Procedural locomotion of multilegged characters in dynamic environments

Abstract

ABSTRACT We present a fully procedural method capable of generating in real time a wide range of locomotion for multilegged characters in a dynamic environment, without using any motion data. The system consists of several independent blocks: a Character Controller, a Gait/Tempo Manager, a three‐dimensional (3D) Path Constructor, and a Footprints Planner. The four modules work cooperatively to calculate in real time the footprints and the 3D trajectories of the feet and the pelvis. Our system can animate dozens of creatures using dedicated level of details techniques and is totally controllable allowing the user to design a multitude of locomotion styles through a user‐friendly interface. The result is a complete lower body animation that is sufficient for most of the chosen multilegged characters: arachnids, insects, imaginary n‐legged robots, and so on. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.