The ExReAM library: extensible real-time animations for multiple platforms

Abstract

We introduce a dynamic, platform-independent framework for computer animation. The ExtReAM library is constructed around an object-oriented core that can easily be extended. The core system provides functionality for managing objects and plugins. The plugins on the other hand are used to perform more specific tasks such as loading and animating objects using different animation techniques. Different plugins can be used for similar tasks on different platforms and they need to be loaded only when their functionality is required. Easy integration of our system into applications was also one of the main design objectives. In this paper we present the main architecture and motivate the most important design decisions. Furthermore, we show results of two applications demonstrating the use of the ExtReAM library. The first application allows animated worlds to be controlled on desktop platforms while the second one allows animated scenes to be displayed on a PocketPC mobile device.