Introduction to

Animation

by

Sagar Kanojia

What is Animation?

Working with the person next to you, write a definition of

animation.

You cannot use any resources (dictionary, Internet, etc).

You must come up with the definition by yourselves.

You will be sharing your definition with the rest of the class.

Write your definition in your notes.

What is Animation?

Animation is the art of creating a series of differing

images that create the appearance of

movement when played in rapid succession over

time.

Websters: The act or process of imparting life, spirit

or motion.

Art in movement

The art of movement

Movement

Movement makes static drawings come alive.

It is the quality of the movement (the life) that matters, not the quality of a particular image or drawing or frame of film.

Whether it is a drawing or a lump of clay, the animator places life and meaning into the material by making it move!

What does it take to be an

Animator?

A fascination with the way things move.

Sharp observational skills

A willingness to be an actor!

Problem solving skills

Lots of patience

A little bit of perseverance!

How do pictures move?

A trick of the human eye and the brain

Obviously, the images don’t actually move!

The illusion of movement is created by a

physiological phenomenon called persistence of

vision.

Persistence of Vision

Light is captured by the eye

The image is focused upon the

retina (at the back of the eye).

• The brain reads and interprets the image.

• The brain retains the image slightly longer

than it is actually registered on the retina.

Timeline: A History of Animation

1828 – The Thaumatrope

A simple mechanical toy that created the illusion of

movement was made popular by Paul Roget.

1844 - Theatre Optique,

Paris

Emil Reynaud opens his Theatre

Optique in Paris. The Praxinoscope实用镜contained mirrors placed on an inside column that reflected out the

sequential drawings that were on the

inside of the drum. He was able to

project 80 frames without changing

reels and could project 10 to 15

minute "films". But the advent of film

drove him out of business and in 1910

he threw all his equipment into a river

and died destitute in a sanatorium in

1918.

1893 - The Kinetoscope投映机

Thomas Edison invents the Kinetisocope. Reels of

celluloid were stretched over a set of wheels that passed

in front of a viewing window. Only one viewer at a time

could watch.

1894 – First Copyrighted Film

Thomas Edison copyrights the first motion picture, The Record Of A Sneeze.

Thomas Edison opens his Kinetiscope Parlor in New York.

1906 – First example of Frame-By-

Frame Animation James Stuart Blackton makes Humorous

Phases Of Funny Faces. This film is usually

considered the first known example of

animation as some of the drawn sequences

are shot frame-by-frame. Blackton used a

combination of blackboard and chalk

drawing and cutouts to achieve animation.

Play Movie

1914 – Gertie the Dinosaur

Winsor McCay's Gertie The Dinosaur was the first major triumph in character animation (it is still a marvelous film). It was shown as a film in the theaters and also as a multimedia event on stage with McCay interacting with the animated Gertie.

Play Movie

1920 – Felix The Cat

Felix The Cat, the most popular character

and series of this period, is created by

Otto Messmer of Sullivan's studio.

1926 – Adventures of Prince

AchmedAdventures Of Prince Achmed, a one-hour shadow

puppet film was released. This film is considered to be the

oldest surviving feature-length animated film.

Play Movie

1928 – Mickey Mouse is

born!

Steamboat Willy, starring a little mouse

named Mickey, opens in New York in

November 1928. It is the first successful

animated film with sound. It made

Mickey Mouse a star and launched the Disney Studios.

Play Movie

1932 – Animation Wins an

Oscar

Flowers And Trees, by Disney Studios, won the first Academy Award for Animation. This film was the first to use three strip Technicolor in animation.

Line & Cell Animation becomes the standard animation technique for the next 60 years!

Play History of Disney

1993 – Stop-Motion

Animation

Nightmare Before Christmas, by

Tim Burton, is released. A

departure from traditional cell

animation. Uses stop-motion

object animation.

Play Movie

1994 – A Billion Dollar

AnimationThe Lion King is released by

Disney. This animated film made

over $1 billion in theaters. It

became a world-wide

phenomenon!

1995 – Computer

Animated Film

Toy Story, is the first computer

animated feature film released

and it takes in more money at

the box office than any other

film in 1995.

Play Movie

Traditional animation(2D, Cel, Hand

Drawn)Traditional animation, sometimesreferred to as cel animation, is one ofthe older forms of animation, in it theanimator draws every frame to createthe animation sequence. Just like theyused to do in the old days of Disney. Ifyou’ve ever had one of those Flip-bookswhen you were a kid, you’ll know what Imean. Sequential drawings screenedquickly one after another create theillusion of movement.

There are four basic techniques used

in animation. These are:

Drawn animation.

Model animation

Stop motion animation.

Computer animation or computer

generated imagery (CGI)

Stop motion is an animation techniquethat physically manipulates an object sothat it appears to move on its own. Theobject is moved in small incrementsbetween individually photographedframes, creating the illusion ofmovement when the series of frames isplayed as a fast sequence. Dolls withmovable joints or clay figures are oftenused in stop motion for their ease ofrepositioning.

Stop motion animation using plasticine iscalled clay animation or "clay-mation".Not all stop motion requires figures ormodels; many stop motion films caninvolve using humans, householdappliances and other things forcomedic effect. Stop motion can alsouse sequential drawing in a similarmanner to traditional animation, such asa flip book. Stop motion using humans issometimes referred to as pixilationor pixilate animation.

Model animationModel animation is a form of stopmotion animation designed to mergewith live action footage to createthe illusion of a real-world fantasysequence.

Techniques

Many types of models have been created anddeveloped and are mainly depended on thebudget of the film:

Clay Models: Unlike most clay figures used foranimation, clay models have an inner metalskeleton designed to allow them realisticmovements and expressions

Model animation

Build-Up Models: these type of models are more expensive and detailed than clay models. they are made by building up pieces of foam on a metal skeleton it to create a body, and then either brushing on several layers of liquid latex on top, or casting soft rubbery skins and attaching then to the padded armature.

Model animation

"Casted" Models: this type of models are the most expensive type used in the industry and are longer-lasting than the other types. these models start as clay sculptures that on top of them a 2 (or more) part mold is made in order to reproduct all the details of it. then the mold parts are assembled with an armature inside of them, and are filled with a liquid material (foam latex, silicone rubber, urethan foam, etc.) that then forms a soft rubbery "flesh" over the skeleton.

Traditional animation(2D, Cel, Hand

Drawn)TVPaint

A french animation software,

TVPaint is the all-in-one 2D

animation software you’ll ever

need. It’s definitely more robust

and complex than Photoshop, but

it’s also much pricier. This software is

for professional animators and

studios.

Traditional animation(2D, Cel, Hand

Drawn)Toon Boom Harmony

Toon Boom offers a user friendly set

of animation programs that has

advanced rigging systems, effects

and camera tools. It is vector

based, but the more advanced

version also has the option for

bitmap drawing.

2D Animation (Vector-Based)2D animation is the term often used whenreferring to traditional hand drawnanimation, but it can also refer tocomputer vector animations that adoptsthe techniques of traditional animation.

Vector-based animations, meaningcomputer generated 2D animations,usesthe exact same techniques as traditionalanimation, but benefits from the lack ofphysical objects needed to maketraditional 2D animations, as well as theability to use computer interpolation tosame time.

2D Animation (Vector-Based)

Animation is different from other

parts. Its language is the language

of caricature. Our most difficult job

was to develop the cartoon’s

unnatural but seemingly natural

anatomy for humans and animals.

Walt Disney

2D Animation (Vector-Based)

There are four basic techniques used

in animation. These are:

Drawn animation.

Model animation

stop motion animation.

Computer animation or computer

generated imagery (CGI)

2D Animation (Vector-Based) Adobe Animate (Formerly known as

Flash)

Probably the most popular 2D animationsoftware out there. Animate has a long lineageof animation making, dating back to the earlydays of internet video publishing. It is vectorbased, very intuitive to use (as are most ofAdobe’s programs) and relatively inexpensive.It’s great for getting started with 2D animation,and though it’s not meant for professionalanimation production (unlike Toon BoomHarmony) you can still get amazing results

with it.

2D Animation (Vector-Based) Adobe After Effects

An interesting choice for 2D animation. Aftereffects gives you great controlwhen creatingrigs for 2D, and using the puppet tool is veryconvenient and intuitive and it to be a greatchoice if you’re already comfortable with theAdobe environment, but that’s a matter ofpreference. Since it’s an editing software it’sgreat to be able to edit and color correct inthe same place you animate, and while it’snot the traditional way the pipeline works, itcould save some

time.

3D Animation 3D animation, also referred to as CGI, or

just CG, is made by generating imagesusing computers. That series of imagesare the frames of an animated shot.

The animation techniques of 3Danimation has a lot of similarities with stopmotion animation, as they both deal withanimating and posing models, and stillconforms to the frame-by-frameapproach of 2D animation, but it is a lotmore controllable since it’s in a digitalwork-space.

3D Animation Instead of drawn or constructed with clay,

characters in 3D animation are digitally modeled in the program, and then fitted with a ‘skeleton’ that allows animators to move the models.

Animation is done by posing the models on certain key frames, after which the computer will calculate and perform an interpolation between those frames to create movement.

When the modeling and/or animation is complete, the computer will render each frame individually, which can be very time-consuming, depending on the quality of the images and the quantity of polygons in the scene.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

1. Concept and Storyboards

2. 3D Modeling

3. Texturing

4. Rigging

5. Animation

6. Lighting

7. Camera Setting

8. Rendering

9. Compositing and Special VFX

10. Music and Foley

11. Editing and Final Output

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

1. Concept and Storyboards

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

2. 3D Modeling: 3D Modeling is not drawing!

After the storyboards are finished and approved

by the client, the task of building the props,

environment and characters begin. The proper

term is called ‘modeling’.

Modeling is the process of taking a shape and

molding it into a completed 3D mesh. The most

typical means of creating a 3D model is to take

a simple object, called a primitive, and extend

or “grow” it into a shape that can be refined

and detailed.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

Primitives can be anything from a single point

(called a vertex), a two-dimensional line (an

edge), a curve (a spline), to three dimensional

objects (faces or polygons). Using the specific

features of your chosen 3D software, each one

of these primitives can be manipulated to

produce an object.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

3. Texturing

The art of giving clothes to the 3D models.

When a 3D model is created, 2D images can beoverlaid on it to add colors, designs, and textures. This iscalled mapping, and often the entirety of a model’scolor comes from this. These maps can be created inprograms like Photoshop, and the illusions of texturescan be brushed onto the models as easily as if youpainted them yourself; some animators even use realphotographs of the textures they’re trying to create,simply captured and then altered to make seamlessrepeatable patterns.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

3. Texturing

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation4. Rigging and Skinning

We’ve gotta put in those skeletons into a 3D character before he can move!

Setting up a character to walk and talk is the last stage before the process of character animation can begin. This stage is called ‘rigging and skinning’ and is the underlying system that drives the movement of a character to bring it to life.

Rigging is the process to setting up a controllable skeleton for the character that is intended for animation. Depending on the subject matter, every rig is unique and so is the corresponding set of controls.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

4. Rigging and Skinning

Skinning is the process of attaching the 3D

model (skin) to the rigged skeleton so that the

3D model can be manipulated by the controls

of the rig.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

5. Animation

Animation is the process of taking a 3D object and

getting it to move. Animation comes in a few different

flavors. There’s keyframe animation, where the

animator manipulates the objects on a frame-by-frame

basis, similar to old hand-drawn cartoons. Other

methods of animation include placing objects on

splines and setting them to follow the path of the curve,

or importing motion capture data and applying it to a

character rig. Yet another way to animate is to use your

3D application’s built-in physics engines, such as when

your scene requires that objects fall.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

6.Lighting in a 3D world is just as essential as it is in

real life.

Lighting, (in combination with textures, camera

angle etc.) is where a scene has the potential to

come alive. Used improperly, light can wash out a

scene, make objects appear hard or flat, and

destroy all the hard work. But skillfully applied,

lighting can makea scene convincing, or if realism

is the aim, create (in combination with materials

and geometry), a scene that is virtually

indistinguishable from real life.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation7.Camera Angles and Techniques

Good camera angles and techniques make the difference between good cinematograhy and bad ones.

8. Rendering

This is where the graphics get ‘made’ and exported…but it’s not the end yet!!! Rendering an image is typically the last step in the 3D production pipeline (but not the last step in the overall production pipeline), and is perhaps the most important part. It is a step often overlooked or glossed over by beginners, who are more focused on creating models and animating them.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

There are many aspects to creating a good final

render of a scene, including attention to camera

placement, lighting choices which may affect

mood and shadows, reflections and transparency,

and the handling of special effects, like fluids or

gasses.

.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation

9. Compositing and Special FX

This is where the final renders are brought into compositing programs to edit, touch-up and add on special effects.

Compositing includes everything from what your probably normally think of as special effects, where things explode, evaporate, morph, etc. It also includes stage extensions (making the scene stage larger digitally in post production), to environment creation (anything from buildings to complete worlds), to

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation9. Compositing and Special FX

blue/green screen replacement (shooting in-front

of a blue or green screen and then replacing the

background with digitally created footage or

footage shot elsewhere). Basically, the art of

taking live footage and blending it with computer

generated footage would be considered

compositing.

3D Animation- The Process of 3D Animation10. Music and Foley

Music and foley (sound effects) are added to give

the animation the extra depth and boost in audio

enjoyment.

11 Editing and Final Output

This is where it ends! This is where it all ends! This is

where the composited renders, music and foley

are compiled and edited to ensure that everything

is in synchronization. Once satisfied, the compiled

product is exported as one of the many formats

suitable for broadcasting standards and delivered

to the client!