A technique for animating natural behaviour in complex scenes

An approach to the control of motion in computer animations is proposed. It is called relations, and is based on primitive motion elements plus hierarchical structuring mechanisms. By using the relation approach, the motion in an environment is decomposed into a set of independent relations, which can be separately modeled and later used as elements to compose sequential behaviors gradually in the environment. This approach uses a frame-based notation for relations and a three-layer control hierarchy for structuring the relations. The use of the relation approach is illustrated by a ballroom dance example in a dynamic room environment with multiple dancers and other moving objects