Chapter 15. Character Animation

"As a director, I wouldn't like me as an actor. As an actor, I wouldn't like me as a director."

—Robert Redford

KEY TOPICS

• Analysis

• Explicit Versus Implicit Methods

• Explicit Animation Techniques

• Implicit Animation Overview

• Prop Handling

• A Note on Vehicles

• Limb Slicing

• Facial Animation

• Inverse Kinematics

• Blending Forward and Inverse Kinematics

• In Closing

We have seen many different techniques to effectively display compelling scenarios in real time. These game worlds are the perfect setting for our adventures. But who will the player be? Who will his enemies be? And his friends? In traditional drama theory, characters are used to make us feel emotions. We are attracted to or repulsed by them, and thus get attached to the story. Computer games and video games are no different. Characters play a key role in the gameplay. Whether they are purely decorative, used as narrative elements, or are part of the action, characters make us feel involved in the game.