Abstract

The MPEG-4 Animation Framework eXtension (AFX) - ISO/IEC 14496-16:2004 - proposes a general organization of synthetic models in a six-component hierarchy: geometry, modeling, physical, biomechanical, behavioral and cognitive component. This conceptual organization facilitates the understanding of models and their relationships for interactive multi-media contents including (but not limited to) computer games and animation. Using this organization, AFX extends MPEG-4 Binary Format for Scenes (BIFS) features with new models for each component, dedicated bitstreams for even more compact representations, and a backchannel for view-dependent streaming of large data sets. While other frameworks provide geometry models described solely by their surface, AFX also defines solid geometry.