Anatomy-Based Human Modeling for Virtual Reality (VR)

The authors proposed an anatomy-based methodology for human modeling to enhance the visual realism of human modeling by using the boundary element method (BEM) and axial deformation approach. To model muscle deformation, a BEM with linear boundary elements was used. The significance of tendons in determining skin layer deformation is also discussed. The axial deformation technique is used to allow for quick deformation. To control tendon deformation, the curve of the axial curve is changed. Each vertex of the skin layer is linked to the muscles, tendons, and skeletons beneath it. The skin layer deforms in response to changes in the underlying muscle, tendon, and skeleton layers. This chapter made use of human foot modeling as the case study. Results have illustrated that the visual realism of human models can be enhanced by considering the changes of tendons in the deformation of the skin layer. The lower computational complexity and enhanced visual realism of the proposed approaches can be applied in human modelling for virtual reality (VR) applications.