Physics-Based Character Animation
Time: Tue 2-4pm
Location: BA 5181
Instructor: Aaron Hertzmann (hertzman@dgp.toronto.edu)
Office: BA 5268
Office hours: drop in, or by appointment
Web page: www.cs.toronto.edu/~csc2521h
Physical models are widely used in computer animation for animating fluids, cloth, explosions, and other passive phenomena. However, physical representations are never used in practice for animated characters (except for "ragdoll simulation" for passive characters), nor are physical representations used in computer vision for people and animals. This course is based on the belief that, with the advent of modern machine learning technology, there is an opportunity to create physics-based representations of motion that are useful in computer animation and computer vision.
This course will begin with a series of lectures on classical mechanics and numerical algorithms for animation. We will then switch to a format of paper reading and discussion. Most papers will be drawn from the computer animation literature, but we will also read a number of biomechanics and robotics papers.
The text for this course is Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems by Thornton and Marion, 5th Edition. It is available from the bookstore (probably cheaper than Amazon). Other readings will be posted on the web and/or handed out in class.
CS grads or instructor permission; computer graphics