Procedural Animation

Procedural & Motion Capture Animation Types

• Procedural Animation

• Uses real-time systems
  • Physics simulations
  • Code
  • Engine systems
  • “No animation sequence/asset needed”
• Technical components
  • Math & curves feed into body IK solver
  • Code finds forward position via trace
  • Bones/joints affected by leg movement
  • Rule setting possible

    Example: “Don’t allow two feet in air”

  • Physics for wings/tail/tongue

    Dangle/bounce with body

  • Can set points of interest

    Auto-adjusts bone positions

• Uses Control Rig in UE
  • Handles skeleton/rigging

• Motion Capture

• Creates animation from real movement
• Hardware needed
  • Body tracking suits
  • Hand tracking gloves
  • Motion tracking cameras

    Body movement Facial expressions

• Benefits/Drawbacks
  • “Speeds up animation development”
  • Allows animator polish after
  • “Expensive setup costs”
  • Needs large room
  • May need skilled actors
• Modern impact
  • “Empowering next generation creators”
  • Enables small teams
  • Example: “Xanadu on YouTube”

    One-man high quality content

Animation technology has evolved to include both code-driven procedural systems and real-world motion capture. These methods, while different in approach, both enable creators to produce high-quality animations efficiently, though each comes with its own technical and practical considerations.