OPTIMIZED BIFS ENCODER

An apparatus and method of processing a data file, by determining a range of values assumed by parameters in a hierarchy of nodes. The processing includes calculating a quantization parameter, based on an acceptable distortion level, indicating a desired number of bits, to represent the value range of each parameter for each node. Each node is examined to determine if a change in quantization parameter for a node parameter is desired, and if so a quantization parameter is inserted into the node. Then the hierarchy is reviewed, examining the quantization parameter at each node of the hierarchy and determining if one or more quantization parameters at a child node of the node being examined can be subsumed under the examined node quantization parameter. Quantization parameters are also used to encode animation data. The animation data, or frames, may be encoded into a sequence of Intra frames and Predictive frames. An Intra frame establishes quantization parameters used for subsequent predictive frames.