alt Hacker NewsWhat exactly is inverse kinematics? A short search tells me it is something like "if the hand goes in a certain position and a certain angle, elbow and shoulder must go into these angles", is that it?
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This image explains it pretty well, you typically chose between Forward Kinematics, or Inverse Kinematics, depending on what you're trying to accomplish and how you want it to look like: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ebrahim-Poustinchi/publ... (imagine the robot parts are human limbs, same thing applies :) )
regular kinematics derive coordinates from joint angles
INVERSE kinematics derive joint angles from coordinates
it's useful when you have a chain of joints and a mug to grab with it
Yes. Instead of having to figure out the bone angles one by one you can drag eg a finger and the rest will follow as much as constraints allow.
Inverse kinematics lets you position the end of a limb and automatically moves the joints for it, rather than you having to move each joint manually.
Imagine placing the feet on the ground at some location and then pinning them there. Now you can move the hips and the upper and lower legs as well as the knee orientations change to keep the feet planted in the same position.