Sketch Express: Facial Expressions Made Easy

Abstract

Finding an effective control interface to manipulate complex eometric objects has traditionally relied on experienced users to place the animation controls. This process, whether for key framed or for motion captured animation, takes a lot of time and effort. We introduce a novel sketching interface control system inspired in theway artists draw, in which a stroke defines the shape of an object and reflects the user s intention. We also introduce the canvas, a 2D drawing region where the users can make their strokes, which determines the domain of interaction with the object. We show that the combination of strokes and canvases provides a new way to manipulate the shape of an implicit volume in space. And most importantly, it is independent from the 3D model rig. The strokes can be easily stored and reused in other characters, allowing retargeting of poses. Our interactive approach is illustrated using facial models of different styles. As a result, we allow rapid manipulation of 3D faceson the fly in a very intuitive and interactive way. Our informal study showed that first time users typically master the system within seconds, creating appealing 3D poses and animations in just a few minutes.