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Shaping the Elements: Curvenet Animation Controls in Pixar's Elemental
Duc Nguyen, Jeremie Talbot, William Sheffler, Mark Hessler, Kurt Fleischer, Fernando de Goes
Shaping rig for Pixar's curvenet system that auto-generates surface-aligned animation controls per knot for layered shot-level rigging on Elemental.
Abstract
We present a new shaping rig for authoring layers of animation control that facilitate surface editing in shot work. Our approach expands the curvenet rigging technology [de Goes et al. 2022] by introducing new tools that auto-generate a surface-aligned direct manipulator per curvenet knot. As a result, we obtain a mapping from animation controls into curvenet adjustments relative to the deforming surface with minimal setup. We showcase our curvenet shaping rig using results from Pixar’s feature film Elemental (2023).
How to read this
- Category
- Production method: a shaping rig for curvenet animation controls
- Contributions
- A shaping rig that authors layers of animation control for surface editing in shot work
- Auto-generation of a surface-aligned direct manipulator per curvenet knot with minimal setup
- A mapping from animation controls into curvenet adjustments relative to the deforming surface, shown on Pixar's Elemental
- Context
- Extends the curvenet rigging technology of Character Articulation through Profile Curves (de Goes et al. 2022) toward layered shot-level control.Builds on: Character Articulation through Profile Curves
- Correctness
- Presented as production-validated on a feature film rather than benchmarked; it assumes a curvenet representation already drives the surface, so it is specific to that articulation system.
- Clarity
- Accessible to riggers; a first pass conveys the per-knot manipulator idea, a second pass clarifies the control-to-curvenet mapping.
- How to read it
- Read for the workflow concept (per-knot surface-aligned controls and layered shot edits); a single pass suffices unless you work directly with curvenet rigs, then revisit the mapping details.
Builds on
Built upon by
Related work
- Harmonic Coordinates for Character Articulation 2007 / SIGGRAPH
- Pixar's Inside Out 2: Character Rig Challenges and Techniques 2024 / SIGGRAPH
- Hair Emoting with Style Guides in Turning Red 2022 / SIGGRAPH
- Character Rigging, Deformations, and Simulations in Film and Game Production 2011 / SIGGRAPH Courses
Keywords
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