Mathematics in Computer Animation - Pixar's Approach

Explore the intersection of mathematics and computer animation in this 49-minute lunch talk by David Baraff, Principal Software Engineer at Pixar Animation Studios. Delve into the advanced mathematical techniques used to create realistic effects like clothing, hair, water, and 3D interactive animation. Learn about dynamic simulation, rigid body dynamics, constraints, quadratic programming, and the Traveling Salesman Problem. Discover how hair and cloth simulations are modeled and implemented. Gain insights into matrix operations, subdivision surfaces, mesh deformation, and surface exploration. Examine real-world applications in films like Toy Story, Brave, and The Lord of the Rings. Understand the challenges of debugging complex simulations and the importance of efficient searching algorithms in computer animation.

Intro
Dynamic Simulation
Rigid Body Dynamics
Falling Bricks
Constraints
Quadratic Programming
Traveling Salesman Problem
Hair Modeling
Hair Simulation
Cloth Simulation
Early Motion Tests
Matrix
Positive Semidefinite
Quality Bar
Tailoring
Subdivision surfaces
Mesh
Deformation
Up Res
Surface Exploration
Toy Story
Brave
Toy Story 3
Questions
Lord of the Rings
Linear System
Biggest Problems
Algorithm
Searching Algorithm
Pixar
Carnegie Mellon
Pixar Animation Studios
Debugging
Simulation