1. Computer Animation Algorithms and Techniques
Introduction
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

2. Computer Animation Techniques Using a computer
Moving things that can’t move themselves
Techniques
“artistic” animation - key frames & interpolation
data-driven animation - mocap
procedural animation - physics, behavioral
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

3. Motion Perception Motion from sequence of still images
persistence of vision - positive afterimage
perception of motion - beta motion
Marque effect: lights flashing
object progressing around Marque
Sparkler pattern - tracing out pattern
static object
Flashing dots - alternating and separated
object traveling back and forth
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

4. Motion Perception (cont.)
display sequence of still images
update rate v. display rate
film v. video
interlaced v. progressive scan
flicker, critical flicker frequency
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

5. Temporal sampling: wagon wheel effect
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

6. Temporal Sampling:
Strobing
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

7. Motion Blur
Models inability of camera to take pictures instantaneously
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

8. Sample scene over duration of frame time
Stochastic Sampling in Computer Graphics by Robert Cook
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

9. The Heritage of Animation
Early devices & advances
Conventional animation
Disney
Stop Motion Animation
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

10. Early Devices: 1800s-early 1900s
Optical tricks and illusions
Used for ‘parlor’ entertainment and child’s toys
Sight and optics not fully or commonly understood
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

11. Early Devices - Flipbook
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

12. Early Devices - Thaumatrop
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

13. Early Devices - Zoetrope
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

14. Early Advances - Edison
Motion Picture Viewer: 1891
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

15. Early Advances - Lumiere brothers
(French)
First film ever viewed by an audience: 1895
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

16. Early Animation - George Melies
(French)
saw Lumiere brothers’ films
started making films in 1896
Animation & Special Effects
A Trip to the Moon, 1902
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

17. Early Animation - some others
Stuart Blackman
Animated smoke in a scene (special effects), 1900
1st animated cartoon: Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, 1906
Emile Cohl (French)
1st fully animated film: Fantasmagorie, 1908
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

18. Early Animation - Winsor McCay
1st celebrated animator
Gertie the Dinosaur, 1914
1st use of keyframe animation
1st animation of appealing personality
Newpaper Cartoonist
Cincinnati Enquirer
Little Nemo
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

19. Disney Technical progress Multi-Plane Camera stand Artistic progress
Rotoscoping
Sound
Artistic progress
Study live action
Character drives the motion
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

20. Multi-Plane Camera Stand
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

21. Rotoscoping
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

22. Sound Steamboat Willie, 1928
world's first fully-synchronized sound cartoon.
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

23. Stop Motion Animation Willis O’Brien 3D Ray Harrihausen model building
Willis O’Brien
Ray Harrihausen
Nick Park
Tim Burton 3D
model building
lighting
animation
“rendering”
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

24. Principles of Animation
Squash and stretch
Arcs
Secondary action
Slow in & slow out
Anticipation
Exaggeration
Solid drawing
Appeal
In-between v. straight ahead
Follow-through
Staging
9 old men of Disney
“Illusions of Life”
Animation an Art form
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

25. Principles of Animation
Squash and stretch
Arcs
Secondary action
Slow in & slow out
Anticipation
Exaggeration
Solid drawing
Appeal
In-between v. straight ahead
Follow-through
Staging
Simulating physics
Make it appealing
Effective presentation
Production alternatives
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

26. Principles of Filmmaking
they have rules and guidelines!
180 degree rule
Rule of thirds
3-point lighting
Focus the viewer’s attention: light, color, focus, depth of field
Framing
Types of shots: high/low, close/mid/long
Tilt
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

27. Animation Production Production->sequence->shot->frame
Key frames & in-betweens
Inking: drawings onto cells
Painting: coloring in
Storyboard: the proposal
Pencil tests - motion test
Model sheet: consistency
Test shot - rendering test
Animatic: storyboard with timing
Sound: voice, body, special effects, background
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

28. Storyboard
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

29. Pencil Tests Controls for low-cost rendering to check animation
Copyright Disney
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

30. Pencil tests & Motion studies
Place holder objects
Use a cuboid
Levels of Detail
e.g. Solids of revolution
Partial renderings
shadows
texture
reflections
render ‘on twos’’
Simplified motion
physics
articulation
facial animation
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

31. Computer Animation Production Tasks Story Dept. Art Dept.
Modeling Dept.
Lighting Dept.
Animation Dept.
Rendering Dept.
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

32. Digital Media Cheap digital storage -high resolution No degradation
Digital recording process, digital display process
Digital special effects
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

33. Digital Media Digital editing - insert editing, looping
Digital video - storage, copies
Digital audio - fidelity, copies
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

34. History of Computer Animation
Early activity: 60s-70s
In the labs
Commercial testing
The middle years: 80s
Animation comes of age: 90s & beyond
Games & Films
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

35. uses of CG in Movies
Special effects in live action: replacing analog techniques
Synthetic objects integrated into live action: stunt doubles
As ‘animation’
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

36. CG in Movies - Special Effects
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

37. CG in Movies - Insert Elements
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

38. CG in Movies - Animation
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

39. Early Activity: 60s & 70s
in the few university animation research labs
testing to see what’s possible
methods to move things: mainly interpolation
articulated figure animation begins (forward kinematics)
not much physics or constraint-based animation
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

40. Early Activity Utah - first in graphics: DoD
Evans & Sutherland, Frank Crow, Ed Catmull, Jim Blinn
CMU - Don Greenberg, Architecture
Michael Cohen, Andrew Witkin, Barr, Jessica Hodgins
Ohio State - Artistic animation, Chuck Csuri
zGrass, Dave Zeltzer, Doug Roble
U. Penn - Norm Badler - human figure animation
N.C. State - John Staudhammer,
Early hardware raster displays
N.Y.U. - Utah graduates: Ed Catmull, Alvy Ray Smith
Montreal - Daniel Thalmann & Nadia Megnenat-Thalmann
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

41. The Middle Years: the 80’s
Out of the labs, into the movies
First computer animation companies emerge (late 70s)
Becomes an industry
most activity in commercials
some special effects for movies
a few synthetic objects inserted in movies
space ships, environments
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

42. The Middle Years: the 80’s
Pixar - six shorts; first to win Academy Award
The Works - NYU
Young Sherlock Holmes - first CG character
Tron - first extensive use of CG
The Last Starfighter - first synthetic space ship
Future World - first use of CG
Looker - first CG character
The Abyss - first CG blobby particle system effect
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

43. CA comes of age! : the 90’s Serious use of CG in film
Ubiquitous digital special effects
First computer animation accepted as ‘animation’
Synthetic human figures
initial viewing conditions: distant and/or short sequence
Recently, more realistic human figures
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

44. CA comes of age! : the 90’s breakthrough films
Terminator 2 - extensive use of CG effects
Jurrasic Park - first integrated CG figures
Batman Returns - first use of CG stunt double
Jumanji - first use of real CG figures
Titanic - extensive use of CG human figures
Star Wars - first major CG character
Final Fantasy - most realistic use of CG human figures
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

45. CA comes of age! Use of CG in traditional animation
Beauty and the Beast - CG environment (ballroom)
Tarzan - hand-drawn figures in CG environment (trees)
Prince of Egypt - CG figures in hand-drawn environment
Lion King - flocking control of wildebeast stampede
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

46. CA comes of age! Use of CG as traditional animation Toy Story
Shrek
ANTZ
Cars
Etc.
Dreamworks
Disney/Pixar
Blue Sky
Rick Parent
Computer Animation

47. CA comes of age! Other notable films
Saving Private Ryan - extensive use of CG sets & doubles
LotR - extensive use of CG effects, characters
Spiderman, Batman,
TRON: Legacy -reconstructs younger version of actor
Avatar: hero characters, fully animated
Rick Parent
Computer Animation