A novel approach to realistic collision-free animation of the upper limb was proposed. According to the obstacle-avoidance strategy of human hand, the movement trajectory was computed by manipulability model and minimum-jerk based interpolation. In each key frame, an improved inverse kinematics method was adopted to obtain a believable posture of the upper limb. By comparing with the real movement data obtained from the motion capture device, the resultant animation was testified to be natural. This method can be performed in interactive time, and therefore is applicable in animation edit and control of virtual humans.