Patent ID: 8665277

Claim:
A computer-implemented method, comprising: maintaining, by a macro behavior system, a mapping between a set of motion behaviors to be applied by a game engine to a full skeleton representation of a computer-generated character and another set of motion behaviors to be applied by a motion synthesis system to a simplified skeleton representation of the computer-generated character, where the full skeleton representation of the computer-generated character comprises a first set of bones, and the simplified skeleton representation of the computer-generated character comprises a second set of bones, where the second set of bones is smaller than the first set of bones; receiving, by the macro behavior system from the game engine, a request for a description of motion for the full skeleton representation, the received request specifying a first motion behavior from among the set of motion behaviors to be applied by the game engine to the full skeleton representation; converting, by the macro behavior system based on the maintained mapping, the specified first motion behavior to one or more motion behaviors from among the other set of motion behaviors to be applied by the motion synthesis system to the simplified skeleton representation; transmitting, by the macro behavior system to the motion synthesis system, a request for a description of motion for the simplified skeleton representation, the transmitted request specifying the one or more motion behaviors from among the other set of motion behaviors to be applied by the motion synthesis system to the simplified skeleton representation; obtaining, by the macro behavior system from the motion synthesis system in response to the transmitted request, the description of motion for the simplified skeleton representation; determining, by the macro behavior system, the description of motion for the full skeleton representation requested by the game engine based on the description of motion for the simplified skeleton representation obtained from the motion synthesis system, where said determining the description of motion for the full skeleton representation comprises performing, for one or more full skeleton bones, at least the following actions: ascertaining whether a mapping between the full skeleton representation and the simplified skeleton representation specifies that a full skeleton bone corresponds to a simplified skeleton bone; in response to ascertaining that the full skeleton bone corresponds to the simplified skeleton bone, assigning the full skeleton bone a description of motion for the corresponding simplified skeleton bone, and in response to ascertaining that the full skeleton bone does not correspond to the simplified skeleton bone, determining an alternative description of motion for the full skeleton bone and assigning the full skeleton bone the alternative description of motion; and providing, by the macro behavior system to the game engine in response to the received request, the determined description of motion for the full skeleton representation.