Parametric animation is an animation technique used in computer software, such as in computer games, that blends two or more separate animations together to form a new animation. This new animation is constructed in real-time by the game engine, and is not stored in a separate file like a regular animation. The technique was first used in an early build of the Half-Life mod

Mod (computer gaming)

Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...

, Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows...

, and it not only heavily reduces artist workload during game development, it provides for much smoother animation as well.

Example of use

In the early days of video game development, animators were required to create entirely new animations to reflect multiple actions performed by the player. For example, an animator might be required to create animation for shooting, reloading, and jumping. If the player was to jump while shooting, the artist would have one of two choices:

• Allow the game to display the animation with greater priority — in this case, shooting
• Create a separate animation which depicted simultaneous jumping and shooting

As development continued, the artist would be forced to create an oversized plethora of animations; running while shooting, running backwards while shooting, running left or right while shooting, running while reloading, and so on. With Parametric Animation, an animator might (for sake of simplicity) only be required to create the three base animations from which the remaining 25+ animations would be constructed.

External links

• Gamespot Interview with Robin Walker