Microsoft Is Developing Autocomplete for Animations

A new proof-of-concept from Microsoft that came out of the recent Siggraph Asia conference is being hailed as “autocomplete for drawing.” In fact the slightly cumbersome name for the tech preview is Autocomplete for Hand-Drawn Animations. The tech giant’s research arm—along with the University of Hong Kong and the University of Tokyo—demoed software that actually predicts an animator’s next moves.

The tool works without complicated interface elements to smoothly fill in the next logical step in creating an animation. After creating the initial drawing, it not only predicts what needs to be drawn next, it even makes suggestions for improvement! With a second drawing in place, the “motion” is then filled in by the software in real time. The process still involves the artist drawing the incremental steps, while the software assembles the missing bits.

Autocomplete is also capable of detecting—and repeating—patterns, and will continuously re-color each new drawing along the way. The software’s lack of handles, points, and other engineering-like elements makes it a natural for touch surfaces, as the process takes a very organic approach. These types of apps are exactly what tablets were geared towards and I hope this product sees the light of day soon. Now, could somebody please invent the tech that will get the drawings that live in my brain automatically onto the page?