Computer Animation

Computer

Computer Animation

encompasses a variety of techniques with the unifying idea being that

the animation is created digitally on a computer.

Drawings are composed in a computer program on many transparent "layers"

much the same way as they are with cels, and made into a sequence of images which may then be

transferred onto film or converted to a digital video format.

The early users of computer animation were actually computer experts that had little

knowledge of cartoon animation and the early animation programs consists of much

programming jargon to control how an object would behave.

Computer animation example

This is a simple example of a computer animation.

An example of computer rendered animation.

The screen is blanked to a background color, such as black. Then a goat is drawn on the right of the screen. Next the screen is blanked, but the goat is re-drawn or duplicated slightly to the left of its original position. This process is repeated, each time moving the goat a bit to the left. If this process is repeated fast enough the goat will appear to move smoothly to the left. This basic procedure is used for all moving pictures in films and television.

When an image is rendered to the screen, it is normally rendered to something called a back buffer. There the computer can draw the image, making any necessary changes to it before it is done. While the computer is rendering, the screen is showing the contents of what is called the primary or active buffer.

Types of Computer Animation
2 D Animation		Figures are created and/or edited on the computer using 2D bitmap graphics or created and edited using 2D vector graphics. This includes automated computerized versions of traditional animation techniques such as tweening, morphing, onion skinning and interpolated rotoscoping. For 2D figure animations, separate objects (illustrations) and separate transparent layers are used, with or without a virtual skeleton. Then the limbs, eyes, mouth, clothes, etc. of the figure are moved by the animator on key frames. The differences in appearance between key frames are automatically calculated by the computer in a process known as tweening or morphing. Finally, the animation is rendered. Examples of 2D animations are the use of flash and animated GIF we usually find on the Internet.
Analog Computer Animation	How Scanimation Was Done Here is an mpeg movie (3.4M) of Scanimate in Action circa 1981.	Scanimate is the name for an analog computer animation system developed from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. The Scanimate systems were used to produce much of the video-based animation seen on television between the late 1970s and early 1980s in commercials, promotions, and show openings. One of the major advantages the Scanimate system had over film-based animation and computer animation was the ability to create animations in real time. The speed with which animation could be produced on the system because of this, as well as its range of possible effects, helped it to supersede film-based animation techniques for television graphics. By the mid-1980s it was superseded by digital computer animation, which produced sharper images and more sophisticated 3d imagery. Animations created on Scanimate and similar analog computer animation systems have a number of characteristic features that distinguish them from film-based animation: The motion is extremely fluid, using all 60 fields per second (in NTSC format video) rather than the 24 frames per second that film uses; the colors are much brighter and more saturated; and the images have a very "electronic" look that results from the direct manipulation of video signals through which the Scanimate produces the images.
Flash Animation	Click here to see a short flash animation showing what the world would be like when robots dominate the world.	A Flash animation or Flash cartoon is an animated film which is created using Adobe Flash animation software and often distributed in the .swf file format. It can be created in Flash or with other programs capable of writing .swf files. The term Flash animation not only refers to the file format but to a certain kind of movement and visual style which, in many circles, is seen as simplistic or unpolished. However, with dozens of Flash animated television series, countless more Flash animated television commercials, and award-winning online shorts in circulation, Flash animation is enjoying a renaissance. Some hallmarks of poorly-produced Flash animation are jerky natural movements (seen in walk-cycles and gestures), auto-tweened character movements, lip-sync without interpolation, and abrupt changes from front to profile view. Although Flash is able to integrate bitmaps and other raster-based art, as well as video, most Flash films are created using only vector-based drawings which often result in a somewhat clean graphic appearance. Flash animations are typically distributed by way of the World Wide Web, in which case they are often referred to as Internet cartoons, online cartoons, or webtoons. Web Flash animations may be interactive and are often created in a series. A Flash animation is distinguished from a Webcomic, which is a comic strip distributed via the Web, rather than an animated cartoon.
PowerPoint Animation	Click on this link to view a countdown animation created with PowerPoint. ..\animation examples\TraditionalCountdown2\ TraditionalCountdown2.pps	PowerPoint animation is a form of animation which involves using Microsoft PowerPoint and similar programs to create a game or movie. The animator uses Custom Animation, drawing tools and slides within PowerPoint, to make a game or movie. Custom Animation is a set of effects which can be applied to objects in PowerPoint so that they will animate in the Slide Show. They can be added under Custom Animation function (Slide Show \| Custom Animation) or through the use of VBA. PowerPoint 2000 and earlier versions introduced basic effects such as Appear, Dissolve, Fly In and etc. In PowerPoint 2002/XP and the later versions, the Custom Animation feature is improved, where new animation effects are added and grouped into four categories. The categories include Entrance, Emphasis, Exit and Motion Paths. Entrance effects can be set to objects so that they enter with animations during Slide Show. Emphasis effects animate the objects on the spot. Exit effects allow objects to leave the Slide Show with animations. Motion Paths allow objects to move around the Slide Show. Each effect contains variables such as start (On click, With previous, After previous), delay, speed, repeat and trigger. This makes animations more flexible and interactive similar to Adobe Flash.
3D Animation	Click on picture to see a 3D Lava Lamp Animation	For 3D animations, objects (models) are built on the computer monitor (modeled) and figures are created using polygons and rigged with a virtual skeleton. To allow these meshes to move they are given a digital armature (sculpture). This process is called rigging. Various other techniques can be applied, such as mathematical functions (gravity), simulated fur or hair, effects such as fire and water and the use of motion capture to name but a few.
References: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0110532/Types.htm http://spiders.entomology.wisc.edu/pjd/multimedia/2Danim.html http://www.ugoplayer.com/animation/ http://www.iloaded.com/preview/3d-lava-lamp-49.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Glasses_800_edit.png

How Scanimation Was Done