Using the Animation Toolkit, a user is able to select an
animation type and apply a range of variations in order to derive
a new animation sequence. As an example, if a user requires a
walk sequence with a more masculine distinction, the toolkit is
able to facilitate this action. By selecting the Walk type and the
“Masculine ↔ Feminine” variation from the two dropdown
menus in Step 3, as well as a minimum weight value (i.e. 0.0),
the resulting animation is a masculine walk cycle. However,
adjusting the weighting to a maximum value (i.e. 1.0), results in
the output of a feminine walk cycle. A user is able to select
weight values between the minimum and maximum values that
result in a unique mix between the two extremes. Selecting a
weight value in the middle (i.e. 0.5) produces neither a
masculine or feminine favored walk cycle, but an equal mix
between the two variations.
The evaluation of the toolkit involves (1) allowing users
(animators) to interact with the GUI and provide feedback and
(2) comparing the procedurally generated animation with motion
captured ones performing the same actions. Preliminary results
show that the toolkit can be successful in creating a range of
animated behaviors with an acceptable similarity to motion
capture data methods