In addition to of the pseudorandom animations that can be matched to audio, various characteristics can be used as thresholds on when certain animations are to be performed. For example, certain beat elements can be used to trigger a particular set of probabilities, and a different beat element or the absence of a distinct beat can be used to select a default animation or a different set of probabilities for the state-space of all possible motions for a model.
Such systems can be integrated with a messaging system to automatically analyze message data to apply a model to image data that is part of a system message. A recipient of such a message can then display the image with the pseudorandom motion applied to a model within the message. Audio data detected at the recipient's device can influence the displayed animation. For example, an image of a sender's face can be sent with a model applied to cause animation of parts of a face in the image, such as hair, ears, eyebrows, eyes, etc. The animation as displayed at the recipient's device will use the probabilities applied by the designer, and audio at the recipient's device to create the actual animation output at the recipient's device. Other examples can use three dimensional models applied to images, or overlays applied to an image which manipulate or add augmented reality animations to images in a message. Examples of various such embodiments are described in detail below.