A general specification for scene animation

Abstract

The paper presents the foundations of IBAL, a general specification for scene animation. IBAL regulates interactions among graphical elements, such as geometric models and behavioral algorithms, to describe animated scenes. Interactions among graphical elements are managed by primitives which are arranged into three graphs. The three graphs logically partition an animation into "who", "what", and "when". IBAL's unique design permits applications to represent, save, and restore a wide variety of complex scenes. A short summary of existing formats for scene modeling and scene animation is presented to distinguish and to assess the utility of IBAL's design.