A behavioural test-bed using a dataglove input device

In many cases, traditional hand-drawn animation has been replaced by computer technology. Computer-supported approaches can essentially be characterised as two interface types: keyframing and coding. However, these two interface types offer limited editing ability for scene animation applications, which usually consist of a large testing space of similar behaviours. The testing cycle, using either predefined keyframe sequences or general coding interface, tends to be costly and time consuming. This paper reports work which uses the DataGlove device to support and test variable schooling behaviours of fish in a virtual marine world. This is put forward as a representative example of scene animation. The glove-based interface places the user as a participant in the behavioural simulation process. In the work, hand shapes and motions are recognised and used for either event triggering or role switching. The specific shapes and motions of the user's hand trigger control signals or commands through a menu-based interface. The hand can itself be used to simulate an object in the scene. The object, which can be either static or dynamic, participates in the control process. Using hand movements in this way allows the user to interactively specify the paths of moving objects in the scene, and also creates a diversity of dynamic situations which can be useful for testing variable scene behaviours. The application presented in this paper looks at examples of controlling fish behaviour in a limited pond environment controlled by glove-based interaction.