System and method for animating virtual characters

Abstract

System and methods for defining and applying animations to virtual characters with interchangeable body parts that may be combined to form composite virtual characters are disclosed. According to aspects of the invention, a software program running on a gaming platform comprises a plurality of virtual characters, each comprising a plurality of interchangeable body parts. An animation clip may be defined for an interchangeable body part of a first virtual character. The animation clip may be defined for the first virtual character's interchangeable body party using a virtual skeleton that has the bones of the interchangeable body part and the bones of one or more generic body parts. The defined animation clip may control one or more of the bones of the interchangeable body part and one or more of the bones of the one or more generic body parts.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for animating a composite virtual character, comprising:
 displaying a composite virtual character comprising a first part from a first virtual character and a second part from a second virtual character, and   animating the composite virtual character, wherein animating the composite virtual character comprises substantially simultaneously animating first portions of the first part from the first virtual character and second portions of the second part from the second virtual character using an animation defined for the first virtual character and animating at least first portions of the second part from the second virtual character using an animation defined for the second virtual character.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein animating the composite character further comprises determining whether one or more generic bones exist in the second part from the second virtual character. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the second portions of the second part from the second virtual character comprise the generic bones. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein animating the composite virtual character further comprises animating at least second portions of the first part of the first virtual character using the animation defined for the second virtual character. 
     
     
         5 . The computer implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the first portions of the first part of the first virtual character comprise a first set of bones of the first virtual character and the second portions of the first part of the first virtual character comprise a second set of bones of the first virtual character, the second set of bones not including any bones of the first set of bones. 
     
     
         6 . The computer implemented method of  claim 5 , wherein the first set of bones of the first virtual character and the second set of bones of the first virtual character are predefined for the first virtual character. 
     
     
         7 . The computer implemented method of  claim 6 , wherein the second set of bones comprise generic bones. 
     
     
         8 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising animating second portions of the second part from the second virtual character using the animation defined for the second virtual character. 
     
     
         9 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein animating second portions of the second part from the second virtual character using the animation defined for the first virtual character and the animation defined for the second virtual character is performed using a weighting of the animation defined for the first virtual character and a weighting of the animation defined for the second virtual character. 
     
     
         10 . A video game system, comprising:
 a game device having an input device and a processor for executing program code for providing for play of a videogame;   a plurality of physical parts from a plurality of toy figures that are physically combinable to form a composite toy assembly, the plurality of physical parts including memory providing a unique identification of each physical part and configured to communicate said unique identification;   said program code having instructions for providing a graphical display of a composite virtual character representing said composite toy assembly, said composite virtual character comprised of virtual parts representing physical parts combined to form the composite toy assembly;   said program code further having instructions for providing a virtual environment for said composite virtual character;   wherein said movement and actions of said composite virtual character are controlled, in response to inputs received by said input device, by at least one animation defined for at least one of said virtual parts and at least one other animation defined for at least one other one of said virtual parts, with the at least one animation defined for at least one of said virtual parts completely controlling movement and actions of some elements of said composite virtual character and partially controlling movement and actions of other elements of said composite virtual character.   
     
     
         11 . The video game system of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of physical parts are physically combinable by way of magnetic couplings, the magnetic couplings being part of the physical parts. 
     
     
         12 . The video game system of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one other animation defined for at least one other one of said virtual parts partially controls movement and actions of the other elements of said composite virtual character. 
     
     
         13 . The video game system of  claim 10 , wherein the some elements and other elements of said composite virtual character comprise bones. 
     
     
         14 . The video game system of  claim 13 , wherein each of the bones of the composite virtual character correspond to bones of the virtual parts, and the at least one animation defined for at least one of said virtual parts completely controls some of the bones corresponding to bones of said at least one of said virtual parts and partially controls movement and actions of other bones not corresponding to bones of said at least one of said virtual parts. 
     
     
         15 . A computer implemented method including animating a character comprised of different portions derived from other characters, some of the different portions including body elements of a first type and some of the different portions including body elements of a second type, the method comprising:
 applying, for each of the different portions including body elements of the first type, an animation routine defined for the different portion for the other character from which the different portion was derived for the body elements of the first type; and   applying in a weighted manner, for each of the different portions including body elements of the second type, the animation routines defined for the different portion for the other characters for the body elements of the second type.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the body elements of the first type and the body elements of the second type are bones. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising determining the different portions derived from other characters by at least:
 receiving an indication of physical parts of toys combined to form a toy assembly   
     
     
         18 . A method of animating a character defined by a combination of elements of other characters, some of whose elements are considered generic to a plurality of characters and some of whose elements are considered specific to each of the other characters, with no animation routines being predefined for the character but with animation routines being predefined for the other characters, the method comprising:
 determining characters serving as a source of elements of the character;   receiving a command for display of a particular animation routine for the character;   generating the particular animation routine for the character by:   applying corresponding character specific predefined animation routines to elements of the character that are considered specific to the characters serving as the source of elements of the character, and   applying weighted sums of the corresponding character specific predefined animation routines to elements of the character that are considered generic to the characters serving as the source of elements of the character.