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Cartoonists may soon be able to make their characters move simply by
miming the desired actions themselves. A silvery ‘cosmic surfer’ is the
first of a new breed of computer graphics characters animated by a technique
known as ‘performance cartoons’.

Developed by Chris Walker of Mr Film studio in the US, the surfer was
created using conventional computer graphics, but its movements were not
programmed. In addition to the basic model of the character, the computer
animator creates a number of ‘key frames’. These are models of the character
in extremes of position such as leaning far forward and turning to the right
and left.

The animator sends body motions to the computer using a ‘flying mouse’
which is similar to a normal computer mouse but can be lifted from the desk
and moved in any direction. By a process called ‘tweening’ the computer
calculates any position between the extremes of the key frames to give a
smooth flow of action. Buttons on the flying mouse control the speed and
direction of the surfer. A second position sensor held in the animator’s
other hand directs the camera angle