Ideas how to animate Pacman

Merry X-Mas everyone!

I started to create a 3D Pacman. Sounds like an easy task due it's spherical shape. Modeling a still is no prob, but I have troubles to animate this beast's mouth-animation (close mouth<->open mouth cycle).

Any ideas how to get this done without large distortions?
Maybe morphing is the way to go, so I will try this next.

I know many skilled artists fly around here, so any hint would be wonderful.

Jake

PS: I'm using XSI 5

Maybe you could just switch textures between open shut. May look OK and would be an easy solution.

Along the lines that Chevron suggests - you could use an animated texture.

Maybe use two half spheres and create a pivot point at the back?

Jason.

Animated Pac Man should take 4 frames (at the smallest) and using 2 half spheres in Milkshape 3D I cold probably do it in 12 min. You want it?

http://www.indigosilk.us/ralph/

Both the 3DS and the B3D... the B3D is animated... Milkshape turns models created in Rhino so you may have to tweak it a bit.

((OK so it took 27 mins not 12 BUT that includes the plopping a folder on the wife's new website (which I should be working on instead of playing!)))

thanks for your suggestions. Don't know why but I always wanted to make it in one piece.

Rook, PacMan animations at the smallest can be 2 frames. I think you need to look back at the original. =]

IIRC the original Pac-Man had 4 frames per direction.

Toby... 2 frames??? I don't think so but it has been 2,000,000 years since I played it. I remember that the ghosts had 2 frames (left and right) and their blue phase counterparts... I alwys thought that pacman was smoother which would imply more frames...

I am going to take the models down by 2 JAN 2006. Hurry if you want them.

I thought PacMan was always an open-close sort of guy. Of course this being 3D you don't need to draw frames for other directions, you just rotate the thing.

... problem with two hemispheres that pivot to open/close the top half would be that the eyes would move if they were a texture....

... so you also need to parent a couple of small spheres to the bottom half that poke through the top-half shell in approximately eye level locations.

I did that... and I have re pivoted... will post by Friday