Files
calesthio e5367f7d66 feat(character-animation): add local rigged character pipeline
New beta pipeline for reusable cartoon characters with SVG rigs, pose
libraries, action timelines, and Canvas/Remotion/HyperFrames rendering.

- pipeline_defs/character-animation.yaml: 11-stage manifest
- skills/pipelines/character-animation/: 11 stage director skills
- tools/character/: BaseTool implementations for char design, rigging,
  pose libraries, action timelines, previews, and QA
- schemas/artifacts/{character_design,rig_plan,pose_library,
  action_timeline,character_qa_report}.schema.json: canonical artifacts
- schemas/artifacts/scene_plan.schema.json: extended for character-led
  scenes
- .agents/skills/{canvas-procedural-animation,character-animation-qa,
  character-rigging,pose-library-design,svg-character-animation}/:
  Layer 3 vendor knowledge
- AGENT_GUIDE / PROJECT_CONTEXT / README / ARCHITECTURE / PROVIDERS:
  surface the new pipeline and its capability family
- tools/video/hyperframes_compose.py: SVG character rig support
- tests/contracts/test_character_animation_pipeline.py: contract tests
2026-04-28 08:11:02 -07:00

1.3 KiB

Research Director - Character Animation Pipeline

Goal

Ground the character-animation plan in real references and current technique. For reference videos, start from video_analysis_brief: content, pacing, motion classification, keyframes, color, and production complexity.

Process

  1. Identify what the reference actually uses:
    • rigged local animation,
    • frame-by-frame traditional animation,
    • video generation,
    • still-image motion,
    • mixed techniques.
  2. Research 3-5 relevant examples or techniques.
  3. Separate what the pipeline can reproduce locally from what requires manual illustration, video generation, or a larger asset library.
  4. Record reusable animation primitives:
    • walk cycle,
    • blink,
    • head turn,
    • reach,
    • wing flap,
    • squash/stretch,
    • camera pan/parallax,
    • particles/weather.

Output Guidance

The research_brief should include:

  • character_animation_fit: high/medium/low,
  • reference_motion_type,
  • required_character_actions,
  • rig_complexity,
  • manual_asset_risks,
  • local_runtime_candidates.

Quality Bar

Be explicit when a reference is hand-drawn or frame-by-frame. The user can still choose an inspired local rigged style, but the proposal must not imply exact traditional-animation quality from an automatic rig.