Beyond Keyframing: An Algorithmic Approach to Animation

Abstract

The recent explosion of interest in physical system simulation may soon lead to realistic animation of passive objects, such as sliding blocks or bouncing balls. However, complex active objects (like human figures and insects) need a control mechanism to direct their movements. We present a paradigm that combines the advantages of physical simulation and algorithmic specification of movement. The animator writes an algorithm to control the object and runs this algorithm on a physical simulator to produce the animation. Algorithms can be reused or combined to produce complex sequences of movements, eliminating the need for tedious keyframing. We have applied this paradigm to control a walking biped. The walking algorithm is presented along with the results from testing with the Newton simulation system.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA241337

Entities

People

  • A. J. Stewart
  • James F. Cremer

Organizations

  • Cornell University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Algorithms
  • Computational Science
  • Computer Graphics
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Science
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Computers
  • Control Systems
  • Equations
  • Equations Of Motion
  • Graphics
  • Joints (Anatomy)
  • Lisp Programming Language
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Simulations
  • Simulators
  • Trajectories

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Computer Science.
  • Robotics and Automation.