Rose III, Charles F.Sloan, Peter-Pike J.Cohen, Michael F.2015-02-162015-02-1620011467-8659https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8659.00516One of the most common tasks in computer animation is inverse-kinematics, or determining a joint configuration required to place a particular part of an articulated character at a particular location in global space. Inverse-kinematics is required at design-time to assist artists using commercial 3D animation packages, for motion capture analysis, and for run-time applications such as games.We present an efficient inverse-kinematics methodology based on the interpolation of example motions and positions. The technique is demonstrated on a number of inverse-kinematics positioning tasks for a human figure. In addition to simple positioning tasks, the method provides complete motion sequences that satisfy an inverse-kinematic goal. The interpolation at the heart of the algorithm allows an artist's influence to play a major role in ensuring that the system always generates plausible results. Due to the lightweight nature of the algorithm, we can position a character at extremely high frame rates, making the technique useful for time-critical run-time applications such as games.10.1111/1467-8659.00516239-250