Following a Large Unpredictable Group of Targets among Obstacles

Abstract

Camera control is essential in both virtual and real-world environments. Our work focuses on an instance of camera control called target following, and offers an algorithm, based on the ideas of monotonic tracking regions and ghost targets, for following a large coherent group of targets with unknown trajectories, among known obstacles. In multiple-target following, the camera's primary objective is to follow and maximize visibility of multiple moving targets. For example, in video games, a thirdperson view camera may be controlled to follow a group of characters through complicated virtual environments. In robotics, a camera attached to robotic manipulators could also be controlled to observe live performers in a concert, monitor assembly of a mechanical system, or maintain task visibility during teleoperated surgical procedures. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first attempting to address this particular instance of camera control.

Physical rig for first-person, look-at cameras in video games

“…We expect that the camera follows a known focus within the scene, whether it is a simple viewing direction, character, stationary object, area/space, or more complicated scenarios [Vo and Lien 2010;Vo et al 2012]. The choice of focus is outside the scope of this paper, and we refer others to the extant literature with respect to target choice and control [Christie et al 2008;Haigh-Hutchinson 2009].…”