Patent ID: 8253745

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for manipulating animation objects, the method comprising: receiving, at one or more computer systems, information associating a set of two or more object control elements with one or more animation objects, wherein the set of two or more object control elements includes a first object control element of a first type of functionality and a second object control element of a second type of functionality, wherein each object control element has an associated visual representation indicative of a type of functionality; generating, with one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, information configured to enable the set of two or more object control elements for use in manipulating the one or more animation objects responsive to a selection of the set of two or more object control elements; generating, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, information configured to display one or more of the visual representations of the object control elements in the set of two or more object control elements at a portion of the one or more animation objects responsive to a user action; and generating, with the one or more processors associated with the one or more computer systems, information configured to manipulate the portion of the one or more animation objects responsive to a user selection of a visual representation of an object control element in the set of object control elements that is displayed at the portion of the one or more animation objects.