Half-Physics: Enabling Kinematic 3D Human Model with Physical Interactions

Arxiv 2025

Li Siyao1,2*, Yao Feng3, Omid Taheri1, Chen Change Loy2, Michael J. Black1
1Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems 2 S-Lab, Nanyang Technological University 3 Stanford
  • *work done during internship at MPI-IS
Teaser GIF

Half Physics enables kinematical SMPL-X plysically interact with the environment

Abstract

While current general-purpose 3D human models (e.g., SMPL-X) efficiently represent accurate human shape and pose, they lacks the ability to physically interact with the environment due to the kinematic nature. As a result, kinematic-based interaction models often suffer from issues such as interpenetration and unrealistic object dynamics. To address this limitation, we introduce a novel approach that embeds SMPL-X into a tangible entity capable of dynamic physical interactions with its surroundings. Specifically, we propose a “half-physics” mechanism that transforms 3D kinematic motion into a physics simulation. Our approach maintains kinematic control over inherent SMPL-X poses while ensuring physically plausible interactions with scenes and objects, effectively eliminating penetration and unrealistic object dynamics. Unlike reinforcement learning-based methods, which demand extensive and complex training, our half-physics method is learning-free and generalizes to any body shape and motion; meanwhile, it operates in real time. Moreover, it preserves the fidelity of the original kinematic motion while seamlessly integrating physical interactions.

Video

BibTeX

@inproceedings{siyao2025halfphysics,
  author    = {Li Siyao, Yao Feng, Omid Taheri, Chen Change Loy, Michael J. Black},
  title     = {Half-Physics: Enabling Kinematic 3D Human Model with Physical Interactions},
  booktitle = {arxiv},
  year      = {2025},
}

License

Code is released under MIT License.