Aiiimation of Htuman Figures in Conversation and Action

Viable articulated computer-graphic representations of the human figure have recently been developed by O'Rourke, Zeltzer, and others. In this work, a figure implemented by Maxwell provides the starting point for the development of tools for controlling the movement and action of figures in a simulated threedimensional environment. The figure's representational quality is improved for the purpose of animation, and its capabilities are extended to allow multiple figures to follow arbitrary paths, with posture and movement determined by any combination of key-frames, body-tracking, and algorithmic movement description. Objects in the figure's visual environment are designed using a program for computer graphic sculpture. A sophisticated computer sound synthesis system was implemented and provided the basis for a script-driven multiprocess approach to specifying the interactions of multiple figures in a changing environment. The resulting system, incorporating figures in an animated visual environment with coordinated sound, may be considered as a vehicle for realizing "electronic cinema". While the animation scripts essentially define a specialized non-procedural programming language, knowledge of a general (procedural) computer language is not required, and figure animations have been realized by artists and filmmakers having no previous background in threedimensional computer graphics. Thesis Supervisor: Patrick Purcell Title: Visiting Associate Professor of Computer Graphics The work reported herein was supported by the NHK Broadcasting Corporation of Japan