For the realistic simulation of embodied agents we need a model of emotion that represents both structural and dynamic aspects of emotional phenomena to serve as background support for multifaceted emotion characterization. In this paper we present an emotion model oriented towards that aim, which provides a continuous modeling of the evolution of emotional phenomena. We also illustrate how it can be used to provide different perspectives of an emotional situation, namely by identifying emotional patterns that can be characterized as discrete emotional states. Categories and Subject Descriptors I.2.11 [Artificial Intelligence]: Distributed Artificial Intelligence - Intelligent agents. General Terms Design, Theory. Keywords Virtual Agents, Emotion, Cognitive Modeling.