Publications by Daniel Thalmann

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This paper describes a model for simulating crowds of humans in real time. We deal with a hierarchy composed of virtual crowds, groups, and individuals. The groups are the most complex structure that can be controlled in different degrees of autonomy. This autonomy refers to the extent to which the virtual agents are independent of user intervention and also the amount of information needed to simulate crowds. Thus, depending on the complexity of the simulation, simple behaviors can be sufficient to simulat

This paper describes a model for simulating crowds of humans in real time. We deal with a hierarchy composed of virtual crowds, groups and individuals. The groups are the most complex structure that can be controlled in different degrees of autonomy. This autonomy refers to the extent to which the virtual agents are independent of the user intervention and also the amount of information needed to simulate crowds. Thus, depending on the complexity of the simulation, simple behaviors can be sufficient to simu

This article describes a method of constructing parametric models out of captured motion and skeleton data. Casting the problem as scattered data interpolation, our work is based on a multi-step approximation for the interpolation function with motion data compressed by principal component analysis. This leads to smaller storage and faster computation than those of previous approaches based on classical methods of exact interpolation. As a result, motion models can be constructed out of a rich set of exampl

This article devises a photograph-based monitoring model to estimate the real-time PM2.5 concentrations, overcoming currently popular electrochemical sensor-based PM2.5 monitoring methods' shortcomings such as low-density spatial distribution and time dela ...

The 2nd edition of this book provides an updated and extended look into the advancements in Virtual Reality and the metaverse. The history and origins of Virtual Reality, crowd simulation and virtual surgery are thoroughly explored. Applications in the cul ...

Summary form only given. This paper discusses the problem of control and autonomy of synthetic actors. It first describes an animation approach where synthetic vision is used for navigation by a synthetic actor. The vision is the only channel of information between the actor and its environment and offers a universal approach to pass the necessary information from the environment to an actor in the problems of path searching, obstacle avoidance, and internal knowledge representation with learning and forget

In this work, we resolve a big challenge that most current image quality metrics (IQMs) are unavailable across different image contents, especially simultaneously coping with natural scene (NS) images or screen content (SC) images. By comparison with exist ...

This paper presents a novel concept: a graphical representation of human emotion extracted from text sentences. The major contributions of this paper are the following. First, we present a pipeline that extracts, processes, and renders emotion of 3D virtua ...

A model is described for creating three-dimensional animated characters. In this new type of layered construction technique, called the elastic surface layer model, a simulated elastically deformable skin surface is wrapped around a traditional kinematic articulated figure. Unlike previous layered models, the skin is free to slide along the underlying surface layers constrained by reaction forces which push the surface out and spring forces which pull the surface in to the underlying layers. By tuning the p

We propose the use of inverse dynamics in a closed form with direct dynamics for interactive motion control of a human skeleton. An efficient recursive algorithm based on Newton-Euler formulae is used to calculate the force and torque produced by a joint actuator in order to fulfill a desired motion. The resulting force and torque are then used in direct dynamics to make the final motion with external force and torque. The Armstrong-Green algorithm is used for direct dynamic simulation. To decrease the erro

We introduce a new method for computerized real-time evaluation of femoroacetabular impingement (FM). In contrast to previously presented stress analyses, this method is based on two types of predictions of penetration depths for two rotating bodies: curvi ...

Today neuromuscular simulations are used in several fields, such as diagnostics and planing of surgery, to get a deeper understanding of the musculoskeletal system. During the last year, new models and datasets have been presented which can provide us with ...

An efficient method is proposed for hair animation. The movement of hairs is modeled by simplified physical simulations. In particular the method can treat successfully collisions between hair and a human body or other objects, which provides realistic hair animation. The fast collision detection is achieved using cylindrical representation of the head and human body parts, despite a large number of hairs. The cylindrical representation allows collision detection to be performed by table look-up and interpo

Shapes incorporate geometry as well as semantics and can be defined in 2D, 3D or higher dimensions. Geometric models can be structured in such a way that they can provide a relevant framework to insert semantic information or view dependent information abo ...

In this paper, we present research results and future challenges in creating realistic and believable virtual humans. To realize these modeling goals, real-time realistic representation is essential, but we also need interactive and perceptive virtual huma ...

The authors present a virtual tennis game. They describe the creation and modeling of the virtual humans and body deformations, also showing the real-time animation and rendering aspects of the avatars. They focus on the animation of the virtual tennis ball and the behavior of a synthetic, autonomous referee who judges the tennis games. The networked, collaborative, virtual environment system is described with special reference to its interfaces to driver programs. They also mention the virtual reality (VR)

A new way of teaching differential equations with interdisciplinary models and a computer is presented. The models are taken from physics, chemistry and biology. Students work at the computer in interactive use. They have the choice of the values of different parameters and can analyse the results on a graphical display unit or a digital graph plotter. Three applications are described: projectiles, chemical kinetics and interspecific animal competition

In combination with the rapid technical improvements of computers, building large virtual scenes has become a popular field in computer graphics. Often, within a real reconstructed city, a building that has disappeared, or a virtual town, virtual humans populating these scenes are expected to provide a feeling of real life. Our specific aim is to populate these scenes with virtual humans in order to offer assistance in decision making concerning urban infrastructures. In this view, we have to integrate the

Interactive systems, games, VR and multimedia systems require more and more flexible Virtual Humans with individualities. Behavioral animation seems to be the best way to develop this kind of applications, but there is still a major problem to select the right laws and rules to implement individual but believable behaviors. To create motion laws, there are mainly two approaches: 1) Recording the motion using motion capture systems, then to try to alternate such a motion to create this individuality. This pr

A good computer graphics and animation language is sought that is not only a structured language but must also provide a way to structured data. By introducing three-dimensional graphical types into Pascal, and by providing the means to define any drawing with them, a powerful, structured computer graphics and animation language was obtained, which however lacks abstraction capability. Primitive abstract graphical data called figures were defined and introduced as a graphical extension of Pascal called Mira

Daniel Thalmann

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Hierarchical model for real time simulation of virtual human crowds

Hierarchical model for real time simulation of virtual human crowds

Construction of animation models out of captured data

PM2.5 Monitoring: Use Information Abundance Measurement and Wide and Deep Learning

Stepping into virtual reality

Autonomous virtual humans in virtual worlds

Learning a Unified Blind Image Quality Metric via On-Line and Off-Line Big Training Instances

From Sentence to Emotion: a real-time 3D graphics metaphor of emotions extracted from text

The elastic surface layer model for animated character construction

Interactive human motion control using a closed-form of direct and inverse dynamics

Penetration Depth Method-Novel Real-Time Strategy for Evaluating Femoroacetabular Impingement

Evaluation of a geometry-based knee joint compared to a planar knee joint

Hair animation with collision detection

Acquiring, structuring shapes and annotating them with semantics to improve design activities

Virtual humans: thirty years of research, what next?

Anyone for tennis?

Differential equations, an interdisciplinary model!

Virtual human life simulation and database: why and how

Behavioural animation of virtual humans: what kind of laws and rules ?

USE OF HIGH-LEVEL 3-D GRAPHICAL TYPES IN THE MIRA ANIMATION SYSTEM