In
inverse
kinematics, an
animator will specify where the object should be located. For example, positioning the character in a
particular pose.
A
system of equations is then solved to determine the joint angles.
Example: inverse kinematics allows an artist to move
the hand of a 3D human model to a desired position and orientation and have an
algorithm select the proper angles of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints.
This usually
requires that the figure move within reasonable anthropomorphic limits.
Source:
catiadocExample: given
p, determineθ1 and θ2
Generally,
the system of equations that must be solved is complex and non-linear. Analytic solutions are typically not
possible.
Instead,
one can set up an optimisation problem that searches the configuration space of
the joint angles for a minimum error configuration. Note there may be multiple global minima!