Energy-based pose unfolding and interpolation for 3D articulated characters

Abstract

In this paper, we show results of controlling a 3D articulated human body model by using a repulsive energy function. The idea is based on the energy-based unfolding and interpolation, which are guaranteed to produce intersection-free movements for closed 2D linkages. Here, we apply those approaches for articulated characters in 3D space. We present the results of two experiments. In the initial experiment, starting from a posture that the body limbs are tangled with each other, the body is controlled to unfold tangles and straighten the limbs by moving the body in the gradient direction of an energy function based on the distance between two arbitrary linkages. In the second experiment, two different postures of limbs being tangled are interpolated by guiding the body using the energy function. We show that intersection free movements can be synthesized even when starting from complex postures that the limbs are intertwined with each other. At the end of the paper, we discuss about the limitations of the method and future possibilities of this approach. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.