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Reusable Skinning Templates Using Cage-based Deformations

Tao Ju, Qian-Yi Zhou, Michiel van de Panne, Danny Cohen-Or, Ulrich Neumann

SIGGRAPH AsiaAcademic92 cites1 descendantSkinning Rigging

Introduces reusable per-joint cage deformation templates that transfer skinning across characters with similar skeletons.

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Abstract

This paper introduces skinning templates, which define common skeleton-driven deformation behaviors for common joint and bone types so that skinning solutions can be shared and reused across different characters. The templates are implemented using cage-based deformations, where the skeleton drives the cage vertices through example-based deformation functions that preserve radial distance to avoid linear-blend artifacts such as pinching and collapse, and the cage in turn smoothly deforms the embedded geometry via Positive Mean Value Coordinates. A semi-automatic fitting procedure adapts templates to varying geometries while preserving deformation intent, enabling effects like muscle bulging and pinch-free elbow bending. Templates can be swapped interactively during an animation preview cycle, allowing rapid exploration of alternate skinning styles.

How to read this

Category: Method: a reusable cage-based skinning technique
Contributions: Introduces skinning templates that define skeleton-driven deformation behaviors per joint and bone type for reuse across characters
Implements templates with cage-based, example-driven deformations that preserve radial distance to avoid linear-blend pinching and collapse, propagated to geometry via Positive Mean Value Coordinates
Provides a semi-automatic fitting procedure and interactive template swapping for rapid skinning-style exploration
Context: Builds on Mean Value Coordinates for Closed Triangular Meshes (Ju et al. 2005) and addresses the classic linear-blend skinning artifacts by transferring deformation intent rather than weights.Builds on: Mean Value Coordinates for Closed Triangular Meshes
Correctness: Validated through demonstrated effects such as muscle bulging and pinch-free elbow bending; key assumptions are that target characters share similar skeleton structure and that templates capture intent, so behavior on dissimilar topologies or extreme poses warrants caution.
Clarity: Accessible; a first pass conveys the template-and-cage idea, do a second pass for the radial-distance deformation functions and the fitting procedure.
How to read it: Focus first on what a template is and why cages plus Positive MVC avoid pinching; a second pass on the example-based deformation functions and fitting is worth it if you plan to implement reuse.

Builds on

Mean Value Coordinates for Closed Triangular Meshes 2005

Built upon by

Real-Time Deformation with Coupled Cages and Skeletons 2020

Related work

Harmonic Coordinates for Character Articulation 2007 / SIGGRAPH
Geodesic Voxel Binding for Production Character Meshes 2013 / SCA
Automatic Rigging and Animation of 3D Characters 2007 / SIGGRAPH
Stretchable and Twistable Bones for Skeletal Shape Deformation 2011 / SIGGRAPH Asia

Keywords

skinning templates cage-based deformation positive mean value coordinates linear blend skinning example-based skinning joint template bone template muscle bulging radial distance preservation spherical averaging radial basis functions template fitting reusable skinning automatic rigging skeleton-driven deformation harmonic coordinates twisting

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