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Ali Kedwaii
Software Development
Skeletal Animation System and Editor with Inverse Kinematics
The focus of my thesis was to develop an editor in which users could create 2D skeletons that could be animated using inverse kinematics ( IK ). I was inspired by the use of IK in 3D animation and wanted to test its applications in 2D . I also referenced animation software and game engines like Blender and Unity to determine the features of the editor .
The implementation of the artifact took about eight months . I first created the skeleton architecture and the editor functionality . The skeleton object is composed of bones , sprites , and IK targets — all of which can be added , removed , moved , and rotated in the editor . Next , I added the ability to move bones with the IK targets using Cyclic Coordinate Descent . I then incorporated keyframe animations into the skeleton architecture and created an animation timeline for the editor .
With the timeline , bones and IK target states could be saved as keyframes , which could be interpolated when playing the animation . Finally , I collected usability feedback to add more functions to the editor and make it easier to use .
Throughout this project , I had to design the underlying architecture with the editor functionality in mind . This resulted in the skeleton structure and editor being implemented side-by-side . Also , by receiving feedback , I learned how to better create editor features with a focus on user experience .
84 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT