1. CS320n –Visual Programming Introduction to Alice Mike Scott (Slides 2)

2. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs2 What We Will Do Today Discuss building animation programs Do an example Friday, mostly lab work

3. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs3 Top Nine List – Succeeding in CS320n 9. Ask questions 8. Read the books 7. Visit instructor and TA during office hours 6. Work the exercises from the schedule 5. Don’t give up. (Keep working until it is right) 4. Read the book 3. Start assignments early 2. Get help when stuck. (1 hour rule) 1. Ask questions

4. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs4 Animation Programs: Scenarios and Storyboards Recall animation programs are movies with no interaction with a user 2 step process for creating animations. –Step 1: Design –Step 2: Implementation

5. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs5 Step 1: Design “Ready, fire, aim” –the fast approach to software development. Ready, aim, aim, aim, aim... –the slow approach to software development. Clarify/Define the problem to be solved –often the problem is given to you by instructor or leader or team –other times, you decide on it yourself –in this class we will do both. some times problem well defined by instructor some times you decide what problem to solve Design solution to problem

6. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs6 Example problem (Scenario) The scenario is: –Several snow-people are outdoors, on a snow-covered landscape. A snowman is trying to meet a snowwoman who is talking with a group of her friends (other snowwomen.) He says "Ahem" and blinks his eyes, trying to get her attention The problem is: –How can we create this animation?

7. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs7 Designing a Solution First. Decide on the objects for the scene Second. Create a storyboard –a list of actions Several options for the form a storyboard can take –sketches. (if you can. Easier to see final product this way.) –text. List of actions. To do list. (if you can’t draw. Harder to see the final product.)

8. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs8 Objects in the Scene Objects –a snowman –2 snowwomen –(For our problems you won’t have to create new objects, just use the ones in the gallery) Opening scene / world: a snowy scene a quick sketch don’t have to be an artist

9. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs9 Storyboard Template Scene number Scene sketch (picture) Description Sound Text

10. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs10 A Storyboard Initial scene Snowman tries to catch snowwoman’s attention Snowwoman looks around

11. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs11 Storyboard in Text Form Animation Artists (for example, at Disney, Pixar Studios, or Dreamworks) sketch their storyboards You may not have such expertise (I don’t) You can also use a text based form for the storyboard. –like a script Snowman turns to face snowwoman Snowman blinks and addresses snowwomen Snowwoman turns around The storyboard becomes your "to-do" list for the animation.

12. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs12 Storyboard Revision A storyboard is a continual work in progress Add and remove things as time goes on Don’t be afraid to revise … … evening during implementation

13. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs13 How does Pixar Make Movies?

14. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs14

15. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs15 More on Pixar http://www.pixar.com/howwedoit/index.html# More steps in the process Each frame of the movie is rendered using a computer system (“Renderfarm”) 1/24 th of a second per frame screen time 6 hours on average to render a frame –but some frames take as many as 90 hours

16. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs16 Another Exercise is Storyboarding A bicycle race finish. 5 cyclists are at the end of a race. The cyclist in the lead raises his arms in victory and then falls over before the finish line. The cyclist in second wins the race. sketch script (text based)

17. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs17 Initial Scenes

18. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs18 Techniques and Tools Mouse used to –set up the initial scene –approximately position objects in the scene –resize and rotate objects Camera Navigation is used to –set the camera point of view Drop-down menu methods are used to –resize objects and rotate objects –more precisely position objects in the scene Scene Editor's Quad View is used to –obtain specific alignments –position one object relative to another object

19. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs19 Writing A Program "Writing" a program (script) – a list of instructions to have the objects perform certain actions in the animation Our planned story board (to do list) is Snowman turns to face snowwoman Snowman blinks and addresses snowwomen Snowwoman turns around Now translate design steps into program instructions

20. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs20 Translating the Design Some steps in the storyboard can be written as a single instruction –The snowman turns to face the snowwoman Other steps are composite actions that require more than one instruction Snowman blinks and addresses snowwomen blinks -> Snowman raises and lowers his eyes addresses -> Snowman says “ahem”

21. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs21 Actions Sequential –Some actions occur one after the other first step (snowman turns to face snowwoman) second step (snowman tries to get snowwoman’s attention) Simultaneous –Other actions occur at the same time Snowman says "Ahem" and while simultaneously blinking his eyes

22. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs22 Action Blocks in Alice Sequential Action Block Simultaneous Action Block

23. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs23 Writing the Program In Simple Animations notice the only event world.my first method world is an object (contains all other objects) my first method is a method. A behavior of a certain objects methods consist of a series of instructions and commands (some of which may be other methods…) –big rocks into little rocks

24. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs24 Adding Instructions to world.my first method The method should be open in the method editor window of Alice. (bottom right) –if not select the world from the object tree, the method tab, and click the edit button next to my first method

25. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs25 Method Editor Window

26. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs26 Step 1 – Snowman turns Select the object you want to perform the object Select the method / action you want the object to perform –could use turn or turn to face –often many ways to accomplish the same task Click and drag it to the method editor window

27. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs27 Snowman Turns Can adjust aspects of how the snowman turns to face the snowwoman –click the more option –right now duration and style are the only things you should alter

28. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs28 Step 2 – Combined Action We want the snowman to say “ahem” and blink at the same time actions are normally sequential to do actions together, at the same time, use a “Do together” block Click and drag “Do together” block into the method

29. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs29 Step 2 – Combined Actions Now drag the things we want to happen together into the “Do together” block Snowman say ahem Snowman blink – raise and lower eyes

30. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs30 Affecting subparts The snowman does not have “blink eyes” method Can accomplish a blink by affecting subparts Select snowman object from object tree and expand subparts –expand the head –now we can give commands to individual parts, in this case the eyes –have eyes move up and down –specify direction and distance of move

31. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs31 Step 2 – First Attempt world.my first method looks like this TEST the method –play the movie. Does it do what we want?

32. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs32 Logic Error The program works, but does not do what we intended. –This is an example of a logic error –very easy in Alice to see logic errors –the movie does not do what we wanted What’s the problem?

33. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs33 Do together and Do in order All commands in the Do together block are executed simultaneously So what is the result if you move an eye up.1 meters and down.1 meters at the same time? –Apparently nothing So while we want the eyes to move together and to say “ahem” we want the eyes to first move up and then down Use a Do in order block inside the Do together block

34. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs34 Corrected Do Together

35. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs35 Testing An important step in creating a program is to run it – to be sure it does what you expect it to do. I recommend that you use an incremental development process: write a few lines of code and then run it write a few more lines and run it write a few more lines and run it… – This process allows you to find any problems and fix them as you go along. As you go you may alter your design / storyboard design a little, code a little, test a little…

36. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs36 Comments While Alice instructions are easy to understand, it is often desirable to be able to explain (in English) what is going on in a program We use comments to explain to the human reader what a particular section of code does

37. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs37 Comments Notes: 1) Comments appear in green 2) Alice ignores comments. 3) Comments make the program easier to read.

38. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs38 Extra – Moving Together To move things together can sometimes be a pain Tell two objects to move “forward” –directions are relative to the objects –may get motion in different directions can use the “orient to” method to synch frames of reference

39. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs39 Vehicles Each object has a vehicle property Initially the world is the vehicle for objects can change this by altering the vehicle property for an object Give the snowman an instrument Change “ahem” to “toot” What happens when movie played?

40. Visual ProgrammingAnimation Programs40 Alter the Vehicle Property Select sax from object tree Select properties tab Change vehicle from world to snowman