Python in master thesis

My master thesis focused on facial animation, where I used the model Ray from CG Tarian.

Unfortunately, due to the two-year embargo on my master thesis by Utrecht University I am not at liberty to talk much about my master thesis. I can, however, shortly discuss my use of Python within Autodesk Maya.

Ray is a Maya model and since my focus is on facial animation, I used Python in the script editor for a few functionalities. First, I wrote a function where I could select the facial controls that I use. These facial controls are driven by a performer using motion capture data and the softwares prodivded by Dynamixyz.

Secondly, I had to extract the facial animation. This function read some transformation values (translation and/or rotation) and wrote them to a CSV file, where one row represented one frame. This facial animation was given to a neural network, which had to generate new facial animation.

Therefore, the third function animated the facial controls with the animation in a generated CSV file, mapping each row to one frame. Additionally, I allowed for the possibility to only animate a part of the face using masks.