Ways to animate

I've just noticed in an offtopic thread talk about IK and FK animations, and remember seeing talk about different methods of animation before. I am curious, and wish to learn more about this topic, as I'll be soon getting into animating (not for warcraft, but for another game I'm working on). I wish to learn more about general theory behind animation, what different methods are there and how they are different. I'm not working with 3DSmax or any other professional program, I have a custom workspace created especialy for this game, but I can get my cousin to program anything into it, so I'm open for all options.

Very good, Sir Antiarf.
There are 2 ways of animating with bone rigs: FK (forward kinematics) and IK (inverse kinematics).

When using FK, you basicaly have to move each bone individualy.The rotation of a bone does not affect other bones.
When using and IK set-up, then you can manipulate an entire bone structure with a few helpers and it results in a more natural look. Here's a little taste of that: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...84946488&hl=en .
While animating, you can swich between IK and FK frequently, so you can fine tweak the position of the bones.

Unfortunately I don't know that much theory about this and I'm sorry that I don't express myself well. Oh, and I think your pal will find this interesting: http://freespace.virgin.net/hugo.elias/models/m_ik2.htm

So it's FK things like Milkshape use?

I don't know, I never used Milkshape, mister Sir Rao Dao Zao.

Well, you move/rotate each bone individually...

Then it's relatively the same basic process.

Interesting.

Thank you for the prompt response.
Judging from your descriptions, I currently have a sort of in-between setup: I have to rotate and translate each bone individualy, but the bones do affect each other, they're set up in a bone tree, where the rotation of a shoulder bone will move the the part of the mesh that's assigned to it as well as the elbow bone. However, these helpers sound very promising, thank you for the links you have provided, this might make my job easier (and the programmer's job harder :) ).

What you are explaining is, in fact FK animation. You make a bone structure, then by moving each individual bone it in turn will affect its childern bones. But not to the extent of IK.

IK however does more work for you in a sense. You pull the foot bone and it re-positions all the other bones attached to it into their respective positions.

Ah, I suspected as much. I was a bit confused because TDR said that the rotation of a bone does not affect other bones.

But how does IK work in 3D? The article linked to by TDR explained it in 2D, with 2 bones, and there were already 2 bone positions with which the desired point was reached - in 3D, and with multiple bones like in that video example, the possibilities are infinite; how does the computer choose which set of bone rotations to use?

Depending on the IK chain you use, which bones you string together etc. I think, I've only used IK once as a test, so I don't know much of it to be honest.

oups, sorry about that, sir Antiarf; didn't notice it was for 2d :( (didn't read it actualy :P)