Texture mapping for cel animation

Abstract

We present a method for applying complex textures to hand-drawn characters in cel animation. The method correlates features in a simple, textured, 3-D model with features on a hand-drawn figure, and then distorts the model to conform to the hand-drawn artwork. The process uses two new algorithms: a silhouette detection scheme and a depth-preserving warp. The silhouette detection algorithm is simple and efficient, and it produces continuous, smooth, visible contours on a 3-D model. The warp distorts the model in only two dimensions to match the artwork from a given camera perspective, yet preserves 3-D effects such as self-occlusion and foreshortening. The entire process allows animators to combine complex textures with hand-drawn artwork, leveraging the strengths of 3-D computer graphics while retaining the expressiveness of traditional handdrawn cel animation.