A system for engineering animation with automatic motion control

Motion control is the most difficult and time-consuming process in the development of animated simulations. Most of the animation systems reported in the available literature concentrate on graphical representations, and less attention is given to the development of automatic motion-control methods. The authors present a new approach to the design and implementation of a system, which allows non-specialists to develop animated simulations very quickly and easily. This method is based on the principles of automatic guided vehicles, with a number of enhancements and special emphasis on automatic motion control. The simplicity and ease of use of this animation system arise from the decomposition of the original problem into subproblems, the introduction of a network metaphor and the provision of excellent graphical user interfaces. The method is particularly suitable for animated simulation of engineering systems involving rigid bodies