of instructional multimedia design were discussed from the perspective of cognitive load theory.

Exploring the impact of animation-based questionnaire on conducting a web-based educational survey and its association with vividness of respondents’ visual images

by Yu-Ta Chien

Chien, Y. T., & Chang, C. Y. (2012). Exploring the impact of animation-based questionnaire on conducting a web-based educational survey and its association with vividness of respondents’ visual images. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(3), E81-E85.

This study developed an animation-based questionnaire to visualize the key concepts of survey questions to investigate... more This study developed an animation-based questionnaire to visualize the key concepts of survey questions to investigate students’ perceptions of a technology-enhanced learning environment. The relationship between the vividness of students’ visual images, which were stimulated from question descriptions, and their response changes between the text-based questionnaire and the animation-based questionnaire was examined. T-tests on students’ scores of text-based and animation-based questionnaires revealed that there were statistical significantly differences in students’ responses to the two questionnaire formats. Moreover, the result of the regression analysis revealed that the vividness of students’ visual images is a significant predictor in explaining the students’ response changes between the two questionnaire formats. Theses finding indicates that students interpret a survey question not only based the verbal representations they form from the question descriptions but also visual images. The questionnaire design should more cautiously take this individual difference into account. The technique of animation-based questionnaire may function as a visual aid in equalizing students’ visual images toward survey questions, and it therefore reduces the probability that students misinterpret survey questions.

Architecture d'animation pour personnages sociaux et émotionnels

by María Lucila Morales-Rodríguez

María Lucila Morales-Rodriguez, Nico Pallamin, Bernard Pavard. WACA´ 2006 Second Workshop sur les Agents Conversationnels Animés. October 26 - 27 2006 Toulouse, France.

RÉSUMÉ. Cet article propose une architecture comportementale l’animation de personnages virtuels ayant des... more RÉSUMÉ. Cet article propose une architecture comportementale l’animation de personnages virtuels ayant des comportements sociaux et émotionnels. L’architecture proposée produit des actes de communication verbaux, paraverbaux et gestuels en prenant en compte les dimensions sociales et émotionnelles. L’objectif applicatif de cette approche est d’aboutir à un outil de simulation destiné à la rééducation de personnes cérébro-lésées en suivant un protocole dit des ‘neurones miroirs’. Dans la séance de rééducation virtuelle, le patient visualise une représentation virtuelle de son corps tout en étant guidé par un thérapeute virtuel qui le guide, le corrige et l’encourage. Notre objectif est d’aboutir à une sensation d’immersion chez le patient dans l’environnement virtuel via la reproduction des interactions
sociales et émotionnelles entre patient et thérapeute.

ABSTRACT. This article proposes a behavioural architecture for virtual characters who express social and emotional behaviours. The architecture proposed produces communication acts
for virtual characters (verbal, paraverbal and non-verbal activity) under the influence of a model of social and emotional interactions. The application of our work is a tool for the
simulation of a therapy for the rehabilitation of people with brain injuries caused by CVA (cerebral vascular accidents). In the virtual therapy the patient is represented by an avatar and an embodied conversational agent represents the therapist, who guides, corrects and encourages the patient. Our aim is to produce a feeling of immersion at the patient in the virtual environment through the reproduction of social and emotional interactions between
patient and therapist.

Planificador para el Encadenamiento en Tiempo Real de Animaciones Gestuales de Personajes Virtuales

by María Lucila Morales-Rodríguez

Eduardo Israel Castillo-García, María Lucila Morales-Rodríguez.
Memorias del IV Encuentro de Investigadores del I.T.C.M., 6-11 Diciembre 2010, pp 51-57, Cd. Madero, Tamaulipas.

Abstract
Con la finalidad de dotar de mayor credibilidad a los personajes virtuales, muchos proyectos trabajan a... more Abstract
Con la finalidad de dotar de mayor credibilidad a los personajes virtuales, muchos proyectos trabajan a partir de bibliotecas de animaciones pre-establecidas, las cuales se emplean para generar animaciones más extensas y complejas. En nuestro trabajo creamos un planificador que permite resolver seis problemáticas que se presentan al momento de encadenar estas animaciones en tiempo real, provocando que queden expuestas inconsistencias en la fluidez del movimiento. Nuestro objetivo es representar de forma más natural el comportamiento de un personaje virtual.

Planificación de movimientos para el encadenamiento de animaciones gestuales en personajes virtuales

by María Lucila Morales-Rodríguez

Eduardo Israel Castillo García, María Lucila Morales Rodríguez, Arturo Hernández Ramírez, Laura Cruz Reyes, Juan Javier González Barbosa.
16th International Congress on Computer Science Research (CIICC'10), October 20-22, 2010, Cd. Madero, Tamaulipas. DGEST pp 121-130.

Abstract.
Muchos de los proyectos de animación trabajan a partir de bibliotecas de animaciones las cuales se... more Abstract.
Muchos de los proyectos de animación trabajan a partir de bibliotecas de animaciones las cuales se emplean para generar animaciones más extensas y complejas. Una problemática se presenta al momento de concatenar estas animaciones, ya que esto provoca que queden expuestas inconsistencias en la fluidez del movimiento. En este trabajo se pretende crear un planificador de movimientos que genere encadenamiento en tiempo real de animaciones, con la finalidad de lograr que las expresiones gestuales del personaje virtual se visualicen de manera más natural.

Real‐Time Weighted Pose‐Space Deformation on the GPU

by j.p. lewis

Pose space deformation: a unified approach to shape interpolation and skeleton-driven deformation

by j.p. lewis

An emotion aware agent platform for interactive storytelling and gaming

by Mark Chavez

EnterText 4.1 (Special Issue on Animation)

by Paul Ward

CONTENTS

Paul Ward: Introduction

Giannalberto Bendazzi: African Cinema Animation + Il cinema d’animazione africano (Italian version)

Joanna Bouldin: Criminal Realism: Virtual Child Pornography, Photorealism and the Legislation of the Virtual Animated Body

David Surman: Animated Caricature: Notes on Superman, 1941-1943

Suzanne Buchan: Animation Spectatorship: The Quay Brothers' Animated "Worlds"

Michael Nottingham: Downing the Folk-festive: Menacing Meals in the Films of Jan Svankmajer

Thomas Lamarre: An Introduction to Otaku Movement

George Griffin: Willful Ignorance: Making Flying Fur

Sarah Bowen: Mindscapes and Landscapes: Pixillation and Live-Action in the Making of Daze (HTML)

Penn Stevens: Making Tied Down (HTML)

Richard O'Connor: Three Ways of Avoiding Animation (HTML)

Notes on Contributors

Point Based Rendering and Displaced Subdivision for Interactive Animation of Crowds of Clothed Characters

by isaac rudomin

Probabilistic, Layered and Hierarchical Animated Agents Using XML

by isaac rudomin

Xml Scripting and Images for Specyfying Behavior of Virtual Characters and Crowds. In Proceedings CASA 2004

by isaac rudomin

Simple Dynamic Lod for Geometry Images

by isaac rudomin

Agent Paint: Intuitive Specification and Control of Multiagent Animations

by isaac rudomin