Character animation brings virtual figures to life in PC games through coordinated movement sequences. It combines artistic timing with technical implementation to ensure believable actions.
Rigging establishes a skeleton of bones inside the mesh. Weights assign influence from each bone to nearby vertices, allowing smooth deformation during motion.
Keyframing records poses at specific points along a timeline. Interpolation fills gaps to produce fluid transitions between poses. This method suits cinematic sequences and scripted events.
Inverse kinematics simplifies positioning by calculating joint rotations from end-effector goals, such as placing a hand on an object naturally.
Motion capture records real human performances and applies them to digital models. Data cleanup removes artifacts, while retargeting adapts movements to different body proportions.
Procedural systems generate animations dynamically based on rules or physics. Locomotion blends walking cycles with speed and direction changes for responsive control.
Blending layers multiple animations, such as upper-body gestures over lower-body locomotion. Masks limit influence to specific areas for complex behaviors.
Optimization ensures animations run smoothly across varied hardware, maintaining frame rates during gameplay.