Strategy-based computer games in which players create vast armies that fight for control of a particular territory are becoming increasingly popular. But animating large number of characters is a resource intensive process, particularly when armies can consist of huge numbers of individuals.The computer giant Microsoft, which created the strategy game Age of Empires, suggests building individuals as simple stick models in which the movement of each stick is determined by the angle its limbs in relation to its neighbours.
Animation then becomes the process of generating angles. Microsoft suggests that this could be far more efficient than other forms of animation, such as physics-based models, in which the forces on limbs determine how each animated character moves. This way, if a limb doesn't move relative to its neighbour, the angle remains constant and can simply be repeated frame after frame. Microsoft hopes that this could dramatically reduce the processing power necessary to produce large, realistic-looking armies.
Read the full angular animation patent application.
Justin Mullins, New Scientist contributor