Unit 31 - P1 - Computer Animation

Najmul Hussain

Unit 31

P1

Different types of animation

Define Animation

Animation is a sequence of static images which are simultaneously repeated to display a series of pictures or frames. An example of animations would be cartoons. The difference between animation and video is that video creates constant movements and breaks them into frames whereas animation is images which are formed to create an illusion of continuous motion. The most common types of animation are;

2D Animation is created in a two dimensional environment. Each image quickly flashes through various frames to create the effect of movement. Each image is slightly different in each frame so when it is played back it looks like it gradually moving.

3D Animation is a platform which adds a depth insight to images. It is a computer generated animation. It allows us to view the pictures not only from the front view, but also from different angles and positions for example top view or side view.

By the use of modern technology we now allow it to do the more tedious bits of work that used to be manually done years ago. They used to draw each cartoon frame by frame and the junior cartoonists used to draw out the key frames. It is now possible to achieve this same amount of work with the help of computers. Animating using a computer has saved animators a lot of effort and time.

Clay Animation

Clay animation, also known as Claymation created by Jim Hoffman is a form of animation which uses objects and clay figures to create and illusion of continuous motion. This is often referred as 3D animation because you are using 3D figures on a 3D platform. To get the end result of clay animation is simple; it’s simply just an object which is moved slightly in a different position in every frame and a photo is taken, all these shots are then put together to create the clay animation.

Will Vinton, owner of an animation studio that worked with clay artists to create clay animation. Claymation involves using objects or characters sculpted from clay or other moldable material, and then taking a series of still images that are repeated in rapid sequence to create the illusion of movement. Some of the more famous characters created in this form include Gumby and Pokey, Wallace and Gromit, and the California Raisins.  

Instead of drawing figures and objects for each frame, with Claymation you can create and structure your own figures as seen in the image above. This is a cheaper but time consuming option as you’re not wasting paper with the actual drawings but then again you’re spending a lot of time structuring each frame by moving the clay.

The best and most widely tool which is used for clay animation is your hands. All you’ll need to do is pinch, stretch, smooth, squish, flatten and poke the clay to its preferable shape. Simple movements of the figures body parts for each frame such as arms or legs will morph the frames together and create the impression of an animation.

Flipbook Animation

Flip books are one of the most basic forms of animation. To achieve this is simple; you would draw a sequence of images in a pad which are almost similar to one another, but not exact. Then you would just flip through the book quickly and you would get the impression of an animation. The most common technique to achieve a flipbook animation is by printing the images on the pages of the books.

The idea of creating an illusion from the series of images makes the human mind think that it is an actual moving object. It displays a continuous movement to the observer. Printed flipbooks were very popular as children’s books because they were cheap to produce and easy to use.

Thomas A. Edison was the designer of the Kinetoscope which was a cabinet for films to be viewed by the user at a time through the peephole window at the top of the device. The Kinetoscope wasn’t a movie projector, it was simply a device which created the illusion of movement by carrying a sequence of images over a light source with a high speed shutter.

How movement is achieved

Frame by frame animation is the most common way to make an object appear as if it’s moving. Tweening, short for ‘in-betweening’ is a procedure of images between two frames to give the impression that the first image morphs into the second image. Tweening has saved animators a lot of time by allowing them to do this on computer software’s specifically built for animating.

Frame by frame
Frame by frame animation is usually known as stop motion animation. It is done by manipulating a physical object and making it appear to move on its own by shooting one frame, manipulating the object, then shooting another frame, and so on.

Tweening

Tweened animations have several selections such as traditional frame-by-frame animations, shape tweens and motion tweens. In a motion tween, the specific software used would tween the size, colour and the rotation of an object between two key frames. The shape tween effect makes one shape appear to change into another between two key frames. The effect is similar to morphing and also allows users to tween multiple shapes at one time.

Morphing

Morphing refers to an animation technique in which one image is gradually turned into another. It’s a special effect which morphs an image into another through continuous transition. The ability to morph two images with on another is enabled by software that recognizes the similar features, usually in two images that only show the subject’s face.

Masking

Masking is a feature with which you can selectively block areas of a layer. You can use masking to hide objects under a mask, animate the mask or object under the mask, or even place multiple masks in a scene. Objects that you do not want to see are covered in a 'mask' of one particular colour, often green as it will never clash with human skin and this colour is removed when the film is taken. The part of the image is replaced with another picture or animation.