Quick Lesson: Ragdoll Physics

Quick Lesson: Ragdoll Physics

First off, what is a ragdoll? Well, it is a simple sewn together doll that can be tossed about in any fashion. It can be thrown against the wall, at your family, and if you feel like, shoot it into space (if you have that kind of man power). So what does it have to do with physics and the topic of this blog?

Back in the hay day of gaming (lets say before the 1995), lder computers and systems had a harder time animating the dying (unfortunately, I do not have a video. Sad Face :( ) But as technology increased, so did animation. The website, giantbomb.com, states that the ragdoll physics is "generated animations to mimic a freely moving body..." From what I have seen, the body falls to it's death, and then it becomes limp. So if the character of the game approaches the body,it moves freely, like a rag doll.

The earliest game from what I read that implemeted this is Hitman: Codename 47.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErEGLKKl-jU