Apple patents method to copy avatar animations onto different characters
Apple has been granted a patent for a technique that transfers a character's movement from one digital model to another. The system uses a flexible intermediate skeleton to adjust the original animation so it fits the body shape and proportions of the new character.
In the filing’s own words
Transferring an animation from a source avatar to a target avatar includes identifying a first set of segments comprising a first skeleton from an animation for a source avatar, obtaining a second set of segments comprising an intermediate skeleton, determining positional information for each of the first set of segments, modifying the intermediate skeleton based on the positional information, and applying the intermediate skeleton to a target avatar. The positional information includes rotation information for each segment, which is transferred to corresponding segments of the intermediate skeleton to obtain a posed intermediate skeleton. The intermediate skeleton is fit to the target skeleton to translate the pose of the source avatar to the target avatar.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method comprising: identifying, by one or more processors, a first set of segments representing a first skeleton from a source avatar in a first pose; obtaining, by the one or more processors, a second set of segments representing an intermediate skeleton in a second pose; determining, by the one or more processors, positional information for each of the first set of segments; modifying, by the one or more processors, the intermediate skeleton based on the positional information of the first set of segments to generate a modified intermediate skeleton comprising modified positional information for one or more of the second set of segments; applying, by the one or more processors, the modified intermediate skeleton to a target avatar skeleton in a third pose to cause the target avatar skeleton to transition from the third pose to the first pose, wherein the third pose is different than the second pose, wherein the target avatar skeleton is associated with a target avatar; and placing the target avatar in the third pose using the target avatar skeleton.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Automatic retargeting for matching avatars
- Patent number
- US12770312B1
- Application number
- 18465799
- Filed
- Sep 12, 2023
- Granted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06T 13/00 Physics & computingG06T 7/73 Physics & computingG06T 2207/30196 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AR, VR & displays
- Apple patents AR glasses that zoom in on what you look at Sep 8, 2026
- Apple patents finger ring that controls VR with taps and waves Sep 15, 2026
- Apple patents head-mounted device that types via eye swipes and hand pinches Oct 6, 2026
- Apple patents eye-tracking and hand gestures to select screen items Oct 20, 2026
- Apple patents AR glasses that adjust lenses to fit your eyes Sep 17, 2026
Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.