Abstract: A character animation system translates high-level commands from an external application into motions and deformations of a character model. The character animations are (1) composed in real-time from a sequence of basic actions and expressions, (2) calculated based on the desired end position and orientation of a hand or other body part, or (3) are generated randomly to simulate natural fidgets of the human body. In each case, the character animation system assures (1) that each action blends naturally with the succeeding action, (2) that collisions between body parts are avoided, and (3) that facial expressions are coordinated in parallel with the actions.