Acceleration Skinning: Kinematics-Driven Cartoon Effects for Articulated Characters

Author

Niranjan KalyanasundaramFollow

Date of Award

12-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Digital Production Arts

Committee Chair/Advisor

Victor Zordan

Committee Member

Eric Patterson

Committee Member

Jerry Tessendorf

Committee Member

Damien Rohmer

Abstract

Secondary effects are key to adding fluidity and style to animation. This thesis introduces the idea of “Acceleration Skinning” following a recent well-received technique, Velocity Skinning, to automatically create secondary motion in character animation by modifying the standard pipeline for skeletal rig skinning. These effects, which animators may refer to as squash and stretch or drag, attempt to create an illusion of inertia. In this thesis, I extend the Velocity Skinning technique to include acceleration for creating a wider gamut of cartoon effects. I explore three new deformers that make use of this Acceleration Skinning framework: followthrough, centripetal stretch, and centripetal lift deformers. The followthrough deformer aims at recreating this classic effect defined in the fundamental principles of animation. The centripetal stretch and centripetal lift deformers use rotational motion to create radial stretching and lifting effects, as the names suggest. I explore the use of effect-specific time filtering when combining these various deformations together, allowing for more stylized and aesthetic results. I finally conclude with a production evaluation, exploring possible ways in which these techniques can be used to enhance the work of an animator without losing the essence of their art.

Recommended Citation

Kalyanasundaram, Niranjan, "Acceleration Skinning: Kinematics-Driven Cartoon Effects for Articulated Characters" (2021). All Theses. 3688.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/3688