Avar (animation variable)

An avar or animation variable is a variable controlling the position of part of an animated object, such as a character. The character "Woody" in Pixar's movie Toy Story uses 700 avars (with 100 in the face alone [1]). Successive sets of Avars control all movement of the character from frame to frame. In development, they are used to define the junctions of a stick model. Later, they are incorporated into a full wire frame model or a model built of polygons. Finally, surfaces are added, requiring a lengthy process of rendering to produce the final scene.
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