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interest to animators into the realm of real-time performance.

A second problem, which remains

largely unsolved, is often called the control problemof dynamic animation.

context of computer animation, the control problem is:

Briefly stated, in the

While the incorporation of dynamics in the generation of computer animations has been a topic of

significant research interest for approximately a decade [AG85] [WB85] [Wil86], it is only now

beginning to play a more serious role in commercial computer animation systems.

A dynamics

simulator is now a part of one of the most popular computer animation packages [Alias].

The

delay is due to both the performance issues and a lack of suitable solutions to the control problem.

This thesis provides an approach to solving the control problem for bipedal locomotion.

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Goals

The primary goal of this thesis is to provide a technique for the animation of physically-based

bipedal locomotion.

More specifically, we present a control solution for articulated figures

performing cyclic motions such as walking. Aperiodic motions such as sitting down and standing

up are not addressed.

Within this context, this thesis has a number of more specific objectives:

• The technique should work for statically unstable articulated figures.

must provide some form of ongoing corrective control actions.

This means that it

• The basic approach should be general in nature, allowing for a wide variety of periodic

motions without changes to the basic control structure.