Abstract

This course covers the core technologies required to model and simulate digital humans. The curriculum includes human body modeling, human motion capture, data-driven human motion synthesis, and ML-based generative models. Each topic will be extensively illustrated with examples to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. 

 

Objectives

Students will learn how to estimate human pose, shape, and motion from videos and create basic human avatars from various visual inputs. Students will also learn how to represent and algorithmically generate motions for digital characters. To help students prepare for the midterm exam, four ungraded exercises will be released following the corresponding lectures and will be reviewed during the tutorial sessions.

 

Content

- Basic concepts of 3D representations
- Human body/hand models
- Human motion capture
- Neural rendering
- Transformers
- Generative models for digital humans

 

Lecture Notes

Lecture and tutorial slides will be available on moodle.

 

Prerequisites

Experience with python and C++ programming, numerical linear algebra, multivariate calculus and probability theory. Some background in deep learning, computer vision, physics-based modeling, kinematics, and dynamics is preferred.

 

Administration

Number263-​5806-00L
LecturerProf. Dr. Siyu Tang, Dr. Sergey Prokudin
Assistants

Kaifeng Zhao (head TA)

Zinuo You (head TA)

Gen Li

Xiaozhong Lyu

Yutong Chen

Frano Rajič

Yan Wu

Johannes Weidenfeller

Malte Prinzler

Bahri Batuhan Bilecen

Location and Time

Lecture:

Tue    14:15-17:00   LFO C 13

Tutorial:

Thu    16:15-18:00   ETF E 1

Moodle

https://moodle-app2.let.ethz.ch/course/view.php?id=27533

ECTS Credits8
ExamThe grade will be determined by 40% interim examination and 60% final project presentation and report.

 

Schedule

Lecture

WeekDate (14pm-​17pm)Topic
0117-FebIntroduction
0224-FebHuman body models
033-MarFrom Images to Human Models
0410-MarMesh-based Human Avatars
0517-MarVolumetric Human Avatars (Neural Fields)
0624-MarPoint-based Human Avatars (3D Gaussian Splats)
0731-MarGenerative Models
087-AprEaster Break (no class)
0914-AprMidterm Exam
1021-AprProject presentation
1128-AprProject Office Hour
125-MayProject Office Hour
1311-MayProject Office Hour
1419-MayProject Office Hour
1526-MayProject presentation

 

Tutorial 

WeekDate (16pm-​18pm)Topic
0119-Feb 
0226-Feb 
035-MarExercise 1
0412-MarExercise 2
0519-MarExercise 3
0626-MarProject Introduction
072-AprExercise 4
089-AprEaster Break (no class)
0916-AprPytorch Tutorial
1023-Apr
Cluster Tutorial
1130-AprProject Office Hour
127-MayProject Office Hour
1314-MayKnabenschiessen (no class)
1421-MayProject Office Hour
1528-MayProject Office Hour