Procedural Locomotion of Multi-Legged Characters in Dynamic Environments

Procedural Locomotion of Multi-Legged Characters in Dynamic Environments CASA 2012 Ahmad Abdul Karim (1,2) Thibaut Gaudin (2) Alexandre Meyer (1) Axel Buendia (2,3) Saida Bouakaz (1) 1 - Université de Lyon, CNRS. Université Lyon 1, LIRIS, UMR5205, F-69622, France 2 - SpirOps Artificial Intelligence, Paris, France 3 - CNAM − CEDRIC, 292, rue St Martin, 75003 Paris, France More Info: Abstract: We present a fully procedural method capable of generating in real-time a wide range of locomotion for multi-legged 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 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 (LOD) 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 which is sufficient for most of the chosen multi-legged characters: arachnids, insects, imaginary n-legged robots, etc.