Anatomy-based modeling of the human musculature

Abstract

Artists study anatomy to understand the relationship between exterior form and the structures responsible for creating it. In this paper we follow a similar approach in developing anatomy-based models of muscles. We consider the influence of the musculature on surface form and develop muscle models which react automatically to changes in the posture of an underlying articulated skeleton. The models are implemented in a procedural language that provides convenient facilities for defining and manipulating articulated models. To illustrate their operation, the models are applied to the torso and arm of a human figure. However, they are sufficiently general to be applied in other contexts where articulated skeletons provide the basis of modeling.