Vertex-Based Facial Animation Transfer System for Models with Different Topology; A Tool for Maya

Abstract

The transfer of realistic facial animations between two 3D models is limited and/or too cumbersome for general use. In this paper, we target transfer of facial expression animation and facial animation sequences within the 3D software modelling tool Autodesk Maya to eliminate some of the issues that animators come across while creating animations, along with making their process much faster and efficient. While current animation transferring processes in Maya work well, the downfall of these methods is that they only work properly if the source and target models have same vertex count, vertex order, and topology; in other words, the model has to be the same, and there is a lot of manual work required beforehand. We propose a system that eliminates these issues in order to achieve smooth and realistic animations while maintaining a 3D modelagnostic focus; the system features facial animation transfer between different models, i.e. different topology, vertex ordering and vertex count. The system is purely vertexbased; this helps to speed up the process since no rigging is necessary. Furthermore, the system reduces the amount of manual effort in order to accomplish a smooth and realistic facial animation.iii