Visualization and Analysis of Inverse Kinematics Algorithms Using Performance Metric Maps

Abstract

Iterative inverse kinematics (IK) algorithms are commonly used in graphics animations involving goal-directed motion of joint chains and articulated character models. A well-known algorithm is the Cyclic Coordinate Descent. For certain joint chain configurations and target positions, iterative methods can generate undesirable joint rotations. Similarly, certain target positions may require large number of iterations, or may not even be reachable. This paper presents a novel concept called performance metric maps as a tool for visualizing and analysing the performance characteristics of an iterative IK algorithm under parametric variations. The proposed method is particularly useful in determining how well an algorithm converges within a given region of the workspace. The paper presents the visualization aspects of the metric maps, and the results of comparative performance analysis of two IK algorithms.