Verbs and Adverbs: Multidimensional Motion Interpolation
Charles Rose, Michael Cohen and Bobby Bodenheimer
IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, Sept. 1998
Abstract
This paper describes methods and data structures to leverage motion
sequences of complex linked figures. We present a technique for
interpolating between example motions derived from live motion capture
or produced through traditional animation tools. These motions might
be characterized by emotional expressiveness or control behaviors such
as turning or going uphill or downhill. We call such parameterized
motions ``verbs'' and the parameters that control them ``adverbs.''
Verbs can be combined with other verbs to form a ``verb graph,'' with
smooth transitions between them, allowing an animated figure to
exhibit a vast repertoire of expressive behaviors. A combination of
radial basis functions and low order polynomials is used to create the
interpolation space between example motions. The addition of inverse
kinematic constraints is used to avoid, for example, the feet slipping
on the floor during a support phase of a walk cycle. Once the verbs
and verb graph have been constructed, adverbs can be modified in
real-time providing interactive or programmatic control over the
characters' actions. This allows the creation of autonomous characters
in a virtual environment that exhibit complex and subtle behavior.
Accompanying video (DivX, 100MB, a transfer
from videotape).
Bobby Bodenheimer 
Last modified: Thu Oct 28 10:14:30 1999