Avatar Creation and Customization for Health Games

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Avatar Creation and Customization for Health Games

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Chen, Cheng 1988-

Creating 3D avatars that realistically depict a user is very difficult and time consuming. Most 3D avatars are created manually by artists, and personalization options are few. Because 3D scan is an emerging technology, most 3D scanners are very expensive. This thesis presents a three-tiered system that 1) easily generates a 3D Scan model of a person with a multiple-Kinect system which is much cheaper than most scanners, 2) processes the scanned model using a Maya® Plug-in called Scanned Model Customization (SMC), and 3) controls the avatar with physical motion in 3D games. The multiple-Kinect system scans a real person, generates a basic 3D model, and exports the model to Maya®. Meshes and texture are generated form data captured by Kinect. Alignment and finalization methods are used to create the model. This system also includes the SMC Maya Plug-in. With the aid of SMC, a user can customize his/her scanned 3D model. The SMC provides multiple customization options to improve the scanned model and connect with game engines. The avatar is finally controlled with a Kinect-driven character controller in active 3D games. The game is youth-oriented and immersive, with the player’s live body actions controlling the fate of an avatar in a virtual world. ; Computer Science, Department of