Such animated characters are composed of solid matter arranged by transporter-based replicators and manipulated by highly articulated computer-driven tractor beams. The results are exceptionally realistic “puppets,” which exhibit behaviors almost exactly like those of living beings, depending on software limits.
Objects created on the Holodeck that are pure holographic images cannot be removed from the Holodeck, even if they appear to possess physical reality because of the focused forcebeam imagery. Objects created by replicator matter conversion do have physical reality and can indeed be removed from the Holodeck, even though they will no longer be under computer control.
Obviously, there is an inconsistency here, as we saw that later holographic characters could not be removed from the holodeck, and therefore must not have been replicated.
It thankfully stops short of “meat”:
Obviously, there is an inconsistency here, as we saw that later holographic characters could not be removed from the holodeck, and therefore must not have been replicated.
AFAIK they’re made from forcefields and photons, not matter and tractor beams. Or are tractor beams forcefields?
Tractor beams and force fields are actually both supposed to be applications of graviton technology, so…kinda?
But no, I don’t think that bit of the Technical Manual is very consistent with how we saw the holodecks actually being used.