Loading...
A tiny planet of autumn crops with a watercolor look, made with . Two cats play tag across the planet. The crops bend out of their way as they run.
Drag to spin the planet. Click for full screen, where you can also use WASD, the arrow keys and scrolling.
Every pose is calculated as you watch, with no prerecorded animations. The idea came from the slugcat in .
Body. Each cat has three connected parts: hips, chest and head. They can stretch apart, but only so far. The cats are only told which way to go and how fast. Spring-like forces pull their parts along, so the hips trail behind in turns, and the body stretches in a pounce and squashes on landing. Changing the height each part aims for makes the cat sit, crouch, rear up or flop onto its side.
Legs. Each paw stays where it lands until the body moves too far ahead, then lifts and steps to a new spot. The cats walk at low speeds and gallop when running. Each leg has two sections that bend to reach the paw, drawn as one curve that narrows from hip to paw.
Tail. Twelve springy joints form the tail, firmer at the base. The cat’s mood sets the shape it holds: a question mark when happy, low and twitching while stalking, or wrapped around the body when resting. Turns send ripples to the tip, and the wind moves it too.
Face. Each eye is one rounded shape that changes length, width and angle to blink, squint, focus or look surprised.
Behavior. The cats cycle through thirteen behaviors: sniffing noses, rubbing past each other, bowing to play, flopping over, hopping sideways, playing tag, stalking, ambushing, pouncing, boxing on their hind legs, grooming, napping and stretching. Trees, hay bales and the barn are solid, so the cats steer around them.