CONVERTING DEFORMATION DATA FOR A MESH TO ANIMATION DATA FORA SKELETON, SKINNING AND SHADING IN A RUNTIME COMPUTER GRAPHICS ANIMATION ENGINE

摘要

Animation of an object from a character modeling and/or animation tool is converted from a representation used by that tool to a representation used in a runtim e animation system, such as a game engine. Such a tool typically represents the object using a source structure and a source skin. The runtime animation engine typically uses a target structure, target skin and shading to represent animation of an object. In addition to transferring motion of the object from its source structure to the target structure, deformation and shading also are converted. Low resolution information about the deformation of the source skin is converted into a set of skinning weights f or associating the target skin with virtual bones added to the target structure and animate d deformation data for each frame of animation. High resolution detail from the deformatio n of the source skin is converted into a set of normal maps, one or more masks and animated mask parameters for use by one or more shaders.