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Abstract

Introduction

In the modern world, three-dimensional animation has gained immense popularity and continues to develop at a rapid pace. It is widely used not only to create films, cartoons, computer games, but also in multimedia applications, training courses, commercials, and production. Computer animation[1] has a huge impact on various areas of life. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the volume of penetration of three-dimensional graphics into our life is constantly growing, since in modern cinema almost no film is complete without scenes created using computer effects, in addition, various means of immersing a person in virtual reality are gaining popularity. In the process of creating computer graphics, a very important aspect is high-quality and realistic character animation. It is the study of this aspect that our work is devoted to.

1. The purpose and objectives of the work.

Purpose of work: development of tools for geometric modeling of emotions of virtual characters.

The main objectives of the study:

  1. Research technologies and types of animation;
  2. Consider the principles of animation;
  3. Explore the capabilities of programs for creating three-dimensional graphics;
  4. Reveal the specific features of the structure of the muscles of the face;
  5. Simulate characters ready for subsequent animation;
  6. Develop character rigging for subsequent animation;
  7. Create animated facial emotions for characters;
  8. Comparison of emotions of virtual characters.

2. Overview of technologies and types of animation

2.1 Technologies and types of animation

In the modern world, cartoons and games are becoming increasingly popular and prevalent not only among children, but also among adults. But their creation would not have been possible without animation. According to Collier's encyclopedia[2], animation is a technology that makes it possible to create the illusion of movement of inanimate objects. One of the most popular forms of animation can be called animation, which is a series of hand-drawn images united by a common plot. However, at present, in connection with the development of computer technology, computer animation has also gained immense popularity. Since its inception, animation has appeared before the viewer in a variety of forms. There are such types of animation as hand-drawn animation, hand-drawn classic animation, painting on glass, puppet animation, plasticine animation, computer 2d animation, 3d animation, as well as combined animation[3]. The oldest types of animation include reel animation, the principle of which is to create a character on a piece of cardboard or paper and then cut it into pieces. Animation is created by shifting pieces from frame to frame. Puppet animation can also be attributed to the old types of animation. As the name suggests, this type of animation uses handmade dolls. For animation, the position of the dolls changes frame by frame, which creates the illusion of movement. A subspecies is plasticine animation, the principle of which is similar, but at the same time plasticine figures are used in the work. Painting on glass is another complex and beautiful type of animation. The essence of this type of animation is that the artist paints with oil paints on glass, gradually changing the picture with the help of new strokes. One of the most popular types that remain so at the moment is hand-drawn animation, which can also be called classic. It is created on transparent film by drawing each frame, which are then combined into animation in editing programs. Modern animation technologies include computer animation, which is divided into two-dimensional and three-dimensional. To create 2d animation, programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effect, Anime Studi Pro and others can be used. This kind of animation is very popular nowadays. However, we are interested in 3D animation in our work. 3D animation is the most modern branch of animation, subdivided into animation for games and for films. The differences are determined by the fact that in the game the interaction of a person and the object of the game is interactive, and in the film the person acts only as an observer, therefore, in the film industry more time is devoted to blocking and timing, while in the game industry more attention is paid to creating various animation cycles and realistic animation with different angles.

2.2 Principles of classic animation

Animation gained widespread popularity thanks to animation created by Walter Disney Studios.

Рисование анимации

Figure 1 – Disney Animation
(animation: 4 frames, 6 repetition cycles, 50 kilobytes)

It was in it that the principles were developed that made animation attractive to the eyes of viewers. For this reason, animators still adhere to these principles, since they do not lose their relevance. These principles were laid out in the book Disney Animation - The Illusion of Life[4].

2.3 Programs for creating 3d graphics

The choice of tools for creating 3D graphics in the modern industry is quite diverse. G. Abdullina notes that different 3D packages are used in the sphere of 3D graphics. First, there are sculpting programs like Pixologic ZBrush[5] and Autodesk Mudbox[6]. As I.I. Egorova, they allow you to achieve high detail of objects without imposing very high requirements on hardware. We should also highlight game engines, which include Unreal Engine[7], Unity[8], CryEngine[9]. In addition, there are narrow applications for solving a specific range of tasks, for example, RealFlow[10] for animating liquids and Mari[11] for creating textures. It should dwell in more detail on the universal packages of three-dimensional graphics. G. Abdullina highlights such packages as Cinema 4D[12], Blender[13], 3Ds Studio Max[14], Autodesk Maya[15].

Cinema 4D is one of the most popular and user-friendly packages nowadays. The program has a large number of functions, including modeling, animation, various effects, sculpting and the BodyPaint 3D module. This package is widely used in the field of motion design, advertising and the film industry.

Blender is a free 3D package, the capabilities of which are slightly inferior in functionality to paid applications, this is precisely what determines its popularity. Blender provides tools for 3D modeling, animation, and a suite of tools for game creation, visual effects, and sculpting. The program is supported by the developer Blender Foundation, developing rather quickly and stably.

3Ds Studio MAX has tools for creating 3D images, locations and interiors. The program also allows you to work with animation and character modeling, but its most effective use is for designing locations. Therefore, given this focus, this package is widely used in the gaming industry.

I.I. Egorova, A.V. Gaidamashchuk note that Autodesk Maya is the most demanded 3D modeling tool system in the field of animation. It is used in studios such as Pixar, WaltDisney, Dreamworks and others. Such popularity is due to a wide range of general and character animation tools, Xgen technology[16], which allows you to create hair and fur of characters without third-party plug-ins, an advanced particle system, Maya Fluid Effects[17] technology for simulating liquids and atmosphere, the dynamics of soft and solid bodies. For this reason, Maya is widely used in cinematography, animation and television to create realistic objects. Autodesk Maya provides a fairly wide range of tools for creating the skeleton of a character and subsequent animation. Skeletal animation involves the movement of the vertices of the surface of the models and the corresponding reshaping of the characters. The skeleton is made up of bones and joints. Many animation packages use bone manipulation, but in Maya, joints are the primary controls. The bone is located between two joints and is displayed for ease of use. Thus, Autodesk Maya is the most used package among professional 3D artists. This 3D editor has been adopted by many of the major film and animation studios. It provides a wide range of tools for creating character animation, but standard tools may not always be appropriate for the task.

3. Facial muscles

3.1 Types of facial muscles

There are 57 muscles on the face[18]. They are divided into chewing and mimic. The chewing gums attach to the lower jaw and are responsible not only for chewing, but also for swallowing and speaking. The group includes four muscles:

The facial muscles of a person are somewhat different from the rest. They are thin and arranged in bunches near the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. They are attached to the skull bone only on one side. The other side connects to the skin tissue. This allows you to give more mobility to areas of the face. Some of them do not come from the bone, but from the ligaments.

Основные мышцы лица человека

Figure 2 – The main muscles of the human face

Most of the facial muscles are paired, with the exception of the supracranial, nasal and circular muscles of the mouth. They are located at different levels and, depending on this, are divided into deep, superficial and medium. The deep, for example, include the chin, buccal, the middle - the square muscle of the lower lip and dog, the superficial are the circular muscles of the mouth, zygomatic, square, etc.

3.2 Functions of facial muscles

Facial muscles play an important role in human social life. Their contractions shape certain facial expressions by changing the depth of skin folds. So, others can distinguish and understand our emotions when communicating. With their help, we express sadness, joy, hatred, smile and laugh.

The main function of the facial muscles is to open, narrow and close the natural openings on the face. Depending on these actions, they are divided into contractors and extenders. The former are placed above the body parts in a circle, the latter radiate away from them.

Some muscles and their functions are presented in the table.

Region Muscle Function
Forehead and eyebrows, nose The muscle of the proud Forms folds over the bridge of the nose
Eyebrow wrinkle Pulls eyebrows together
Nasal muscle Opens the wings of the nose
Supracranial Raises eyebrows, forms horizontal folds on the forehead
Mouth area Circular muscle of the mouth Closes the mouth, pulls the lips forward
Lower lip muscle Opens, pulls back the lower lip
Upper lip muscle Raises the upper lip
Zygomatic Pulls the corners of the mouth up and to the sides
Eye area Circular muscle of the eye Closes up, closes her eyes
Ear area Front Pulls the auricle forward
Upper Pulls the sink up
Back Pulls the sink back

Table 1 – The main functions of the muscles of the face

Conclusion

The research into geometric modeling tools is quite extensive. Has many programs for developing the task. And you need to know each of the programs at least at the intermediate level.

The master's work is devoted to the actual scientific task of developing and researching means of geometric modeling of emotions of virtual characters. As part of the research carried out:

  1. The principles of animation are considered.
  2. Explored the capabilities of programs for creating three-dimensional graphics.
  3. The specific features of the structure of the facial muscles were revealed.

The next step will be the practical part:

  1. Simulate characters ready for subsequent animation.
  2. Develop character rigging for subsequent animation.
  3. Create animated facial emotions for characters.
  4. Comparison of emotions of virtual characters.

When writing this essay, the master's work has not yet been completed. Final completion: December 2020. Full text of the work and materials on the topic can be obtained from the author or his manager after that date.

References

  1. The Animator's Survival Kit - Animated. Foyles. 2009.
  2. Collier's Encyclopedia — Collier & Son. 1928.
  3. Special types of animation filming. Ya. Belyaev. 1967.
  4. The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. F. Thomas, O. Johnston. 1995.
  5. ZBrush for beginners. Alba, Attaran, Le. 2020.
  6. Mudbox Character Creation. S. Spencer. 2008.
  7. RPG development in Unreal Engine. Santello. 2016
  8. Unity in action. C# multiplatform development. J. Hawking. 2020.
  9. Cryengine Game Programming with C++, C#. C. Lundgren. 2013.
  10. Introduction to Sculpting Fluid Dynamics: Real Flow Techniques with Wayne England. A. Alvarez. 2018.
  11. Creature Texture Painting in Mari. J. Viitanen. 2013.
  12. Cinema 4D. A practical guide. V. Zenkovsky. 2008.
  13. Blender tutorial. A. Prakhov. 2016.
  14. 3ds Max 3D modeling and animation by example. V. Tozik. 2008.
  15. 3D Character Modeling in Maya: A Study Guide for High Schools. R. Ganeev. 2012.
  16. Xgen Hair for Characters. T. Newbury. 2016.
  17. Introduction to Maya Fluid Effects. W. Hollingsworth. 2014.
  18. Human anatomy. P. Abrahams. 2019.