The Walt Disney Company
Automatically generating quadruped locomotion controllers

Abstract:

Techniques for generating locomotion data for animating a virtual quadruped model, starting at an origin point and travelling to a destination point along a defined path. A virtual skeletal structure for the virtual quadruped model is analyzed to identify a torso region, limbs each ending in a respective end effector, and limb attributes. A predefined locomotion template for virtual quadruped characters is retrieved and mapped to the virtual quadruped model by aligning the torso region and the plurality of limbs of the virtual skeletal structure for the virtual quadruped with a second torso region and a second plurality of limbs of the predefined locomotion template. Locomotion data is generated for the virtual quadruped model based on the defined path and by upscaling the mapped predefined locomotion template, based at least on the set of limb attributes determined by analyzing the virtual skeletal structure for the virtual quadruped model.