This projects explores the joint use of meshes (the standard representation for 3D animations) and volumetric scalar functions (usually restricted to collision detections) for deforming virtual characters when they are animated.

By improving the theoretical properties of scalar functions, the way they can be represented, efficiently evaluated and deformed in real time, we study their joint use with meshes. We aim at finding effective solutions allowing animation studios to integrate in their production pipeline plausible character deformations automatically computed in interactive time.

Presentation

• Project name: ISk2011 – Implicit Skinning
• Started: June 2011
• Coordinator: Loïc Barthe
• More details

Software

• Maya plug-in (Linux)
• Stand alone demo (Linux – MacOS – Windows)
• Old research codes : implicit skinning – composition operators

Resources

Lots of resources can be found on Rodolphe Vaillant website:

• An implementation guide for the TOG 2013 version (including codes for the HRBFs).
• A set of tutrials on the required knowledge (dual quaternions, smoothing, cotangent weigths, etc).

Fundings

• FOLDyn (ANR-16-CE33-0015  / 536 000 € including 42 month engineer and 2 PhD thesis)
• DEMAGOS-3D (Labex CIMI / 30 000 € and 1 post-doc, 1 PhD thesis)
• Ended: IM&M (ANR-11-JS02-007 / 190 000 € including 1 PhD thesis)
• Toulouse Tech Transfer (8 month transfer engineers and code transfer)
• University of Victoria, Canada (3 PhD thesis)
• IRIT Laboratory (support for traveling)
• University Paul Sabatier (2 PhD thesis and support for traveling)

Partners

• Academic institutions: University of Toulouse, University of Victoria (Canada), CNRS, Inria, Lix Ecole Polytechnique, University of Grenoble
• Industrial partners: Toulouse Tech Transfer, The Foundry, TeamTo, Mercenaries Engineering, Caleido scop

• Researchers: Marie-Paule Cani (Lix Ecole Polytechnique), Brian Wyvill (University of Victoria), Gaël Guennebaud (Inria), Damien Rohmer (Lix Ecole Polytechnique), Pierre Bénard (University of Bordeaux), Nicolas Mellado (CNRS), Andrea Tagliasacchi (University of Victoria)
• Post-docs: Nadine Aburumman (CIMI Labex, University of Toulouse)
• Engineers: Florian Canezin (University of Toulouse), Remi Brouet (Toulouse Tech transfer – past)
• PhD students: Olivier Hachette (University of Toulouse), Valentin Roussellet (CIMI Labex, University of Toulouse), Baptiste Angles (University of Victoria, University of Toulouse), Maurizio Kovacic (University of Victoria), Thomas Buffet (University of Grenoble), Camille Brunel (Inria), Olivier Gourmel (University of Toulouse – past), Rodolphe Vaillant (University of Victoria, University of Toulouse – past), Florian Canezin (University of Toulouse – past),

Related Publications

• Dynamic Implicit Muscles for Character Skinning

V. Roussellet, N. Abu Rumman, F. Canezin, N. Mellado, L. Kavan, L. Barthe. Elsevier Computers & Graphics, 2018

• Sketch-Based Implicit Blending

B. Angles, M. Tarini, B. Wyvill, L. Barthe and A. Tagliasacchi. ACM Transactions on Graphics, 36(6), proc. of ACM SIGGRAPH ASIA, 2017

• Robust Iso-Surface Tracking for Interactive Character Skinning

R. Vaillant, G. Guennebaud, L. Barthe, M.P. Cani and B. Wyvill. ACM Transactions on Graphics, 33(6), proc. of ACM SIGGRAPH ASIA, 2014

• Adequate Inner Bound for Geometric Modeling with Compact Field Functions

F. Canezin, G. Guennebaud and L. Barthe. Computer & Graphics, 37(6), proc. of SMI, 2013

• Implicit Skinning: Real-Time Skin Deformation with Contact Modeling

R. Vaillant, L. Barthe, G. Guennebaud, M.P. Cani, D. Rhomer, B. Wyvill, O. Gourmel and M. Paulin. ACM Transactions on Graphics, 32(4), proc. of ACM SIGGRAPH, 2013

• A Gradient-Based Implicit Blend

O.Gourmel, L. Barthe, M.P. Cani, B. Wyvill, A. Bernhardt, M. Paulin and H. Grasberger.  ACM Transactions on Graphics, 32(2), 2013