Don't yet all this patent stuff get you too paranoid. Even if it were patented, there are so many ways to form the data and perform the deformation, it would be very hard to cover it by patent and even easier to avoid. I do like strolling through the patent server to see what silliness still occurs. It has now become too absurd to worry about. 99 and 2000 were huge years for the release of patents on software. There are tons on IK, Mocap, dynamics, etc. Expect more every year from now on.
Whenever I talk about matrix deformation, I talk about it in terms of a mathematical formula. That cannot be patented. Maybe one exact implementation could and possibly has been but it would be easy to get around. As to your exact question, I have never seen a paper let alone a patent on exactly matrix deformation for articulated objects. When I first wanted to do it, I figured out mathematically how Softimage must do it since that is what I was using. So for me, Softimage was prior art. The Thalmann's have written on enveloping a skeleton but that is not quite the same as taking an arbitrary mesh and deforming it with matrices. If anyone else has the definitive reference for this, I would love it for my archives.
PDI has a patent (99 filed 96) on the technique they use to automatically generate the weights for this deformation but not for the deformation itself. They reference the Softimage and Alias users manual strangely enough.
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US05892691__
This Lucas (filed 95) one seems kind of close but most the prior art listed covers most the technique so I would really need to study it to figure out what they are claiming to have invented. Seems like it is combining matrix deformation with vertex morphing.
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US05883638__
I believe what we would call "keyframe" animation is covered by lots. A good list is in the prior-art/patent section of this one from Hitatchi. Which from nearest I can figure covers real-time cut-scene movies. http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?pn=US06072478__ It also references one from Namco that must be for one of their games. It covers a 3D game on a grid where you track objects and distance between them on a map. The distance is used to pick an LOD for the objects and stuff like that. It seems like they are just covering every aspect of one of their games and claiming it as an "invention." That way no one could make the same game I guess. I wonder if this will eventually lead to all games being patented as well as copyrighted as a "unique" combination of prior art techniques. I guess they don't think look-and-feel copyrights hold up well enough.
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?&pn10=US05616079
You also gotta love http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?&pn10=US04643421 "Video game in which a host image repels ravenous images by serving filled vessels... A video game in which the player must fill mugs from a keg and slide the filled mugs down a bar to advancing thirsty patrons to repel the patron out the bar. " They patented TAPPER but it expired because they didn't pay the fees.
-Jeff
At 11:37 AM 8/21/2000 -1000, you wrote:
>Is Keyframing, bones, or skinning patented in any way?
>
>
>thanks
>dave
>
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