Digital Media Dr. Jim Rowan ITEC 2110 Animation

Two ways to create moving images Capture using a camera Create using animation techniques

Using iMovie... Capture images using miniDV camera Manipulate using iMovie

Animation “Bring to life” using still images to create frames Many techniques –draw each frame individually (FlipBook) –paint on (or otherwise modify) existing video or film rotoscope changes frames of an existing film –Trace some portion of a frame and delete it –Add something drawn-in later –cell animation –cut-out manipulation –clayMation or modeling clay manipulation –mixed cell and film

Cell Animation... Only have to re-create the parts that change Disney, Snow White 1937 Use paintings on clear plastic Can have a background that is larger than the frame and “slides” past Disney had an army of excellent painters Disney’s original cells sell for a fortune So... what about “Simpsons?”

Simpsons Cell animation First 14 episodes were hand painted Subsequent episodes used digital-ink- and-paint to mimic hand-painted cells So... what about “South Park?”

South Park Pilot was cut-out animation in the style of Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame (197-) Subsequent episodes used computer animation that mimicked cut-outs Added some live film in later episodes Late added some shadowing effects Why cut-outs?

South Park vs Simpsons Simpsons takes 6-8 Months per episode South Park takes 6 weeks

Animation Process... Create drawings by some means... –2-D model to 2-D frame hand drawn cell cutout –3-D model to 2-D frame physical model manipulation stop motion clay-mation 3-D computer modeling

Animation Process... Examples 2-D model producing 2-D images? –South Park (cutout) –Simpsons (cell) 3-D model producing 2-D images? –3-D model manipulation Gumby Wallace and Gromit –3-D computer modeling Toy Story Jimmy Neutron

Animation Process... The Process Create drawings by some means... 2-D model producing 2-D images? –simple, really –create the image –store the image as a frame –create another image...

Animation Process... The Process Create drawings by some means.. 3-D model producing 2-D images? Two approaches, both have these elements –produce the model –manipulate the model –define light source –define camera position and angle

Animation Process... The Process 3-D model producing 2-D images? Using a physical 3-D model –Move the model –Capture the frame –Very time-consuming! Wallace and Gromit –30 frames per day, 5 years to produce Using a computer-based 3-D model –Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters –Build the model (takes a lot of time for the human) –Move the model (not too bad for the human) –Render frame (time consuming for the computer but not the human)

3-D model, 2-D images Use a physical 3-D model –build the model –set the lighting –set the camera position and angle –make a frame –move the model –make a frame –move the model...

3-D model, 2-D images Using a computer-based 3-D model (in Blender) –build the model (in the computer) –define light source(s) (in the computer) –define camera position and angle (in the computer) –define the object(s) movement (in the computer) –render the frames

Other Computer Animation Techniques Create a series of image files and import them to Quicktime Build an animated GIF Directly manipulate cutouts

Build an animated GIF Allows for sequences of images to be placed in one “image” that, when displayed, shows movement

Directly Manipulate Cutouts

Computer-Based Animation Processes We’ve seen 3-D to 2-D –physical modeling (claymation) –computer modeling (Blender) We’ve seen 2-D to 2-D –physical modeling (flipBook, cutouts, cell) Let’s look at 2-D to 2-D –computer-based modeling

Digital Cell and Digital Sprite animation 2-D model Works on the idea of layers –like bitmapped image layers One layer is the background Other layers are of the different parts that will move By moving each part a little bit you create frames of an animation

Digital Cell and Digital Sprite animation Works on the idea of layers that are automated –a sprite can be thought of as an automated layer –it’s motion is driven by a program One layer is the background Sprites are over that Sprites can have faces Sprites can move and show different faces as they move...

Digital Sprite animation The running headless man! Three sprites –A body and two legs A body and two legs Here the green leg sprite has 5 “faces”

Key Frames Came from Disney following Ford’s ideas Break production into simpler tasks Assign tasks to less skilled labor At Disney, Key Frames, the important frames, –done by skilled animators –came at important portions of the action –came at scene changes Less skilled labor connected the action –key-frame to key frame (in-betweeners) Process is similar to interpolation –remember Blender IPO? InterPOlation

2-D to 2-D computer-based Key Frame Interpolation This is natural since model is in the computer as numbers already Forms of interpolation –linear... motion follows a straight line velocity is constant moves same distance for each unit of time not natural... instantly starts, instantly stops –quadratic... motion follows a curve acceleration (deceleration) is constant “easing in” and “easing out”

Flash Animation Briefly... Flash –Has a stage & characters –Follows a timeline –Supports their form of interpolation called “tweening” –Action is driven by scripts See pp for details

Motion Graphics (AfterEffects) 2D model to 2D image Takes the photoshop image with all its layers Provides a means of manipulating the images to make motion

Achieving natural human motion This is REALLY hard to do unless you use motion- capture

A word about... Virtual Reality Total immersive VR –Stereo head mounted display –sensors to detect your position on your head on your hands (or any other part that will be in the scene Quicktime VR and VRML –not immersive (you aren’t in them directly) –not stereo vision –viewed on a screen –you can navigate through them

Questions?