A global team of computer scientists, one of whom also is a tennis expert and NCAA tennis champion, has developed a physics-based animation system that can produce diverse and complex tennis-playing skills while only using motion data from videos. The team's computational framework empowers two simulated characters to engage in extensive tennis rallies, guided by controllers learned from match videos featuring different players.

"Our work demonstrates the exciting possibility of using abundant sports videos from the internet to create virtual characters that can be controlled. It opens up a future where anyone can bring virtual characters to life using their own videos," says Haotian Zhang, first author of the new research and a Ph.D. student studying under Kayvon Fatahalian, associate professor of computer science at Stanford University. Zhang and Fatahalian are set to present their work at SIGGRAPH 2023, along with collaborators from NVIDIA, University of Toronto, Vector Institute, and Simon Fraser University.

"Imagine the incredible creativity and convenience as people from all backgrounds can now take charge of animation and make their ideas come alive," adds Zhang. "The potential is limitless, and the ability to animate virtual characters is now within easy reach for everyone."

The researchers demonstrate the system via a number of examples, including replicating different player styles, such as a right-handed player using two-handed backhand and vice versa, and capturing diverse tennis skills such as the serve, forehand topspin, and backhand slice, to name a few. The novel system can produce two physically simulated characters playing extended tennis rallies with simulated racket and ball-handling dynamics.

Along with Zhang and Fatahalian, collaborators Ye Yuan, Viktor Makoviychuk, and Yunrong Guo at NVIDIA, Sanja Fidler at University of Toronto, and Xue Bin Peng at NVIDIA and Simon Fraser University, will demonstrate their work at SIGGRAPH 2023. For the full paper and video, visit the team's page.

Each year, the SIGGRAPH Technical Papers program spans research areas from animation, simulation, and imaging to geometry, modeling, human-computer interaction, fabrication, robotics, and more. Get a glimpse of this year's content by watching the SIGGRAPH 2023 Technical Papers trailer, and view the full program for even more detail. Visit the SIGGRAPH 2023 website to register.

About ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, and SIGGRAPH 2023

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM SIGGRAPH is a special interest group within ACM that serves as an interdisciplinary community for members in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The SIGGRAPH conference is the world's leading annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH 2023, the 50th annual conference hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH, will take place live 6–10 August at the Los Angeles Convention Center, along with a Virtual Access option.

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SOURCE SIGGRAPH