REALISTIC ILLUMINATION OF A CHARACTER FOR A SCENE

Number: 20210185213
Published: 2021-06-17
Filed: 2019-12-16
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: Chapman; Steven M., Taylor; Alice, Popp; Joseph
CPC: H04N23/90; G06T7/80; H04N23/74
Verdict: Low Notable software
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Rendering/illumination technique for characters in a scene.

Abstract

A system for illuminating a character for a scene includes a computing platform communicatively coupled to a lighting source and a camera, the computing platform including a hardware processor and a system memory storing a software code. The hardware processor executes the software code to identify a background for the scene, generate, using the lighting source, a simulation of the background on a surface illuminated by the lighting source, and utilize the simulation of the background generated on the surface illuminated by the lighting source to illuminate the character for the scene. The hardware processor also executes the software code to track, using the camera, a plurality of parameters of the camera during recording of an image of the illuminated character and the simulation of the background, and to remove the simulation of the background from the image based on the plurality of parameters of the camera.

Background

BACKGROUND

Video content, such as movies and television programming, for example, is widely used to distribute entertainment to consumers. Due to its popularity with those consumers, ever more video is being produced and made available for distribution via traditional broadcast models, as well as streaming services. Consequently, efficient and cost-effective techniques for producing high quality video imagery are increasingly important to the creators and owners of that content.

In order to produce realistic scene-based lighting of a performer being filmed, it is important that the performer be illuminated by a close approximation of the lighting that does or will exist in a virtual environment or background in which the performer will be viewed. Because real physical lights are typically needed to illuminate the performer, conventional production techniques may include the inefficient process of manually rotoscoping the stage lighting from the image. An alternative conventional technique is to film the actor on a green matte screen. However, that green screen technique typically offers a poor representation of the environmental lighting effects being reflected from the performer. Although techniques for simulating an entire scene digitally are known, they often produce an “uncanny valley” effect or may simply be too expensive to be a practical alternative. SUMMARY

There are provided systems and methods for realistically illuminating a character for a sce

Claims

1. A system for illuminating a character for a scene using a lighting source and a camera, the system comprising: a computing platform communicatively coupled to the lighting source and the camera, the computing platform including a hardware processor and a system memory storing a software code; the hardware processor configured to execute the software code to: identify a background for the scene; generate, using the lighting source, a simulation of the background on a surface illuminated by the lighting source; utilize the simulation of the background generated on the surface illuminated by the lighting source to illuminate the character for the scene; track, using the camera, a plurality of parameters of the camera during a recording of an image of the illuminated character and the simulation of the background; and remove the simulation of the background from the image based on the plurality of parameters of the camera. || 11. A method for use by a system for illuminating a character for a scene, the system including a lighting source, a camera, and a computing platform communicatively coupled to the lighting source and the camera, the computing platform including a hardware processor and a system memory storing a software code, the method comprising: identifying, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, a background for the scene; generating, by the software code executed by the hardware processor and using the lighting source, a simulation of the background on a surface illuminated by the lighting source; utilizing, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, the simulation of the at least one background generated on the surface illuminated by the lighting source to illuminate the character for the scene; tracking, by the software code executed by the hardware processor and using the camera, a plurality of parameters of the camera during a recording of an image of the illuminated character and the simulation of the background by the camera; and removing, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, the simulation of the background from the image based on the plurality of parameters of the camera.