ANIMATION

&
VIRTUAL REALITY

2º Ciclo em:
Engenharia Informática
Design e Desenvolvimento de Jogos Digitais

DI – UBI 2014/2015

Chapter 1

! Computer Animation

! Traditional Animation

! Animation Production
! Storyboards (guiões)

! A Brief History of
Computer Animation

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ANIMATION

! What mean animate?

! Means “give life to”

! But how is done?

MOTION PERCEPTION

! A series of images, when displayed in a rapid

succession, are perceived by an observer as a
single moving image.
! Due to our eye-brain system

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Computer Animation

! Any value that can be changed can be animated

! An object’s
! position and orientation
! shape

! its shading parameters

! its texture coordinates

! the light source parameters

! The camera parameters

Computer Animation (cont.)

! Typically in 3D computer animation, the first step is

the object modelling process.

! The models are then manipulated to create the three-

dimensional scenes that are rendered to produce the
images of the animation.

! To set the context for computer animation, it is

important to understand its heritage, its history, and
certain relevant concepts.

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Computer Animation (cont.)

! Perception
! When the animation is created for later viewing it is
typically recorded on film or video as a series of still
images
! When displayed in rapid sequence are perceived by an
observer as a single moving image (e.g., 24 or 30 f/s)

! When a person see a sequence of images (closely related)

at a fast enough rate, persistence of vision induces the
sensation of continuous imagery.

Computer Animation (cont.)

! Perception
! When the perception of continuous imagery fails, the image
is said to flicker.

! Persistence of vision is not the same as perception of motion.

! While persistence of vision addresses the lower limits for

establishing the perception of continuous imagery, there are
also upper limits to what
the eye can perceive.

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Computer Animation (cont.)

! The receptors in the eye continually sample light in the

environment.

! The limitations on motion perception are determined by the

reaction time of those sensors and by other mechanical
limitations such as blinking and tracking.

! If an object moves too quickly with respect to the viewer,

then the receptors in the eye will not be able to respond fast
enough for the brain to distinguish sharply defined,
individual detail; motion blur results

Computer Animation (cont.)

! In computer graphics the motion blur is calculated.

! In hand-draw animation, fast-moving object’s images are

typically stretched in the direction of travel.

! Ver exemplo
Vinicius-Zanete-Novaes_Penalti.avi

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 Traditional Animation

! Early Devices
! Thaumatrope
" A flat disk with images drawn
on both sides and having two
strings connected opposite each
other on the rim of the disk

! The flipbook
" A tablet of paper with an individual
drawing on each page.

Traditional Animation (cont.)

! Zoetrope
! The Zoetrope has a short,
fat cylinder that rotates
on its axis of symmetry.

! Around the inside of the cylinder exist a sequence of

drawings, each one slightly different.

! When the cylinder is spun on its axis, the sequence of slits

passing in front of the eye presents a sequence of images
creating an illusion of motion.

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Traditional Animation (cont.)

! Animation in America exploded in the twentieth

century in the form of filming hand-drawn, two-
dimensional images (also referred as conventional or
traditional animation).
! Winsor McCay is considered by many to have
produced the first popular animations.
! He redrew each complete image in rice paper mounted on
cardboard and then filmed them individually.
! Little Nemo (1911), Gerie the Dinosaur (1914)

Traditional Animation (cont.)

# John Bray, one of the first to recognize that patenting

aspects of the animation process would result in a
competitive advantage.

# Earl Hurd and John Bray in 1914 patented:

" The use of translucent cells in the compositing of multiple
layers of drawings into a final image
" Grey scale drawings as opposed to black-and-white.

# In the later 1920’s however, new forces had

to be reckoned with: sound and Walt Disney

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Traditional Animation (cont.)

! Disney
! Disney’s innovations in animation technology
included the use of storyboard to review the story
and pencil sketches to review the motion.
! In addition, it pioneered sound and color in
animation (although it was not the first to use color).

Traditional Animation (cont.)

! Disney
! Ituses the sound for the first time in
Steamboat Willie (1928)

! Ver o clip
steamboat.mov

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Traditional Animation (cont.)

! Disney
! One of the most significant technical innovations of the
Disney studios was development of multiplane camera.

Computer Animation

! The rich heritage of Hand-drawn Animation in United

States makes it natural to consider it the precursor of
the Computer Animation
! Computer Animation has a close relationship to other
animation techniques:
! Clay (modelos em barro) and puppet (marionettes,
fantoches) stop-motion animation use three–dimensional
figures that are built and then animated in separate.
! The camera is positioned to view the
environment and record an image.

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Principles of Computer Animation

! Simulating physics
! Squash and stretch
! Secondary actions
! Timing and Motion
! Arcs
! Slow in / slow out

Principles of Computer Animation

! Squash and stretch

! defining the rigidity and mass of an object by distorting its
shape during an action

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Principles of Computer Animation

! Secondary Action
! The action of an object resulting from another action

Principles of Computer Animation

! Timing and Motion

! Spacing actions to define the weight and size of objects
and the personality of characters

! Arcs
! The visual path of action for natural movement

! Slow In and Slow Out

! The spacing of the in-between frames to achieve
subtlety of timing and movement

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 Principles of Computer Animation

! Designing aesthetically pleasing actions

! Appeal - creating a design or an action that the audience

enjoys watching

! Solid drawings - making the character looks pliable/

flexible

Principles of Computer Animation

! Follow Through and Overlapping Action

! The termination of an action and establishing its
relationship to the next action

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Principles of Computer Animation

! Effectively presenting action

! Exaggeration
" Accentuating the essence of an idea via the design and the action

! Anticipation
" The preparation for an action

! Staging (Encenar)
" Presenting an idea so that it is
unmistakably clear

Principles of Computer Animation

! Personality in character animation is the goal of all of

the principles of computer animation

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Computer Animation (cont.)

! Simulating Physics
! A given object possesses some degree of rigidity and
should appear to have some amount of mass.
This is reflected in the distortion (squash and stretch) of it
shape during an action, especially a collision.

! Timing has to do with how actions are spaced according to

the weight, size, and personality of an object or character.

Computer Animation (cont.)

! Simulating Physics (cont.)

! Slow in / slow out and arcs are concerned with how things
move through space.

! Objects, because of the physical laws of nature such as

gravity, usually move not in straight lines but rather in arcs.

! Such speed variation model inertia, friction and viscosity.

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Computer Animation (cont.)

! Designing Aesthetic Actions

! Exaggerate a motion so it cannot be missed or so it makes
a point.
! Make it enjoyable to watch (appeal) to keep the
audience’s attention
! Actions should flow one into another (follow through/
overlapping action) to make the entire shot appear to
continually evolve instead of looking like disjointed
movements.
! Squash and stretch can be used to exaggerate motion and
to create flowing action.

Computer Animation (cont.)

! Effective Presentation of Actions

! Anticipation and staging concern how an action is presented
to the audience.
! Anticipation dictates that an upcoming action is set up so the
audience knows it is coming.
! Staging expands on this notion of presenting an action so
that it is not missed by the audience.
! Timing is also involved in effective presentation to extent
that an action has to be given the appropriate duration for
the intended effect to reach the audience.

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Computer Animation (cont.)

! Production Technique
! Straight ahead versus pose to pose concerns how a motion
is created.
! Straight ahead refers to progressing from a starting point
and developing the motion continually along the way.
! Pose to pose, the typical approach in conventional
animation, refers to identifying key frames and then
interpolating intermediate frames.

Computer Animation (cont.)

! Principles of film-making
! Three-point lighting
! 180 rule
! Rule of thirds
! Type of shots

! Tilt
! Focus the viewer’s attention

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Computer Animation (cont.)
! Principles of film-making
! Three-point lighting – to illuminate the central figure in
a scene:

" Key light – is often positioned up and

to the side of the camera;

" Fill light – is a flood light typically

positioned below the camera;

" Rim light – is positioned behind

the central figure to highlight the rim;

Computer Animation (cont.)

! Principles of film-making
! 180 rule – the camera’s orientation should stay within
the 180 degrees that is one side of the line between
the figures.

Line of action

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Computer Animation (cont.)
! Principles of film-making
! Rule of thirds – says that the interesting place to place an
object in an image are one-third along the way, either side-
to-side or up-and-down or both.

- Don’t center your subject in the image;

- Don’t put your subject at the edge of the image;

Computer Animation (cont.)

! Principles of film-making
! Type of shots:
" low angle shot ---> power or dominance of the subject
" high angle shot ---> subject is insignificant or subordinate

! Tilt – tilting the camera (i.e., rotating the camera about its
view direction) can convey a sense of urgency, strangeness,
or fear to the shot

! Focus the viewer’s attention – draw the viewer’s attention to

what’s is important in the image.
" For example the eye will naturally follow converging lines, the gaze of
figures in the image, a progression from dark to light or dark to bright,
and identifiable path in the image.

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Animation
Story Dept.
Production
! Computer animation Art Dept.

production tasks
Modeling
Dept.
Layout Dept.

Shading
Dept. AnimationDep
t.

Lighting Dept.

Camera
Dept.

Animation Production

! A piece of animation is usually discussed using a

four-level hierarchy.

! Live-action film tends to use a five-level hierarchy:

film, sequence, scene, shot, frame.

! The overall animation – the entire project – is

referred to as the production.

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Animation Production (cont.)

! Productions (i.e. an animation) are broken into

major parts referred to as sequences;

! A sequence is a major episode and is usually

identified by an associated staging area;
! A production usually consists of one to a dozen
sequences.

! A sequence is broken down into one or more shots;

each shot is a continuous camera recording.

Animation Production (cont.)

! A shot is broken down into the individual frames of
the film.
! A frame is a single recorded image.

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Animation Production (cont.)

! The production of animation typically follows a

standard pattern.
! First, a preliminary story is decided on;
! A storyboard is developed that lays out the action scenes
by sketching representative frames.
" The frames are often accompanied by text that sketches out the
action taking place.

! This is used to present, review, and critique the action as

well as to examine character development

Animation Production (cont.)

! A model sheet is developed that consists of a number

of drawings for each figure in various poses.
! The exposure sheet records information for each
frame such as sound track cues, camera moves, and
compositing elements.
! The route sheet records the statistics and responsibility
for each scene.
! Ver video Futurama

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Animation Production (cont.)

! An animatic, or story reel, may be produced in

which the storyboard frames are recorded, each
for as long as the sequence it represents, thus
creating a rough review of the timing.

! Once the storyboard has been decided on, the

detailed story is worked out to identify the actions
in more detail (key frames).

Animation Production (cont.)

! Key frames (also known as extremes) are then

identified and produced by master animators.

! Assistant animators are responsible for producing the

frames between the keys; this is called in-betweening

! Test shots, short sequences rendered in full color,

pencil test, painting, …

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Animation Production (cont.)

! Sound is very important in animation because of

the higher level of precise timing that is possible
when compared to live action.

! Sound takes three forms in animation:

! music;
! special effects;
! voice.

Animation Production (cont.)

! Computer animation production has borrowed most

of the ideas from tradicional animation production:
! the use of a storyboard
! test shots

! pencil testing

! the use of key frames and in-betweens

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 Animation Production (cont.)

! In Computer Animation, there is usually a strict

distinction among:
! creating the models;
! creating a layout of the models including camera positioning
and lighting;
! specifying the motion of the models, lights, and cameras;

! the rendering process applied to those models.

! In tradicional animation, all of these processes happen

simultaneously as each drawing is created.

Animation Production (cont.)

! Storyboards

! To identify the action

scenes by sketching
representative frames.

! The frames are often

accompanied by text.

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 Animation Production (cont.)

! No matter which storyboard format you choose, the

following information must be included:
1 - A sketch or drawing of the screen, page, or frame.
2 - Color, placement, and size of graphics, if important.
3 - Actual text, if any, for each screen, page, or frame.*
4 - Color, size, and type of font, if there is text.
5 - Narration, if any.*
*Narration or text for individual storyboards may be written on
a separate sheet of paper, but you must reference the
corresponding storyboard number.

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Animation Production (cont.)

! No matter which storyboard format you choose,

the following information must be included:
6 - Animation, if any.
7 - Video, if any.
8 - Audio, if any.
9 - Anything else the production crew needs to know.

Animation Production (cont.)

! Is this a good storyboard?

! Does the shot sequence
" maintain continuity, not confuse the audience, contain variations in
pacing
! Is the information clearly presented?
! Are the characters clearly portrayed?

! Is the story clear?

! Do you have the necessary techniques to complete the
story?
! Can you do it within the time limits?
! Can you do it for the specified budget?

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Animation Production (cont.)

! Production Storyboard Checklist

! There is a storyboard for each page, screen, or frame.
! Each storyboard is numbered.

! All relevant details (color, graphics, sound, font, interactivity,

visuals, etc.) are indicated.
! All text or narration is included and cross referenced with its
corresponding storyboard number.
! Each production team member has a copy or
easy access to a copy of the storyboards.

Animation Production (cont.)

! Post-Production in Computer Animation

! Post-production is the last stage in creating a film, video, or

3D animation.

! It is where the individual shots or scenes are edited together,

transitions are created, and compositing and other special
effects are added.

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Animation Production (cont.)

! Vídeo - ToddDemo.avi – pois mostra algumas das

fases de produção da animação.

! Enclosure #2
! Production period: January 2001 ~ September 2003
! This is my thesis project. I spent 6-7 months to prepare the
concept and storyboard, and about an year to develop the
animation.
! http://accad.osu.edu/~elee/gallery_enclosure.htm
" Making of "Enclosure #2" >>>

A Brief History of Computer Animation

! The earliest computer animation of the 1960s and

1970s was produced of researchers in university
labs.
! Storage Tubes (more used for static images)
! Vector Refresh Display (display list of line and arcs
drawing instructions)

! Due to the computer hardware advanced

! VAX computer (1970s)
! IBM PC (beginning of 1980s)

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 A Brief History of Computer Animation

! The animations produced by Pixar (www.pixar.com)

are a reference:
! The adventures of Andre and Wally (1984)
! Luxo Jr. (1986) - nominated for a Academy Award
! Red’s Dream (1987)

! Tin Toy (1988) – first computer

animation to win a
Academy Award
! Knick Knack (1989)

A Brief History of Computer Animation

! Toy Story (1996) Is the first full-length, full computer generated 3D.
! Geri’a Game (1997)
! A Bug’s Life (1998)
! Toy Story 2 (1999)
! Monsters (2002)
! Finding Nemo (2003)
! The Incredibles (2004)
! Cars (June, 2006)

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 A Brief History of Computer Animation

! Ratatouille
! Wall º E
! UP
! Toy Story 3
! Cars 2
! Brave
Disney . PIXAR
! Monsters
University See more at
- www.pixar.com/
- www.disneyanimation.com/

A Brief History of Computer Animation

# Pixar Studios
Disney & Pixar
# Walt Disney

# DreamWorks (e.g., Shrek)

# Sprite Animation Studios (e.g., Monster samurai)

# Aardman Animations (e.g., Wallace and Gromit)

# Ilion Animation Studios (e.g., Planet 51)

# Vagalume Animation Studios (in Brazil)

# ArtDuck Studios (in Poland)

# Dygra Films (in Spain)

In Portugal
# Bang! Bang! Animation (e.g., Videoclip Moonspell 5’, Nutri ventures, Zig
Zag, …)
# Insizium (e.g., Visiokids)

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