Measuring the steps: Generating action transitions between locomotion behaviours

Motion synthesis is a complex process, especially in cases involving a variety of actions. In locomotion composition processes, in which virtual characters are called upon to perform a sequence of different actions, such as a sequence from walking to running, the transition is mainly generated linearly. However, to accurately model the way in which humans actually perform the transition between two different actions, computer animations must also capture the nature of between-action processes. This paper presents a simple approach for animating the transition process between different locomotion actions. The approach determines the relationship between the number of steps and the velocity of the root. Results of the measurements are then plotted on action transition graphs. Finally, the graphs are used in an experimental application that generates the correct transition between the origin and target actions of the character, given both the velocity of the root at the origin and at the target.