Digital Media Lecture 11: Animation Georgia Gwinnett College School of Science and Technology Dr. Jim Rowan

Refer to Supplemental text:

But first… a bit about video capture Capture images using a camera Edit them in a video editor –Quicktime –iMovie –Windows MovieMaker –Final Cut Pro

Image Capture and iMovie... Capture images using miniDV camera Manipulate using iMovie

Physical animation

Physical animation

Animated GIFs x8V3SyCB7E&feature=youtu.be I&feature=youtu.be

Animation “Bring to life” using still images to create frames Many techniques –draw each frame individually (FlipBook) –cell animation –cut-out manipulation –clayMation or modeling clay manipulation –3D model animation

Cell Animation... Only have to re- create the parts that change Use paintings on clear plastic Can have a background that is larger than the frame and “slides” past

Cell Animation... Disney had an army of excellent painters More skilled painters painted key frames Less skilled filled in between the key frames –Known as “tweeners” Shadows had to be individually painted

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?”

Monty Python before South Park Pilot was cut-out animation in the style of Terry Gilliam of Monty Python’s Flying Circus fame

South Park After the pilot, episodes used computer animation that mimicked cut-outs So… why cut-outs?

Simpsons vs Southpark Simpsons takes 6-8 Months per episode –produces reasonably high quality animations South Park takes 6 weeks –so... if you want to have a plot that is derived from very current events, cut out animation allows you to get it produced before it becomes dated

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

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

3D model producing 2D images Two approaches -physical model manipulation -3D animation models both have these elements produce the model (the hard part) move the model define light source define camera position and angle take a picture

Physical model manipulation build the model set the lighting set the camera position and angle make a frame move the model make a frame move the model... Very time-consuming! Wallace and Gromit –30 frames per day, 5 years to produce

Vector-based 3D model (Blender) build the model (time consuming) define light source(s) (in the computer) define camera position and angle (in the computer) move the model… a bit different for 3D vector- based set start and stop key frames computer generates intervening frames this is called rendering render the frames (computationally expensive)

Key Frames

Key Frame Interpolation This is natural since the 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”

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

Motion Capture Giant Studios

Making of AVATAR

Making of AVATAR

Virtual Reality Total immersive VR (full 3 dimensions) –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 (3D on 2D screen) –not immersive (you aren’t in them directly) –not stereo vision –viewed on a 2D screen –you are given navigation tools

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality Yoda Hallmark card demo