How to dynamically animate a part of a 3d model towards something

Question

I'm curious about how this sort of animation is typically done code-wise.

A few examples:

A character picks something up - only hand is animated towards the target http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW-7uatehx4 see from 4:50 when the player picks up the weapon.
Character hangs from a ledge - hands are set to a specific location(the ledge) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOiwArn4Bmw right at the beginning.
Character looks at something - head is pointed at the target(npc looks at the pc)

n3XusSLO · Accepted Answer · 2011-07-25 09:44:10Z

up vote 4 down vote accepted

This is called inverse kinematics. Google is probably your best friend on this one as it can get complex.

answered Jul 25 '11 at 9:44

n3XusSLO
562

	I get it, I have to calculate the motions necessary to achieve a desired position. In this case, I would only calculate the motions for the desired bone. – ExplodingRat Jul 25 '11 at 9:59
	Indeed, the video description says "...an animation system based entirely on inverse kinematics..." – Byte56 Jul 25 '11 at 22:43

1 Answer