A New Hybrid Approach to the Animation of Complex Character Interactions in Games

In this paper we discuss a set of well established problems in computer animation and computer games that are difficult to solve using currently available methods. Our approach is based on the idea of hybrid modelling that allows us to combine animated polygonal meshes with function representation (FRep) models. Such a hybrid model consists of an animated polygonal mesh and an approximation of this mesh by an FRep stand-in. The two models can be combined using one of the proposed methods. The motions of both dynamic objects are synchronised through the underlying skeleton used for the definition of the animation. Our method allows us to model interactions between the animated characters and viscoelastic substances with arbitrary time-dependent topology, as well as to model partial or full metamorphosis of animated characters with specified Level of Detail (LOD). Our hybrid modelling technique can be integrated into existing pipelines in an artist-friendly manner. A straightforward implementation of our approach on the GPU makes it attractive to use in real-time applications.