Creating Realistic Three-Dimensional Human Shape Characters for Computer-Generated Films

In this paper, we discuss both the artistic and technical concerns involved in the construction of a computergenerated realistic human character. We investigate various methods for creating three-dimensional human shapes based on our experiences. The traditional approach consists in constructing the shapes from real human characters or plaster models. In the first part, we survey several methods that we have already used in the past: 3D reconstruction from 2D photos, 3D digitizing using a Polhemus digitizer, cross sections method and local deformations. Then, we show how a direct sculpting approach based on threedimensional devices like the spaceball or the dataglove could considerably improve the situation. We have obtained a realistic human character with a method similar to the modelling of clay, work which essentially consists of adding or eliminating parts of the material, and turning around the object when the principal form has been set up.