Animation Theory

1. Animation Theory

2. What is Animation? • Animation is the creation of simulated movement by using a series of still images. • Animation is used to produce special effects in commercials, live-action movies, video games and web sites

3. Zoetrope • Pronounced (ZO-uh-trope) • A toy created in the 1800’s that used a cylinder and long strip of paper with a series of images • When the cylinder was rotated, the images could be viewed through slits in the cylinder and the images appear to move • The Zoetrope led to the development of motion pictures

4. Zoetrope EXAMPLES • http://youtu.be/5khDGKGv088 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5khDGKGv088 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=ClIZ_QjNX60

5. Flip Book • A flip book is a simple animation device • It consists of a sequence of drawings placed on top of each other fastened together along one edge • Each drawing is slightly different from the drawing before • The image appears to move because the eye sends signals to the brain faster than the brain can process them. This is called Persistence of Vision

6. FLIP BOOK EXAMPLE • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH97UerMW6I

7. Types of Animation • Hand-drawn Animation • Stop-motion Animation • Computer animation • Motion-capture animation

8. Hand-drawn Animation • In this type of animation, a series of drawings is photographed • Each drawing makes up one frame of the film • The position of the character or object changes very slightly from frame to frame • This technique is known as cell animation because the first animations were drawn on thin plastic sheets called celluloid • In 1937, Walt Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated film using cell animation

9. Stop-Motion Animation • In Stop-Motion Animation, models are photographed on a set one frame at a time. • The frames are played in sequence to create movement • Early stop-motion models were made of modeling clay (ex. Gumby)

10. Computer Animation • Computer Animation software can be used to create an animation scene, cartoon, a video game, or even a full-length movie • Computer Animation reduces the time needed to produce an animated film • Software can be two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D)

11. Motion Capture Animation • Motion Capture Animation is a 3D representation of a live performance • It can be done using 3 different technologies: • Magnetic • Optical • Electro-Mechanical

12. Magnetic Motion Capture • Magnetic motion capturing uses sensors placed on an actor’s body that measure magnetic fields created by a transmitter • The files are then represented in 3D by a computer

13. Optical Motion Capture • Optical motion capturing uses video cameras to track the motion of light-emitting diodes or reflective markers placed on the joints of the actor’s body

14. Electro-mechanical Capture • Electro-mechanical devices resemble an exoskeleton that is worn by the actor being recorded. The exoskeleton’s movements are recorded without any additional sensors

15. Storyboards • A storyboard is a series of sketches that can be used as a guide for making a show. • A typical full-length animated feature requires more than 4,000 storyboard drawings to describe the action and dialogue of the film

16. Modeling • Once a storyboard is created, the modeling process begins • Modeling refers to using computer software to create 3D computer models of characters, props, and sets

17. Animation • Once models are created, animation may begin • A key frame show a beginning or ending point in an action sequence • Imagine a scene showing tow characters playing catch with a ball. The key frames might show each character either throwing or catching the ball. The frames in between determine how fast the ball is thrown, how many times the ball goes back and forth, and how long the game continues

18. Shading, Lighting, and Rendering • Shading adds colors and textures to objects. Examples include: simulated glass, wood, and metal • Lighting is used to add illumination and shadows to scenes • Rendering combines computer information from the modeling, animation, shading, and lighting steps to create the final images

19. STOP

20. Web Sites • Animation can be added to any website to add interest • GIF animation was the first successful kind of animation used on the web • GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format • GIF files are still images that can be animated using software • This is a popular way to store and distribute animations • GIF files work well with web browsers

21. Other Web Sites Enhancements • When Dynamic HTML is used, one still image is moved across the screen instead of using individual frames • Several Web animations require plug-ins • Plug-ins are small programs designed to play particular media files • QuickTime and Windows Media Player are common video plug-ins

22. Other Web Sites Enhancements • Streaming Animation allows the movie to begin playing before the entire file has downloaded • Flash is the most popular Web animation program • Flash can be used to produce high-quality animations and videos

23. Video Games • Video game development is the most complex form of animation • A key difference between video games and movie animation is video games need to be interactive; they need to respond to commands given by players • Video games start with a storyboard • Artists, programmers, and marketing experts plan for how the game will look and create different levels of difficulty