Character Animation Research Articles

To trust or not to trust? Face and voice modulation of virtual avatars

Introduction: This study explores the graduated perception of apparent social traits in virtual characters by experimental manipulation of perceived affiliation with the aim to validate an existing predictive model in animated whole-body avatars.Methods: We created a set of 210 animated virtual characters, for which facial features were generated according to a predictive statistical model originally developed for 2D faces. In a first online study, participants (N = 34) rated mute video clips of the characters on the dimensions of trustworthiness, valence, and arousal. In a second study (N = 49), vocal expressions were added to the avatars, with voice recordings manipulated on the dimension of trustworthiness by their speakers.Results: In study one, as predicted, we found a significant positive linear (p < 0.001) as well as quadratic (p < 0.001) trend in trustworthiness ratings. We found a significant negative correlation between mean trustworthiness and arousal (τ = −.37, p < 0.001), and a positive correlation with valence (τ = 0.88, p < 0.001). In study two, wefound a significant linear (p < 0.001), quadratic (p < 0.001), cubic (p < 0.001), quartic (p < 0.001) and quintic (p = 0.001) trend in trustworthiness ratings. Similarly, to study one, we found a significant negative correlation between mean trustworthiness and arousal (τ = −0.42, p < 0.001) and a positive correlation with valence (τ = 0.76, p < 0.001).Discussion: We successfully showed that a multisensory graduation of apparent social traits, originally developed for 2D stimuli, can be applied to virtually animated characters, to create a battery of animated virtual humanoid male characters. These virtual avatars have a higher ecological validity in comparison to their 2D counterparts and allow for a targeted experimental manipulation of perceived trustworthiness. The stimuli could be used for social cognition research in neurotypical and psychiatric populations.

Response to “The effect of animated Sci-Fi characters’ racial presentation on narrative engagement, wishful identification, and physical activity intention among children”

Response to “The effect of animated Sci-Fi characters’ racial presentation on narrative engagement, wishful identification, and physical activity intention among children”

Exploring the Effectiveness of Evaluation Practices for Computer-Generated Nonverbal Behaviour

This paper compares three methods for evaluating computer-generated motion behaviour for animated characters: two commonly used direct rating methods and a newly designed questionnaire. The questionnaire is specifically designed to measure the human-likeness, appropriateness, and intelligibility of the generated motion. Furthermore, this study investigates the suitability of these evaluation tools for assessing subtle forms of human behaviour, such as the subdued motion cues shown when listening to someone. This paper reports six user studies, namely studies that directly rate the appropriateness and human-likeness of a computer character’s motion, along with studies that instead rely on a questionnaire to measure the quality of the motion. As test data, we used the motion generated by two generative models and recorded human gestures, which served as a gold standard. Our findings indicate that when evaluating gesturing motion, the direct rating of human-likeness and appropriateness is to be preferred over a questionnaire. However, when assessing the subtle motion of a computer character, even the direct rating method yields less conclusive results. Despite demonstrating high internal consistency, our questionnaire proves to be less sensitive than directly rating the quality of the motion. The results provide insights into the evaluation of human motion behaviour and highlight the complexities involved in capturing subtle nuances in nonverbal communication. These findings have implications for the development and improvement of motion generation models and can guide researchers in selecting appropriate evaluation methodologies for specific aspects of human behaviour.

Leveraging coverless image steganography to hide secret information by generating anime characters using GAN

There has been a growing need for secure communication in recent years, particularly in the digital realm. Researchers have developed various text-hiding methods to address this need, but these methods often suffer from limitations such as low embedding capacity or high embedding distortion. However, current methods for information hiding require a large image database or have a low capacity for hiding information, which makes them impractical. To address these issues, we propose a coverless information-hiding method that generates anime characters through generative adversarial networks (GANs). This method converts secret information into an attribute label set for anime characters and uses the label set to generate anime characters directly. The quality of the generated anime characters was improved by the super-resolution GAN (SRGAN) model. The resulting images were used to communicate secret information on the digital channel. Numerous experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed framework, including hiding capacity, image clarity, robustness and security. Results showed that the proposed framework outperforms existing text-hiding methods in terms of hiding capacity and robustness while maintaining image clarity and computation time. In conclusion, our proposed framework provides a secure and efficient solution for text encryption and decryption in feasible computation time using anime characters generated by a GAN. The framework has a high embedding capacity and low embedding distortion, making it a promising solution for secure communication in the digital world.

Implementation of Animation Character Action Design and Data Mining Technology Based on CAD Data

Implementation of Animation Character Action Design and Data Mining Technology Based on CAD Data

Optimization of Character Animation Design and Motion Synthesis in Film and TV Media Based on Data Mining

Optimization of Character Animation Design and Motion Synthesis in Film and TV Media Based on Data Mining

Defining of Some Morphological Characteristics in order to Determine the Infrastructure of Conservation Strategies of Indigenous Cattle for Designing Sustainable Methods and Conservation of Biodiversity: Eastern Anatolian Red Example Reared Under Ex-Situ Conditions in Türkiye

This study was designed to protect indigenous animal breeds as an infrastructure for the continuation of biodiversity and to be a link in the production chain. For this purpose, the interaction of the information on Eastern Anatolian Red (EAR) breed, which were evaluated or protected according to different methods, and some morphological characters of animals reared under ex-situ conditions, with the sources of variation were evaluated. It were used materials preserved according to different methods and 207 head calves obtained during four years in the study. The materials that consisted of 350 head ex-situ, 200 head in-situ, 50 piece in-vitro was conserved in original environment. The weights and measurements of calves were recorded at birth and weaning. Difference of CV was the highest that was seen between males and females in 2022 (%9.24, %19.23 respectively) in birth. It was observed a certain level of difference for CV for BL, WH, CD, CW, CG, RH and FWG both between sexes and between years in weaning, but these differences were not as large as at birth. BW, WH, CW, CG, RH and FWG differed between sexes in birth period (p< 0.05). In the same period, all body measurements were different between years (p< 0.01). In weaning period, difference of CV for WW was the highest that was seen by sex in 2019 (%9.64, %15.47 female, male, respectively). In the same period, it was close CV values of body measurements determined by both sexes and years. There was an interaction between sexes and WW, CW, FWG (p< 0.05), years and all body measurements (p< 0.01) in the weaning period. The increase in studies on EAR breed could result in a modulation of sustainable of animal biodiversity potentially impacting livestock control and efficiency.

Retracted: Multivisual Animation Character 3D Model Design Method Based on VR Technology

Retracted: Multivisual Animation Character 3D Model Design Method Based on VR Technology

Japanese and Western Influences on the Local Animation Character Design Identity in Malaysia

Identity is regulated by culture and can be delivered meaningfully in numerous expressions, among which animated designs. In tandem with technological evolution, animation today shows fusions of various cultures. Two main influences in the Malaysian animation industry are Japan and Western countries due to their status as pioneers in animation. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the influence of Malaysian, Japanese and Western animated character designs on the local university students’ production of their character designs. This study was conducted based on semiotic theory, followed by a research method that employed a content analysis approach using the SPSS software. Through the analysis of cross-distribution and Chi-Square, it was found that the criteria of physique, national characteristics, and colors in the students’ work showed similar characteristics to both local and foreign animations. Consequently, further studies should be conducted to comprehend why the students are inspired by Japanese and Western styles. These influences also raise the question of whether these cross-cultural forms lead to a new identity of Malaysian animation or only a trend.

Children’s Narrative Retells: The Influence of Character Realism and Storybook Theme on Central and Peripheral Detail

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Anthropomorphized animal characters have been associated with negative influences on educational outcomes for young children, for example story comprehension and prosocial learning from moral tales. In this study we investigate how character realism and moral theme influence young children’s recall of the story content. Retells were examined for length, syntactic complexity, and centrality as indices of memory and understanding. Participants were 171 children (age 3–7 years) from 6 rural schools in the Northwest of England. We found no significant influence of story character on the measures under test. Retells with a prosocial sharing theme had higher syntactic complexity and greater centrality than those with a busy theme. Practice or Policy: The results suggest that animal characters are not necessarily an impediment to coherent representations of stories. The central message from a prosocial themed story appeared to be more strongly retained than that of a closely matched story with no prosocial lesson. This suggests story theme to be a potential influence that should be considered when testing children’s narrative comprehension.

Evaluating the Effect of Outfit on Personality Perception in Virtual Characters

Designing virtual characters that are capable of reflecting a sense of personality is a key goal in research and applications in virtual reality and computer graphics. More and more research efforts are dedicated to investigating approaches to construct a diverse, equitable, and inclusive metaverse by infusing expressive personalities and styles into virtual avatars. While most previous work focused on exploring variations in virtual characters’ dynamic behaviors, characters’ visual appearance plays a crucial role in affecting their perceived personalities. This paper presents a series of experiments evaluating the effect of virtual characters’ outfits on their perceived personality. Based on the related psychology research conducted in the real world, we determined a set of outfit factors likely to reflect personality in virtual characters: color, design, and type. As a framework for our study, we used the “Big Five” personality model for evaluating personality traits. To test our hypothesis, we conducted three perceptual experiments to evaluate the outfit parameters’ contributions to the characters’ personality. In our first experiment, we studied the color factor by varying color hue, saturation, and value; in the second experiment, we evaluated the impact of different neckline, waistline, and sleeve designs; and in our third experiment, we examined the personality perception of five outfit types: professional, casual, fashionable, outdoor, and indoor. Significant results offer guidance to avatar designers on how to create virtual characters with specific personality profiles. We further conducted a verification test to extend the application of our findings to animated virtual characters in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) settings. Results confirmed that our findings can be broadly applied to both static and animated virtual characters in VR and AR environments that are commonly used in games, entertainment, and social networking scenarios.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Simulation Research on Intelligent Behavior of Film and Television 3D Animation Characters

Abstract With the continuous development of artificial intelligence technology, the continuous improvement of three-dimensional animation design technology has become an inevitable trend. This paper conducts a simulation study on the intelligent behavior of three-dimensional animation characters in film and television, using finite state machines as the basis. First, we look at the basic parts of the character behavior diagram design and behavior modeling. Then, we use the decision state of the finite state machine to define the intelligent behavior of a three-dimensional animation character. Finally, we combine the character behavior operation principle with the character action generator to finish building the character intelligent behavior model. Under the technical support of the film and television animation character behavior model of the finite state machine, Anima Studio is used to realize the construction of the film and television animation character simulation platform, and the platform of this paper is used to explore the simulation of intelligent behavior of animation characters. Upon exploration, we discover that the animated character, utilizing the finite state machine model, operates efficiently and consistently, thereby demonstrating the simulation effect of the film and television animation character simulation platform in a vivid and realistic manner.

Action capture method of animated characters based on virtual reality technology

Abstract Virtual reality technology is a kind of animation technology that is widely used in the creation of film and television animation art, which makes the technological imprint of film and television animation art creation exceptionally obvious. The article utilizes virtual reality technology to create a virtual scene for character motion capture in film and television animation by combining the video motion capture system. The camera position-solving method is used to map the points in the three-dimensional space to the two-dimensional image plane, and then the high-dimensional image signals are converted to the low-dimensional signals of human body postures through the minimum bounding rectangle of the foreground image to realize the solving of the character’s action posture information. Based on the graph convolution neural network, a time domain graph convolution model is established with the help of layering and cross-frame connection of the null time domain convolution to realize the 3D pose estimation and capture of the character movement in film and television animation. The joints’ confidence smooths the pose sequence of the character’s action. The maximum error of the yaw, pitch, and roll angles in 15 frames does not exceed 0.4° in the pose resolution of the animated character. Real and measured joint flexion and extension angles have errors that are less than 0.3°. The average error of the Euler angle data for character motion capture is between 1.37 and 3.86°, and the MPJVE error of the smoothed data is reduced by 1.15 mm compared to the pre-processing data. The virtual scene constructed by relying on the virtual reality technology can help the video motion capture system to obtain the performance of film and television animated characters, and provide a reference to optimize the film and television animated characters’ movements.

Stereoscopic Image Enabled Animation Art Design Exploration

Abstract With the emergence of movie art, many related art forms were born. Animation art has gained a large number of audiences due to its exaggerated expression. In order to improve the problems of character image overlapping and scene distortion that may occur in the original two-dimensional space, this paper constructs a semi-global stereo image matching algorithm based on the use of point cloud matching in the animation screen for the determination of the screen position and the morphology of the animated character. To compensate for the radiation difference in the stereo image matching algorithm, object-square geometric constraints are proposed to improve the matching cost calculation process. After calculating the matching cost, the original animation model is optimized or rebuilt by creating a depth space image. Taking Disney animation characters as an example, the number of joints required for the reconstruction of the “Snow White” character is 2.9 times more than that of the “Mickey” character, but the reconstruction time of the skeleton is only 12 times longer than that of the “Mickey” character. However, the skeleton reconstruction time is only 12.1 seconds longer than that of the “Mickey” character, which indicates that the algorithm proposed in this paper does not produce a large difference in reconstruction time due to the difference in characters. For the construction of animated indoor scenes, in the eight experimental scenes, the maximum number of grids can be divided into 42365412, and the processing time required is 276.413 seconds. It shows that the algorithm in this paper is capable of subregionally refining the indoor space of the animation. The proposed semi-global stereo image matching-based pan can quickly reconstruct animated character models and animated scenes, as can be seen.

Preliminary Emotion-Based Model for Realistic 3D Animation

3D animators commonly employ facial expressions to convey emotions, yet this method has limitations in fostering audience immersion. Existing guidelines prioritize storytelling, offering limited insight into character construction for immersive experiences. Our investigation seeks to enhance the lifelike movement of animated characters, focusing on audience engagement at specific points. This paper presents empirical findings highlighting the importance of facial and body movements in authentically portraying animated characters’ emotions. Drawing on Shapiro’s 15 controllers for character animation, we conducted an empirical study, examining distinct elements associated with each emotion. Data collection via Likert-scale assessments determined the average agreement for each controller concerning specific emotions. Our results indicate that varied emotions demand unique controllers for optimal realism. Although facial and gaze controllers are integral to all emotions, their intensity differs across emotional states. In response, we propose a preliminary model rooted in basic emotions, offering guidance to animators crafting realistic 3D characters. This model addresses the nuanced requirements of diverse emotions, providing a valuable resource for those seeking to enhance the authenticity of animated character expressions.

DreamAnime: Learning Style-Identity Textual Disentanglement for Anime and Beyond.

Text-to-image generation models have significantly broadened the horizons of creative expression through the power of natural language. However, navigating these models to generate unique concepts, alter their appearance, or reimagine them in unfamiliar roles presents an intricate challenge. For instance, how can we exploit language-guided models to transpose an anime character into a different art style, or envision a beloved character in a radically different setting or role? This paper unveils a novel approach named DreamAnime, designed to provide this level of creative freedom. Using a minimal set of 2-3 images of a user-specified concept such as an anime character or an art style, we teach our model to encapsulate its essence through novel "words" in the embedding space of a pre-existing text-to-image model. Crucially, we disentangle the concepts of style and identity into two separate "words", thus providing the ability to manipulate them independently. These distinct "words" can then be pieced together into natural language sentences, promoting an intuitive and personalized creative process. Empirical results suggest that this disentanglement into separate word embeddings successfully captures a broad range of unique and complex concepts, with each word focusing on style or identity as appropriate. Comparisons with existing methods illustrate DreamAnime's superior capacity to accurately interpret and recreate the desired concepts across various applications and tasks. Code is available at https://github.com/chnshx/DreamAnime.

EMOCIONALNI DISKURS U „UČENOM MAČKU“ BRANKA V. RADIČEVIĆA

Animals as characters have been present in literature from its very beginning, from ancient fables, stories about animals, through the biblical motif in the story of Adam and Eve to contemporary literary works, especially in works intended for children. Starting from the approach of animal studies as a discipline that deals with the analysis of the depiction of animals in literature, focusing on children’s literature, the anthropomorphic aspect of the analysis was singled out. Branko V. Radičević (1925–2001) sculpted figures of animals in his works intended for children. The aim of the paper is to analyze the emotional discourse in Branko V. Radičević’s animalistic prose for children. The focus will be on the work The Learned Cat (Učeni mačak), the tasks are to observe the characteristics and way of building the characters of animals, especially the cat, then the dog, and to analyze the mutual communication of literary characters. With a brilliant storytelling style, linguistic expression, with the full support of imagination, Radičević created the novel The Learned Cat. It is a truly beautiful and imaginatively spun story about a cat who, after becoming a high school graduate, experiences unusual adventures in search of a vocation. He represented animals as heroes in almost all forms of prose for children – from stories, poetry, all the way to novels. While in his poetry animals appear less, mostly as an integral part of nature and serve to better describe it, in his prose works, especially in the analyzed work The Learned Cat, animals are the main characters who go through various events or whose function is to help the main character (in human form), but also pose a threat to the main character. This novel also shows the importance of emotions in people’s lives in general, how positive ones such as neighbourly love, empathy, compassion bring them pleasure, but how it is necessary to face the negative ones, such as fear, and overcome them.

The Use of Digital Media Arts in Animation Filmmaking in the Age of Digital Intelligence

Abstract The development of digital media art has brought a broader application prospect for the production of digital animation movies. The incorporation of Digital Media Arts into Animation Filmmaking during the Age of Digital Intelligence The DTW algorithm is selected to temporally regularize and align the motion data of the animated character, and the motion model is downsized and optimized by combining with the PCA method, to obtain the motion sequence with the characteristics of the animated character itself. The multi-scale method is utilized to decompose the original motion data when combined with motion capture technology to establish a 3D motion database. Analyze the motion connection curves between different video clips and the generated animation data after and before motion modeling using the 3D motion database of broadcast gymnastics. Analyzing the drawing efficiency of virtual character models is done using an ordinary human character model with different voxel accuracy. Before the motion library modeling, the average joint error measured in degrees was 10.012°, as indicated by the data. The modeling procedure results in a reduction of the average joint error to 4.281°. The accuracy of animated character generation motion can be improved by using motion modeling. Character motion generation suggestions for animated movie production are provided in this study.

Research on the Application of Digital Media Art in Film and Television Animation in Multimedia Perspective

Abstract The fusion of digital media art with film and television animation production ushers in a new artistic and technological synergy era. This form of art, merging visual, sound, and digital innovations, faces unparalleled growth opportunities and significant challenges. This paper investigates the impact of digital media art on animation, emphasizing its influence on creative expression and production processes. Through case study analysis, we demonstrate the efficiency gains and aesthetic enhancements afforded by digital media, including a 70% reduction in rendering time and a 40% increase in character animation realism. Incorporating Virtual Reality (V.R.) and Augmented Reality (A.R.) technologies also opens up novel avenues for immersive viewer experiences. Despite facing obstacles in technology adaptation and financial investment, the application of digital media art in animation represents a crucial driver of industry evolution.

Three cycles of mobile app design to improve HIV self-management: A development and evaluation study.

Employing three cycles of Design Science Research (DSR) to develop a mobile app 'ESSC (Excellent Self Supervised HIV Care)' to improve self-management among people living with HIV (PLWH). This study is based on the DSR framework comprising three iterative cycles. In the Relevance cycle, PLWH participated in a survey of mobile health (mHealth) experiences and needs. In the Rigor cycle, the information-motivation-behavioural skills (IMB) model was applied to foundations of the app, and HIV specialists verified the contents. Experts evaluated the heuristic system and the app quality with the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). In the Design cycle, ESSC was built on the findings of the other two cycles, and end-users tested the usability using uMARS. The contents of the app were developed based on user requirements. The IMB model led ESSC to supplement motivational components for self-management, which built five functions: information contents; health life records including mental and sexual health; interactive counselling with healthcare providers; setting health goals after watching videos; and my page for self-reflection. To reduce social stigma and promote acceptance of the information-driven app, we created animated characters with neutral and bright features. The HIV specialists evaluated content validity as highly appropriate. The MARS score by the overall raters was between 3-acceptable and 4-good: functionality, 4.38; information, 4.12; aesthetics, 3.96; engagement, 3.37; and subjective quality, 3.25. The DSR approach is effective for implementing usable and useful mHealth. The ESSC app would be feasible and contribute PLWH to retention in care.