Results conclude from my practical research that cMuscle provides the best soloution for creating a non user scripted muscle deformations for and average user.

Whilst it ties with enveloping for ease of use as recomended by Peter Shipkov, the capabilities far exceed and include these basic functions. The realism of the initial envelope is improved by adding systems. However enveloping far exceeds computational processing and would be recomended for a slow system.

However a combination of envelopes and blend shapes to fix any glitches, results were produced far exceeded my expectations at accuracy and realism. Excelling in all areas other than the speed of Set up, the inital shape setup reveals its only downfall. Eveloping is relyed upon in this particular scenario.

Whilst the propriatory system performs with satisfactory results, the system is relativly unstable, with many updates and fixes there is minimal support with insdtructional setup in the form of video and instructions it is quick to use and solve. Results however compare only to a more efficient (for mass muscle) alternative to shape animation. It is free and can be combined with skinning methods and has now settled in stability with later versions.

Whilst syflex and shrinkwrap aim to achieve the same results. Syflex is has extra features in its new addition which include syFlesh and SySkin. However it proves difficult to setup for the first time due to lack of documentation and support. Both appear to drain processing power when using high polygonal meshes, needed for accuracy, syflex considerably more so, but with the power they take syflex produces the more acurate realistic results of the two and is used often in production (10,000BC, Happy Feet, Horton Hears a Who) Although comparable they do not fall in the same league it terms of reliability and lack of control and accuracy. The downside to Syflex is that it is required as an additional plugin.

With the number of factors to take into consideration many of these methods are justafiable dependant on the demand for realism, cMuscle has the option to include all the features tested excluding shapes which can be included after.

Combined with the confirmation found from the industry research, it is a system capable of performing to demands of relibilty speed and realism both on a home computer and on a feature film production line. With careful planning the features can be used wih caution even on slower machines. The downside is that it is a plugin developed only for a release with Autodesk Maya.

If i were to do the experiment again or had more time there are several other areas that i would wish to investigate. Those being.

• The deformation of displacement maps. i.e sculpture from zBrush

• Creating both the bicep and its antagonist the tricep with a twisting forearm.

• Try to develop my own system based on the knowledge i have learnt

• look into controlling fat layers, breast, belly, sprin constants