Animation and Virtual Reality:

1. Virtual Reality:
“Virtual reality is the use of computer technology to create the effect of an interactive
three-dimensional world in which the objects have a sense of spatial presence”. In this
definition, "spatial presence" means that the objects in the environment effectively have
a location in three-dimensional space relative to and independent of your position. Note
that this is an effect, not an illusion. The basic idea is to present the correct clues to your
perceptual and reasoning system so that your brain interprets those clues as objects "out
there" in the three-dimensional world. These clues have been surprisingly simple to
provide using computer graphics: simply render a three-dimensional object (in stereo)
from a point of view which matches the positions of your eyes as you move about. If the
objects in the environment interact with you then the effect of spatial presence is greatly
heightened.
Virtual Reality (VR) is an interactive, computer-generated three-dimensional reality where
sight, sound, and sometimes even touch are simulated to create pictures, sounds, and
objects that actually seem real. VR must allow the user to view the environment from any
point and at any angle and must allow the user to interact with objects in the environment.
Key Elements of Virtual Reality Experience:
 Virtual World - content of a given medium
 Screen play, script, etc.
 actors performing the play allows us to experience the virtual world
 Immersion – sensation of being in an environment
o mental immersion – suspension of disbelief
o physical immersion – bodily entering the medium
o Related to presence – (mentally immersed) the participant’s sensation of
being in the virtual environment.
 Sensory Feedback – information about the virtual world is presented to the
participant’s senses
 Visual (most common)
 Audio
 Touch
 Interactivity – the virtual world responds to the user’s actions.
 Computer makes this possible
 Real-time

Architecture of VR:

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 Fig: Architecture of VR system

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Importance of virtual Reality in Computer Graphics:
Virtual Reality, the use of computer modeling and simulation that enables a person to
interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D) visual or other sensory environment. VR
applications immerse the user in a computer-generated environment that simulates reality
through the use of interactive devices, which send and receive information and are worn
as goggles, headsets, gloves, or body suits. In a typical VR format, a user wearing a
helmet with a stereoscopic screen views animated images of a simulated environment.
The illusion of “being there” (telepresence) is effected by motion sensors that pick up the
user’s movements and adjust the view on the screen accordingly, usually in real time (the
instant the user’s movement takes place). Thus, a user can tour a simulated suite of
rooms, experiencing changing viewpoints and perspectives that are convincingly related
to his own head turnings and steps. Wearing data gloves equipped with force-feedback
devices that provide the sensation of touch, the user can even pick up and manipulate
objects that he sees in the virtual environment.
. Animation:
Although we tend to think of animation as implying object motions, the term
computer animation generally refers to any time sequence of visual changes
in a scene. In addition to changing object position with translations or rotations, a
computer-generated animation could display time variations in object size, color,
transparency, or surface texture.
Some typical applications of computer-generated animation are entertainment
(motion pictures and cartoons), advertising, scientific and engineering studies, and
training and education. Advertising animations often transition one object shape into
another: for example, transforming a can of motor oil into an automobile engine.
Computer animations can also be generated by changing camera parameters,
such as position, orientation, and focal length. And we can produce computer animations
by charging lighting effects or other parameters and procedures associated with
illumination and rendering.
I. Design of animation sequences (Basic steps for computer Animation):
In general, an animation sequence is designed with the following steps:
1. Storyboard layout
2. Object definitions
3. Key-frame specifications
4. Generation of in-between frames

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This standard approach for animated cartoons is applied to other animation
applications as well, although there are many special applications that do not follow
this sequence. Real-time computer animations produced by flight simulators, for
instance, display motion sequences in response to settings on the aircraft controls. For
frame-by-frame animation, each frame of the scene is separately generated and stored.
Later, the frames can be recorded on film or they can be consecutively displayed
in "real-time playback" mode.
1. Storyboard is an outline of the action. It defines the motion sequence as a set
of basic events that are to take place. Depending on the type of animation to be
produced, the storyboard could consist of a set of rough sketches or it could be a list of
the basic ideas for the motion.
2. An object definition is given for each participant in the action. Objects can be defined
in terms of basic shapes, such as polygons or splines. In addition, the associated
movements for each object are specified along with the shape.
3. A key frame is a detailed drawing of the scene at a certain time in the
animation sequence. Within each key frame, each object is positioned according to the
time for that frame. Some key frames are chosen at extreme positions in the action; others
are spaced so that the time interval between key frames is not too great. More key frames
are specified for intricate motions than for simple, slowly varying motions.
4. In-betweens are the intermediate frames between the key frames. The number of in-
betweens needed is determined by the media to be used to display the animation. Film
requires 24 frames per second, and graphics terminals are refreshed at the rate of
30 to 60 frames per second.
There are several other tasks that may be required, depending on the application. They
include motion verification, editing, and production and synchronization of a soundtrack.
Many of the functions needed to produce general animations are now computer-
generated.
Basic Principle of An Animation:
Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas introduced the twelve principles of
animation. The twelve principles have now become widely recognized as a theoretical
bedrock for all artists working on animated video production.
In order, they consist of:
I. Squash and Stretch
II. Anticipation
III. Staging
IV. Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose
V. Follow Through and Overlapping Action
VI. Ease In, Ease Out

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VII. Arcs
VIII. Secondary Action
IX. Timing
X. Exaggeration
XI. Solid Drawing
XII. Appeal

Squash and Stretch

Squash and stretch is debatably the most fundamental principle. When a ball hits the
ground The force of the motion squashes the ball flat, but because an object needs to
maintain its volume, it also widens on impact. This what’s called squash and stretch.

This effect gives animation an elastic life-like quality because although it may not seem
like it, squash and stretch is all around you. All shapes are distorted in some way or
another when acted upon by an outside force.it’s just harder to see in real-life. Squash
and stretch imitates that and exaggerates it to create some fun.
Anticipation:
Imagine you’re about to kick a soccer ball. What’s the first thing you do? Do you swing
your foot back to wind up? Steady yourself with your arms? That’s anticipation.

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Anticipation is the preparation for the main action. The player striking the soccer ball
would be the main action, and the follow-through of the leg is well the follow through.
Staging
When filming a scene, where do you put the camera? Where do the actors go? What do
you have them do? The combination of all these choices is what we call staging.
Staging is one of the most overlooked principles. It directs the audience’s attention
toward the most important elements in a scene in a way that effectively advances the
story. In the clip below the placement of the character within the scene allows quickly
follow his actions and gives us a good sense of the physical layout.
Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose
These are two ways of drawing animation. Straight ahead action is where you draw
each frame of an action one after another as you go along. With pose-to-pose, you draw
the extremes – that is, the beginning and end drawings of action – then you go on to the
middle frame, and start to fill in the frames in-between.
Pose-to-pose gives you more control over the action. You can see early on where your
character is going to be at the beginning and end instead of hoping you’re getting the
timing right. By doing the main poses first, it allows you to catch any major mistakes
early. The problem with it is that sometimes it’s too neat and perfect
Straight ahead action is less planned, and therefore more fresh and surprising. The
problem with it is that it’s like running blindfolded, you can’t figure out where you’re
supposed to be at any one time.

Follow-Through and Overlapping Action:

When a moving object such as a person comes to a stop, parts might continue to move
in the same direction because of the force of forward momentum. These parts might be
hair, clothing of an overweight person. This is where you can see follow-through and
overlapping action. The secondary elements (hair, clothing, fat) are following-through on
the primary element, and overlapping its action.
Ease In, Ease Out:
When you start your car, you don’t get up to 60 mph right away. It takes a little while to
accelerate and reach a steady speed. In animation speak, we would call this an Ease
Out.Likewise, if you brake, you’re not going to come to a full stop right away. (Unless
you crash into a tree or something.) You step on the pedal and decelerate over a few
seconds until you are at a stand-still. Animators call this an Ease In.
Carefully controlling the changing speeds of objects creates an animation that has a
superior believability.

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Arcs:
Life doesn’t move in straight lines, and neither should animation. Most living beings –
including humans – move in circular paths called arcs.
Arcs operate along a curved trajectory that adds the illusion of life to an animated object
in action. Without arcs, your animation would be stiff and mechanical.
The speed and timing of an arc are crucial.
Secondary Action:
Secondary actions are gestures that support the main action to add more dimension to
character animation. They can give more personality and insight to what the character is
doing or thinking.
Timing:
Timing is about where on a timeline you put each frame of action. To see what this
means in action, let’s look at the classic animator’s exercise: the bouncing ball that we
saw earlier when we were talking about squash and stretch. (The reason this is a
popular assignment is that there is a lot of wisdom to be gained from it!)

Notice that at the top of each bounce, the balls are packed closer together. That is
because the ball is slowing down as it reaches the peak of the bounce. As the ball falls
from its peak it and accelerates, the spacing starts becoming wider.
Notice also how many drawings there are in each bounce. As the momentum of the ball
diminishes, the bounces become shorter and more frequent (i.e., the number of frames
in each bounce decrease.)
In practice, the success of your animation is going to depend on your sense of timing.
Exaggeration:

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 Exaggeration presents a character’s features and actions in an extreme form for
comedic or dramatic effect. This can include distortions in facial features, body types,
and expressions, but also the character’s movement. Exaggeration is a great way for an
animator to increase the appeal of a character, and enhance the storytelling.
Solid Drawing:
Solid drawing is all about making sure that animated forms feel like they’re in three-
dimensional space.

Appeal:
People remember real, interesting, and engaging characters. Animated characters
should be pleasing to look at and have a charismatic aspect to them; this even applies
to the antagonists of the story.
Appeal can be hard to quantify because everyone has a different standard. That said,
you can give your character a better chance of being appealing by making them
attractive to look at.
Play around with different shapes and proportions of characters to keep things fresh.
Enlarging the most defining feature of a character can go a long way to giving the
character personality. Strive for a good balance between detail and simplicity.

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Introduction to flash Interface:
With Adobe Flash, you can create artwork and animations that add motion and visual
interest to your Web pages. Flash movies can be interactive – users can click buttons or
rollover images to stop, start, or move to another segment of the movie. You can create
vector artwork using Flash or you can import graphics, music, and sounds into your
Flash movie. You animations are exported as Flash Player movies. These movies are
compact, which allows for faster downloads on the WWW.
The Process
Creating animation with Flash is similar to directing a movie. You first assemble your
actors [images, artwork, sound] on the Stage. You then “block” the scene and have your
actors move to their new position. When you are through “filming” the scene, you can
edit it, you can play it back, slow it down or speed it up, or move that scene to another
part of the movie. Your final product is a series of frames synchronized to a Timeline.
The Stage
You use the Stage to assemble your cast members for each frame in a movie. You can
draw objects using Flash’s Toolbox, or you can import artwork from other applications.

The Timeline :

The Timeline determines the timing of the movie, controlling how fast or slow frames are displayed over
time. It is also where you create layers, which help you organize the various elements on the Stage.

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Note the Playhead. The red rectangle will move across the Timeline to show you the
current frame on the Stage.
The Panels:
Panels let you view information on selected elements in your movie. You can then make
adjustments and change options for those selected items. For example, if you have
selected text on your Stage, you can go to the Character, Paragraph, or Text options on
the Properties panel to make changes to the text. To view all the available panels,
choose the Window menu item.

To hide all the Panels, choose Window > Hide Panels

The Controller
To play, rewind, or step through a movie, you can use the Flash Controller. To access
the Controller, choose Window > Toolbars > Controller.

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The Tools Panel:
With Flash’s Tools panel, you can create artwork and text, as well as change views. The
Tools panel is divided into four sections: Tools, Views, Colors, and Options.

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