Artist-directed inverse-kinematics using radial basis function interpolation

One of the most common tasks in computer animation is inverse-kinematics, o r determining a joint configuration required to place a particular part of an articulated character at a particular location in global space. Inverse- kinematics is required at design-time to assist artists using commercial 3D animation packages, for motion capture analysis, and for run-time applicat ions such as games. We present an efficient inverse-kinematics methodology based on the interpo lation of example-motions and positions. The technique is demonstrated on a number of inverse-kinematics positioning tasks for a human figure. additio n to simple positioning tasks, the method provides complete motion sequence s that satisfy an inverse-kinematic goal. The interpolation at the heart of the algorithm allows an artist's influence to play a major role in ensurin g that the system always generates plausible results. Due to the lightweigh t nature of the algorithm, we can position a character at extremely high fr ame rates, making the technique useful for time-critical run-time applicati ons such as games.