Perceptual plausibility of exaggerated realistic motion

Area of Science:

• * Cognitive Science
• * Computer Graphics
• * Perception

Background:

• * The fine arts utilize informal heuristic practices, such as exaggeration, to enhance the perception of liveliness in subjects.
• * Exaggeration can mitigate the uncanny effect associated with artificial motion, particularly for inanimate objects.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To experimentally investigate the impact of exaggeration on the phenomenological perception of animated objects.
• * To determine the extent to which exaggeration influences the perceived plausibility of bouncing ball animations.

Main Methods:

• * A physically plausible bouncing ball model was developed, incorporating the "squash and stretch" exaggeration technique.
• * Systematic parameterizations of exaggeration were applied to create various animation conditions.
• * Human observers rated the plausibility of animated balls across different rendering styles and levels of exaggeration.

Main Results:

• * Small amounts of exaggeration were perceived as equally plausible as veridical motion.
• * Observers tolerated significant exaggeration, especially when the object type was unspecified.
• * Specifying object type narrowed the acceptable range of exaggeration but still allowed for physically impossible levels.

Conclusions:

• * Exaggeration, specifically "squash and stretch," enhances the perceived liveliness and plausibility of animated objects.
• * This technique effectively bridges the "uncanny valley" for artificial depictions of physical reality.
• * Perceptual tolerance for exaggeration is substantial, influenced by object identification and rendering context.