Computer Animation
Computers changed the whole playing field for animation.
Most people don't actually understand the extent as the
results have slipped seamlessly into our computers, onto
our TVs and the big screen. Computer animation actually
gives us the ability to create effects and video that we
were never able to achieve before.
Computer
animation >
3D & 2D animation with computers
Animation actually refers to any kind of animated graphic,
not just 3D. Animation itself has been around since paper
was invented, and the process of 2D and 3D animation production
still boils down the the same basics as drawing cartoon
figures on a book and flipping the pages over. This basic
form of 2D animation still resembles the final output of
3D animation.
2D and 3D computer animation both converge in that they
are a scripted series of moves that are exported or played
back as a series of frames. The term "frames per second"
refers to the number of animation frames played back within
a one second time frame.
2D computer animation
Computer animation in the 2D sense is seen often with
applications like Flash. Few people know that this popular
internet presentation authoring tool had it's beginnings
as an animation application and that it's strong web based
presence was an evolution. The movie graphics, buttons,
sound and effects are all a form of 2D computer animation.
Many people use simplistic 2D computer animation with
applications like Powerpoint.
Video editors use applications like After Effects, Final
Cut and others to create titling and animated effects for
their productions.
3D computer animation
3D is what most people think of when referring to computer
animation. Right now it is also where the "action" is with
animation due to it's flexibility. The process is different
to 2D in that a scene is made in 3D well before any animation
starts. Then there are more than one level of animation,
such as:
- Character animation
- Camera animation
- Physic and dynamics
- Composited objects
All of these combine and then the final frame by frame
computer animation is generated.
Computerized character animation
Movies like Shrek and Toy Story are examples of character
animation. Each character is created and motions added
to make it interact with the story, lip sync to the words,
etc. It's a complicated process but fortunately computers
are getting better at aiding the 3D animator by automating
some tasks. The movement of lips can be automated and motion
of some body parts can simulate real world motions, jerks
and reactions.
Camera Animation
This the most simple form of 3D computer animation. It
is simply the movement of the camera throughout the 3D
scene. The motions come together just as a real world film
shoot would take place and then the scene is rendered to
produce the animation frames from the viewpoint of the
3D camera.
Advanced effects using computer animation
Archiform 3D uses camera tracking extensively for exterior
scenes. The process involves shooting real life high-definition
video footage and using computers to determine the path
of the real camera in 3D space. This data is then used
within the 3D scene to create a duplicated motion that
can be overlayed back onto the real video footage. In this
case the computer animation is synced perfectly to match
real life motion.
3D camera
tracking >
Guide
to 3D computer animations on this site >
Archiform
3D animated show reel >
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