A Study of the Influence of Dynamic Wrinkles on the Perceived Realism of Real-Time Character Animations

In real-time applications, very little time is available to perform all calculations including deformations and rendering. Due to this strong constraint, secondary animation (movement of hair, soft tissues, muscles, wrinkled skin and clothing) are not used in virtual characters animation. In addition there is no study on the impact this type of animation has on the perception of the overall realism of an animation. This research project studies through several experiments the influence of dynamic wrinkles on the perception of realism for the animation of virtual characters in realtime.

The aim is to determine whether dynamic wrinkles enhance the perception of realism of the scene, and if variables such as the viewer's point of view, the type of animation or texture influence the perception of dynamic wrinkles. This is useful to determine situations in which it is not necessary to simulate the ones that are not going to be perceived, or to decrease the resolution of simulation. The time saved that can thus be spent on other tasks to improve the overall realism of the scene, such as artificial intelligence or physical simulation.