ABSTRACT
T hemajority of modern 3D games revolve around characters-often humanor humanoid, sometimes animal or alien. Characters are unique because they need to move in a fluid, organic way. This poses a host of new technical challenges, over and above what is required to simulate and animate rigid objects like vehicles, projectiles, soccer balls and Tetris pieces. The task of imbuing characters with natural-looking motion is handled by an engine component known as the character animation system.
