ABSTRACT

MUCH OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN discussing fits neatly into the realm of digital charactersfor animation and video games. That being said, the implementation of AI in the system allows for more advanced interaction and opens a field of research and design in character interactivity. There is currently much promise for practical “virtual interviewers” and other avatars who interact with us to serve various functions and to be a familiar life-like interface for interacting with digital systems. There is another possibility in the form of gallery-based work that demonstrates research, aesthetics, or tools for filmmaking for a newmedium. This is a direct descendent of work in video games, but with a focus more fixed on user interaction for artistic expression and social relationships between characters for research. It is worth making the distinction between animation created for linear animation and that which is produced for interactive products. While there are many similarities between these two outputs, there are also distinct differences. Both linear and interactive animations share a common goal which is the creation of an engaging experience for the viewer/player. Table 29.1, from UC Irvine’s Bill Tomlinson’s paper [31] entitled, “From linear to interactive animation: How autonomous characters change the process and product of animating,” outlines the major differences between linear and interactive animation. The brief descriptions below are generalizations. There are exceptions to each of these topics and active research is on-going in all of these areas.