2D ANIMATION FROM A 3D MESH

摘要

Two-dimensional (2D) animation may be generated from a three-dimensional (3D) mesh by a machine or device that flattens, textures, and modifies the 3D mesh, which results in distorting the texture of the 3D mesh. The machine or device is configured to access and flatten a 3D mesh of 3D vertices. At least some of the 3D vertices of the flattened 3D mesh are texture mapped with a 2D image. The machine or device generates a first 2D frame of animation by rendering the 3D mesh (e.g., with graphics acceleration hardware), modifies the 3D mesh by repositioning one or more of the 3D vertices, and generates a second 2D frame of animation by rendering the modified 3D mesh (e.g., with graphics acceleration hardware). Accordingly, 2D animation may be generated by distorting the 2D image that is mapped onto at least part of the 3D mesh.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
by operation of an access module that includes a processor of a machine, accessing a three-dimensional (3D) portion of a 3D model defined by 3D vertices that are each defined in three dimensions among which is a depth dimension orthogonal to two non-depth dimensions, the 3D portion being defined by a subset of the 3D vertices of the 3D model; by operation of a flattener module that includes a processor of the machine, flattening the 3D portion of the 3D model by constraining the subset of the 3D vertices of the 3D model to one value of the depth dimension, the value of the depth dimension being an identifier of the flattened 3D portion and distinguishing the flattened 3D portion from other flattened 3D portions of the 3D model; by operation of a render module that includes a processor of the machine, rendering a first animation frame based on a two-dimensional (2D) image that is mapped to the flattened 3D portion identified by the value of the depth dimension; by operation of a motion module that includes a processor of the machine, modifying a 3D vertex in the subset of the 3D vertices based on a 3D movement vector of which a depth component in the depth dimension is ignored to constrain the 3D vertex to the value of the depth dimension; and by operation of the render module rendering a second animation frame based on the modified 3D vertex in the subset of the 3D vertices that defines the flattened 3D portion of the 3D model.