Runtime Physics Engine for Inverse Kinematics Hierarchy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Developers face challenges in creating moving objects in digital content that behave according to physics simulations without the expertise or time to animate physical responses, as they need to explicitly animate these responses during development.
Innovation Solution
A development tool allows defining an inverse kinematics hierarchy and physical parameters for objects, which are packaged with a physics engine that calculates responsive forces at runtime, enabling objects to move realistically without explicit animation during development.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If developers explicitly animate physical responses during development, then objects can behave according to physics, but it requires expertise and time that developers may lack
Solution Approach 1:
A physics engine is introduced as an intermediary system between the animation system and the objects. The physics engine automatically calculates physical responses (forces, collisions, gravity) and applies them to objects, eliminating the need for developers to manually animate each physical response while maintaining realistic physics-based behavior
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables objects to automatically respond to physical forces without manual intervention. Once physical parameters (mass, friction, elasticity) are defined for objects, they self-generate appropriate physical responses to forces, collisions, and environmental interactions, freeing developers from expertise-intensive animation tasks
2Reliability
If developers explicitly animate physical responses, then physical behavior can be achieved, but it requires time and expertise that are not always available
Solution Approach 1:
The manual mechanical process of animating each physical response is replaced by an automated computational physics engine. The engine uses mathematical models of physics (Newton's laws, collision detection, force calculations) to automatically generate realistic physical responses, dramatically reducing development time while maintaining or improving accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of manually animating responses, developers define physical parameters (mass, density, friction, elasticity) for objects. The physics engine then uses these parameters to automatically calculate and apply appropriate physical responses, transforming the workflow from time-intensive frame-by-frame animation to efficient parameter-based configuration
Data Source
AI summary
One exemplary embodiment involves receiving input defining an inverse kinematics hierarchy for an object to be displayed in an application under development. The exemplary embodiment further involves receiving input indicating a physical parameter applicable to the inverse kinematics hierarchy. The exemplary embodiment further involves producing a package defining the application under development. The package comprises a description of the physical parameter and code that, when executed or interpreted, provides a physics engine configured to calculate a physical response of at least a portion of the inverse kinematics hierarchy using the description of the physical parameter.