Abstract: Animation data is produced in a data processing system that has storage, a processor, a visual display (102) and a manual input device (103). A simulated three-dimensional world-space is displayed to a user and an animatable actor is displayed in the world-space. First input data is received from a user specifying a desired location and orientation of the actor to which the actor is to animate towards from a starting location. The processor is instructed to generate first animation data using a first processing technique possibly using a forward kinematic solver. The processor is instructed to generate second animation data using a second processing technique, in response to the same input data, possibly using an inverse kinematic solver. Second input data defines a blend parameter for blending between the first animation data and the second animation data.

Abstract: Action data for the animation of characters is generated in a computer animation system. Body part positions for a selected character are positioned in response to body part positions captured from performance data. The positions and orientations of body parts are identified for a generic actor in response to a performance in combination with a bio-mechanical model. As a separate stage of processing, positions and orientations of body parts for a character are identified in response to the position and orientation of body parts for the generic actor in combination with a bio-mechanical model. Registration data for the performance associates body parts of the performance and body parts of the generic actor. Similar registration data for the character associates body parts in the generic actor with body parts of the character.

Abstract: Encrypted mixed media data (201) may be read by many browsers (101) from a server (108). Downloaded encrypted environment data includes data modification access codes. A user access code is received and an access check (214) is performed against the decrypted environment data (213). The user access code is processed in combination with the data modification access codes to determine an extent to which a user is permitted to view, modify or interact with the environment data under the control of a data modification process (215). Animation data (202 to 209) is received and animation data is rendered (217) whereafter the rendered data is displayed (218).