A Visualization System for Animating Vertebrate Animal Models

As computer graphics continue to progress, there is an increasingly large number of 3D models available on the internet. However, most of these models are static, with a rigid shape and fixed pose. Only a few models can be animated with restricted motion, which is generally produced by professional animators, or by using expensive motion capture equipment. Novice users generally have great difficulty trying to animate an arbitrarily static model without any motion data. In this paper, we propose an integrated animation system which aims to animate bipedal or quadrupedal 3D models. To achieve this, we began by developing a video-based motion database with several animal groups of biological classification. Each group consists of close genera and families which have similar features. In addition, for each group, there is an articulated standard skeleton with pre-designed cyclic motion patterns. Through a hierarchical graphical interface, users can select different motion pattern candidates from a biologically classified tree structure. The selected motion pattern is then applied to this model to automatically synthesize realistic bipedal or quadrupedal motion.