Human walking animation based on foot reaction force in the three-dimensional virtual world

This paper introduces a method that can generate continuous human walking m otion automatically on an arbitrary path in a three-dimensional (3D) modell ed scene. The method is based on a physical approach that solves the bounda ry value problem. In the motion generation stage, natural-looking walking m otion, which includes plane walking, walking upstairs and downstairs and wa lking on a carved path, is created by applying dynamics and kinematics. The human body is approximated as ct simple rigid skeleton model, and dynamic motion is created based on the ground reaction force of the human foot. To adapt to the 3D environment, the 3D walking path is divided into steps whic h are tagged with the parameters needed for motion generation, and step-by- step motion is connected end-to-end. Additional features include fast calcu lation and a reduced need for user control. The proposed method can produce interesting human motion and can create realistic computer animation scene s. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.