Data driven motion transitions for interactive games

Abstract

In 3D video games that employ human characters, a series of animations is required to display a character’s motion. The current approach is to use stored animation sequences, either motion captured or hand animated, and play them back as required. Unlike a sequence for film or video the motion needs to change according to the user’s interaction with the game. There are constant unpredictable transitions from one animation into another. This paper presents the design and analysis of a framework for supporting data driven transitions that have been pre-specified by animators. This approach frees the programmers from having to determine the details of each transition and gives control to the animators. This takes advantage of the animators’ skill at evaluating and tweaking the motion to produce better aesthetic results and lets the animators and programmers work in parallel.