Rahul Chandra

Procedural Parkour and Traversal Animation Techniques in Unreal Engine

Summary

The project explores advanced procedural animation techniques to create dynamic and responsive parkour movements in Unreal Engine. Traditional animation methods, particularly for complex actions like parkour, often struggle with adapting to diverse environments, relying heavily on pre-defined sequences and keyframe-based animations. This research addresses these limitations by focusing on two key scenarios.

The first scenario examines the implementation of Inverse Kinematics (IK) for legs, hands, and the head, ensuring accurate foot placement on uneven terrain, realistic hand interactions with objects, and natural gaze tracking during movement. These elements are crucial for creating believable and immersive character experiences.

The second scenario focuses on integrating complex parkour animations such as mantling, vaulting, and climbing. These movements allow characters to navigate and interact with their environments dynamically. Procedural techniques like Motion Warping and environment detection enhance the fluidity and adaptability of these animations.

By integrating Control Rig, IK systems, and Motion Warping in Unreal Engine, this research establishes a framework for creating realistic parkour animations that respond in real-time to environmental changes and player inputs. The project demonstrates how adaptive animations can enhance the realism and interactivity of character movements, though it also identifies areas for future improvement, including optimizing procedural logic and expanding environmental interactions.

Thesis Procedural Parkour and Traversal Animation Techniques