Japanese firm uses robot engineering to simplify animation

Citation

(2002), "Japanese firm uses robot engineering to simplify animation", Industrial Robot, Vol. 29 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2002.04929dab.009

Japanese firm uses robot engineering to simplify animation

Japanese firm uses robot engineering to simplify animation

Keyword: Robots

A Japanese company, principally interested in game software manufacturing, is using robot engineering to simplify animation. Sega Corporation officials explain that this new programme has simplified computer graphics employed to create realistic motion.

"As any fan of animated films is aware", a Sega director pointed out, "animators using computers can turn out animation that is far more realistic than anything possible with the traditional two-dimensional cell method". "While the end result may look flashier", he continued, "the animation process is still labour-intensive and requires the use of high-performance computers, which makes production extremely expensive".

And a Sega director added: "Japan can rightly be proud of its well-recognised anime, but in an industry where a single box-office hit can spell the difference between success and insolvency, there is a need for tools that can both simplify and reduce the cost of computer animation".

Sega Corp. has developed a new animation middlewear tool called "Animatium" that can sharply reduce both the time and the costs in breathing life into animated characters. It is based on robot engineering technology developed at the University of Tokyo, which explains that "animation presents a simple personal computer interface that can be used by the animator to animate human-like 3-D characters without using a motion capture system". Sega has assembled a consortium to promote this animation and is preparing several commercial versions of the software, including an educational edition for training purposes and a professional edition for computer-graphics creators.

In the conventional process, animators give their characters "realistic human-like motions" by using a "motion capture" system which records data from motion sensors worn by people acting the scene, and with computer simulation programmes, work that requires special editing studios and high-performance studios. Despite the hardware, it remains difficult to animate characters that stray too far from the typical human form.

The animation software streamlines the process. The animator creates a set of poses that serve as key frames, using mouse-driven commands to drag the character into the different poses, and then Animatium automatically interpolates between these frames to bring about smooth and realistic motion. Sega has already used it to develop an animated series for TV. Using the software, just two animators were able to do the digital animation work that normally requires a team of between 15 and 20 members.

Animatium is based on the control technology for a humanoid robot developed by Professor Yoshihiko Nakamura of the University of Tokyo as part of a government funded research programme. His software enables the humanoid robot to walk and to adjust its movements, according to instructions. Sega officially unveiled Animatium in the late summer, 2001, when it announced the formation of a consortium to promote the software.