SKM 4200 Computer Animation

1. SKM 4200Computer Animation Chapter 1: Introduction

2. About the course • 2-hours of lectures per week • 3-hours of lab per week* • Prerequisite: SKM3200 • Evaluation • 1st test  15% • 2nd test  15% • Lab  15% • Project  25% • Final exam  30% 100%

3. About the course • 1st test (15%) • Topics covered from weeks 1-3 • To be held on the 5thweek, during class hours, God willing  • 2nd test (15%) • Topics covered from weeks 5-10 • To be held on the 11th week, during class hours, God willing  • Final exam (30%) • Comprehensive… Tests your understanding of what’s been learnt from weeks 1-14  • I have no idea when… • But God willing, from weeks 15-18 

4. About the course • Lab (15%) • Demonstrators  Mr. Nabil and Ms. SitiKhadijah • Small assignments will be given/completed during lab sessions • To be completed and submitted to demos by 11:59am on Fridays of the same week • Late submissions will not be entertained • Final project (25%): • In a group of 3-4 people • Submit group name/members: Class time 3rd week • Finalize and submit idea/story synopsis: Class time 6th week • Submit storyboard: Class time 9th week • Final project due: 14th week (2D / 3D animation) • Late submissions will be penalized… and if too late, will not be entertained 

5. Topics covered in this chapter • Fundamentals of Animation • Definition • Persistence of Vision • Frame rate • Key Frames • The Animation Process • Traditional (Disney’s way) • Computerized animation • The 11-basic principles of animation

6. Definition • What is animation? • A group of consecutive static images rapidly displayed to create the illusion of motion • So in all, animation “tricks” into believing that what we are viewing is actually alive, i.e. animated

7. Persistence of Vision • Explanations: • Where a rapid succession of images (one after the other), is said to be retained by the visual system • Basically, the eye is ‘thinking’ of one thing while it sees another thing… • The theory suggests that an image persists for a certain period of time after the original exposure • You might have experienced this yourself after looking too long at neon-light signs • Examples: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdGnn9JzdOE&feature=related - Thaumatrope • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSrDnIVgVv0&NR=1&feature=fvwp - Cut out flipbook • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yacvvtl4Z20&feature=related – BarackObama Illusion • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3yarT_h2ws - Things - Zoetrope • All these made possible based on the basic principle of Persistence of Vision

8. Frames • What are frames? • Static images/pictures • The basic visual building blocks in animation • When sequentially displayed one after the other, produces animation • Note: Frames must be sequentially displayed fast enough so that effective animation is produced… • Which brings us to the concept of frame rate

9. Frame-1

10. Frame-2

11. Frame-3

12. Frame-4

13. Frame-5

14. Frame-6

15. Frame-7

16. Frame-8

17. Frame-9

18. Frame-10

19. Frame-11

20. Frame-12

21. Frame-13

22. Frame Rate • How many static images are produced/displayed within a specific duration of time • Normally expressed in frames-per-second (fps) • Different TV standards define different frame rates • Although this term normally relates to digital video, the same concept applies to animation especially when converting analogue to digital animations… • Determine the smoothness of the end result • Lower frame rates cause a jerky effect • Higher frame rates make the final animation smooth

23. Keyframes • Frames that defined the starting and ending points of an action • A few keyframes are created over a short period of time • A succession of keyframes do not produce the illusion of motion (with keyframing being the exception) • This requires “in between” frames to be drawn (in the classical sense) or generated (for 2D/3D computer animation)

24. Keyframes Example: http://www.3dmax-tutorials.com/graphics/il_animation_traditional-2.jpg From the main webpage: http://www.3dmax-tutorials.com/Animation_Concepts.html Keyframes In betweens 

25. Keyframes Example (Walk Cycle Keyframes) Contact Down Pass Up

26. Keyframes • Applying only the keyframes for animation - http://donbluthanimation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83&page=2

27. Keyframes • Same set of keyframes, but with in-between frames added

28. The Animation Process • Storyboarding • Recording dialogue • Rough, colorless sketches • Inking department • Painting department • Background • Photographing • Adding dialogue (and editing) • Release 

29. The Animation Process • Storyboarding • The idea/concept of the story is discussed and confirmed by the director(s) and animators • Characters, storyline, actions… Image courtesy of Mr. MdNabilZawawi (SMM2005 – Chapter 5 (Animation)

30. The Animation Process • http://www.justdisney.com/animation/animation.html • Please visit this website

31. The Animation Process • Recording dialogue • Before the animation is done • Allows animators to know what the character is saying • Simplifies modeling of facial gestures, mouth movements, limb movements etc. http://lightstoneanimation.com/Images/dialogue.jpg http://www.awn.com/imagepicker/image/4357

32. The Animation Process • Rough, colorless sketches • Lead animators draw the keyframes, which are normally quite messy. Gaps (action, movements) are left in between keyframes • In between animators then “fill in the blanks” to finish the scenes http://haribololz.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/traditional-animation-2/

33. The Animation Process • Inking department • The drawings are copied onto Cels (clear celluloid acetate material) • Example: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Animation_example-inked_drawing.png

34. The Animation Process • Painting department • Painters at the painting department will apply the pre-mixed colors on the backside of the Cel • Example: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Animation_example-key_cel.png

35. The Animation Process • Background • Background images are then added adhering to the particular scene • Cels are transparent… therefore the backgrounds will be visible • Backgrounds can either be static, moving, or multi-planed Background of clouds from: http://mashfreaks.com/backgrounds/Clouds/tile_cartoon_clouds.jpg

36. The Animation Process • Background • Video on multi-planed background - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d4-AUwkKAw&feature=player_embedded - Moving Backgrounds

37. The Animation Process • Photographing • Using a camera, facing down • Camera captures each frame of the animation (can go up to hundreds of thousands, depending on the animation’s duration) • Dialogue is added • The whole animation process can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OebUzEhSLBI&feature=related - Making Of Disney's Snow White • HOMEWORK: Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJX0EoHx3w8 • Something might just come out in the exam about this…

38. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation • Squash and Stretch • Timing • Anticipation • Staging • Follow Through and Overlapping Action • Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose Action • Slow In and Out • Arcs • Exaggeration • Secondary Action • Appeal Reference to be downloaded (Please pay close attention to Sections 2.1 until 3.0!!!: JOHN, L. (1987) Principles of traditional animation applied to 3D computer animation. SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics, Volume 21, Pages 35-44. The link below might only work within UPM: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.93.811&rep=rep1&type=pdf

39. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 1. Squash and Stretch • Defining the rigidity and mass objects via shape distortion to convey flexibility • Gives illusion of weight and volume to a character as it moves • Useful in animating dialogue and facial expressions • Reduce the effects of strobing

40. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation

41. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation Using Squash and Stretch to convey flexibility of the characters

42. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 2. Timing • The speed of an action • Gives meaning to movement • Conveys the properties of the object whether it’s heavy, light, big or small (e.g. heavier objects moves slower • Object motion can give an idea of its weight • Consider Video_1 and Video_2 • http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/character_animation/principles/timing.htm

43. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 2. Timing • No in-betweens - the character has been hit by a strong force and its head almost snappedd off • One in-between - the character has been hit by something substantial, .e.g., frying pan • Two in-betweens - the character has a nervous twitch • Three in-betweens - the character is dodging a flying object • Four in-betweens - the character is giving a crisp order • Six in-betweens - the character sees something inviting • Nine in-betweens - the character is thinking about something • Ten in-betweens - the character is stretching a sore muscle

44. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 3. Anticipation • Action involves: PREPARATION, THE ACTION and TERMINATION • Prepares the viewer/audience for the upcoming action… (gives a hint of what the character will do) • Leads their minds to what will or might happen next!!! http://www.officialpsds.com/images/thumbs/Road-Runner--Wile-E-Coyote-psd36956.png

45. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 4. Staging • Presentation of an idea so that it is unmistakably clear • Audience’s view must be directed to where it needs to be so the idea is conveyed and not missed • Don’t include too many ideas at a time

46. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action • The termination of an action… • Actions often do not end abruptly • Dog Running and Falling - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgcw2d4wFQw - Follow through and overlapping action

47. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 6. Straight Ahead and Pose-to-Pose Actions • Straight Ahead • More spontaneous • Animator knows how the scene should go along, and how it tallies with the storyline • Requires high creativity • Pose-to-Pose • Actions are planned • Charted with key drawings done at intervals throughout the scene • Size, volumes, and proportions are controlled better this way, as is the action.

48. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 7. Slow In and Out • Spacing of in between drawings (frames) between the extreme poses • Fewer in-betweens make the action faster and more in-betweens make the action slower • Slow-ins and slow-outs soften the action, making it more life-like http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/character_animation/principles/bouncing_ball_example_of_slow_in_out.htm

49. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 8. Arcs • Describes the visual path taken by an object from one extreme pose to another • Smoothens the animation (compared to moving in a straight line) • Sometimes an arc can be a straight line, e.g. something falling from the sky Image courtesy of Mr. MdNabilZawawi (SMM2005 – Chapter 5 (Animation)

50. The 11 Basic Principles of Animation 9. Exaggeration • Exaggeration is not extreme distortion of a drawing or extremely broad, violent action all the time • It’s like a caricature of facial features, expressions, poses, attitudes and actions • Exaggeration in a walk or an eye movement or even a head turn will give your animation more appeal… http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZfuIfdBJC2s/S1Vb1Rhe4cI/AAAAAAAAAjU/aO_NnYkmkKA/s400/corny1.jpg