Patents by Inventor Steven Caulkin

Steven Caulkin has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20200357157
    Abstract: The present invention relates to method of generating training data for use in animating an animated object corresponding to a deformable object. The method comprises accessing a 3D model of the deformable object, defining a plurality of virtual cameras directed at the 3D model; varying adjustable controls of the 3D model to create a set of deformations on the 3D model. Then, for each deformation, capturing 2D projections of points at each virtual camera, combining the projections to form a vector of 2D point coordinates, generating a vector of 2D shape parameters from the point coordinates, and combining the shape parameters with the values of the adjustable controls for that deformation to form a training data item. The training data items are combined to form a training data set for use in training a learning algorithm for use in animating an animated object corresponding to the deformable object based on real deformations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Gareth Edwards, Jane Haslam, Steven Caulkin
  • Patent number: 8269779
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods and computer program products for automatically transferring expressions between rigs with consistent joint structure, and for automatically transferring skin weights between different skin meshes based on joint positioning. A method is provided for transferring an expression between a plurality of source rigs and a target rig, where each rig characterizes an animated character, and each rig, in turn, is characterized by a set of joints and a skin mesh having a plurality of vertices, with each vertex characterized by a matrix of weights relating a response of the vertex to movement of associated joints. A set of offsets is calculated of joint positions of a goal expression of each source rig relative to a neutral expression of the source rig. A scaling transformation is then applied to the set of offsets to produce a scaled set of offsets, which are added, in turn, to a neutral expression of the target rig.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Image Metrics Limited
    Inventors: Michael Rogers, Kevin Walker, Steven Caulkin, Gareth Edwards
  • Publication number: 20110304622
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods and computer program products for automatically transferring expressions between rigs with consistent joint structure, and for automatically transferring skin weights between different skin meshes based on joint positioning. A method is provided for transferring an expression between a plurality of source rigs and a target rig, where each rig characterizes an animated character, and each rig, in turn, is characterized by a set of joints and a skin mesh having a plurality of vertices, with each vertex characterized by a matrix of weights relating a response of the vertex to movement of associated joints. A set of offsets is calculated of joint positions of a goal expression of each source rig relative to a neutral expression of the source rig. A scaling transformation is then applied to the set of offsets to produce a scaled set of offsets, which are added, in turn, to a neutral expression of the target rig.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: Image Metrics Ltd
    Inventors: Michael Rogers, Kevin Walker, Steven Caulkin, Gareth Edwards
  • Patent number: 7768528
    Abstract: Methods and computer program code computer program codes for modifying an expression of an actor in at least one video frame based on performance of the actor in a sequence of frames of video footage. A plurality of control points are identified for characterizing the shape of the actor in each frame of the video footage by a shape vector comprising positions of the control points. The shape vectors of each frame are then warped to a common standard frame thereby generating an aligned shape vector and a transformed image for each frame. The aligned shape vectors and attendant texture vectors are transformed in accordance with specified pose and expression parameters to create new shape and texture vectors which are reinserted into the sequence of frames so as to reanimate the actor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Image Metrics Limited
    Inventors: Gareth Edwards, Kevin Walker, Steven Caulkin