Behavior-friendly graphics

Abstract

Interactive autonomous and directable characters require certain architectural support such as a motor system which moves the character based on decisions made by the behavior system. While previous work has focused on these higher-level systems, we focus on the infrastructure provided by the graphics system. We describe how a graphics system designed with synthetic characters in mind can be behavior friendly, simplifying motor and behavior system construction and making new characters easier to create. The system described in this paper was the underlying support for "Swamped!", an interactive 3D cartoon demonstrated in the Enhanced Realities section of SIGGRAPH 98. We describe how our design and implementation allowed us to achieve real-time performance in this Java application.