That pretty much wraps up the introduction to skeletal animation. But before you go, take a look at some of cool stuff that can be done with more advanced techniques, beyond the scope of this book.
|
Figure 5.11 shows a shot of Epic’s Unreal Tournament 2003. Unreal Tournament 2003 is one of the first games to implement a good “ragdoll” system. In a ragdoll system, bodies change according to their environment. For instance, when a person is killed in the game while standing on a hill, their body does not remain lying in a straight line like is common in many other shooter games. Instead, the body slides down the hill in a realistic manner, bouncing and sliding while following the orientation of the terrain. This method of animation adds a lot to the realism and believability of any game. |
Figure 5.11 Unreal Tournament 2003’s ragdoll system in action. Notice how the body drapes itself around the hole, much like a real human would.