The use of physical system simulation has led 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 both 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 keyframing. We have applied this paradigm to control a biped which can walk and can climb stairs. The walking algorithm is presented along with the results from testing with the Newton simulation system.
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@inproceedings{SC-gi92,
author = "A. James Stewart and James F. Cremer",
title = "Beyond keyframing: an algorithmic approach to animation",
booktitle = "Graphics Interface",
year = "1992",
month = "August",
pages = "273--281"
}