The method produces detail-preserving deformations fully controlled by 3D curves.

Pixar Graphics proposed a new approach for character articulation through profile curves. It "produces detail-preserving deformations fully controlled by 3D curves that profile the deforming surface."

According to the company, the method starts with a spline-based rigging system in which artists can draw and articulate sparse curvenets that describe surface profiles. 

"By analyzing the layout of the rigged curvenets, we quantify the deformation along each curve side independent of the mesh connectivity, thus separating the articulation controllers from the underlying surface representation."

Then, it produces a deformation optimization that reconstructs surface details. In this process, Pixar introduces an algorithm that binds the curvenet to the surface mesh by cutting mesh elements into smaller polygons. Then, it derives "a cut-aware numerical discretization that provides harmonic interpolations with curve discontinuities."

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