UNIT-3 VISUAL REALISM

ANIMATION
Animation is the process of illusion of continuous movement of objects created by a
series of still images with elements that appear to have motion. Each still image is called a
frame. Animation may also be defined as the process of dynamically creating a series of frames
of a set of objects in which each frame is an alteration of the previous frame. In order to
animate something, the animator has to be able to specify directly or indirectly how the 'thing'
has to move through time and space. Animation can be achieved by the following ways.
(a) By changing the position of various elements in the scene at different time frames in a
particular sequence
(b) By transforming an object to other object at different time frames in a particular sequence
(c) By changing the colour of the object at different time frames in a particular sequence
(d) By changing the light intensities of the scene at different time frames in a particular
sequence.
Among these different methods, the most effective way is the first one.
The animation can be achieved either conventionally or traditionally using manual work or
using computer multimedia for producing movies, cartoons, logos and advertisements. In
conventional or traditional method, most of the animation was done by hand. All frames in an
animation had to be drawn by hand. Since each second of animation requires 24 frames (film),
the amount of work required to create even the shortest of movies can be tremendous.
However, there are no calculations or physical principles required in this method. The motion
should look like real one which is the only criteria to create this type of animation. Animations
created during early days to create cartoon characters are the example of this type of animation.
The computer animations are mostly used now-a-day as the computer techniques evolved over
the years. This technique produces more realistic images and motions as real one. In this type
of animation, physical laws using variety of calculations are utilized. Hence, the animation
creation is considered as a science rather than art. There are number of animation software
available in the market for producing human body motion based on kinematic or dynamic
analysis. Typical applications of computer animation are entertainment (motion pictures and
cartoons), advertising, scientific and engineering studies, and training and education.
Animation is also useful for modeling and simulation of engineering problems where large
amount of calculations and scientific data are involved. For example, in finite element analysis
we may need to create series of images with different Colouring plots at different time intervals
to display the result in sequence. It can be achieved by computer animation techniques. There
are number of entertainment animations used in movies, advertisements and computer games.
These animations use modeling of muscles and human body kinematics to create facial
expressions, deformable body shape, unrealistic fight sequence, transformations etc.

Applications of Animation
There are several areas where the animation can be extensively used. These areas can
be arbitrarily divided into five categories.
1. Television: TV has used it for titles, logos and inserts as a powerful motivator for the rapid
development of animation. But its main uses are in cartoons for children and commercials for a
general audience.
2. Cinema: Animation as a cinematic technique has always held an important role in this
industry. Complete animation films are still produced by the cinema industry. But, it is also a
good way of making special effects and it is frequently used for titles and generics.
3. Government: Animation is an excellent method of mass communication and governments
are of course, great consumer of such techniques for the publicity.
4. Education and research: Animation can be extensively used for educational purposes.
Fundamentals concepts are easily explained to students using visual effects involving motion.
Finally, animation can be a great help to research teams because it can simulate the situations,
e.g., in medicine or science.
5. Business: The role of animation in business is very similar to its role in government.
Animation is useful for marketing, personnel education and public relations.
6. Engineering: Engineers do not require the realistic images the entertainment field demands.
It must be possible to identify unambiguously each separate part and the animation must be
produced quickly.

Conventional Animation
Conventional animation is generally based on a frame-by-frame technique. Hence, it is
very expensive in terms of man power, time and money. This type of animation is oriented
mainly towards the production of two-dimensional cartoons. Every frame is a flat picture and it
is purely hand-drawn. These cartoons are complex to produce and it may involve large teams
such as Walt Disney or Hannah-Barbera Productions. It is better to understand the various
steps/process involved in the conventional animation. It can be described with an ' example of
making an animated film as illustrated in following Figure.

Fig. Conventional animation process

As in ordinary film, the animated film generally tells a story. The scenario is a detailed text
which describes the complete story without any cinematography references.
The storyboard is a film in outline form. It consists of a number of illustrations arranged
in comic-strip fashion with appropriate captions. The number of individual illustrations within
a storyboard will vary widely. They represent the film’s key moments. It is also important to
note that a film is composed of sequences that define specific actions. Each sequence consists of
a series of scenes that are generally defined by a certain location and set of characters. Scenes
are divided into shots that are considered as picture units.
1. Layout:
It is the main animation preparation stage starting from the storyboard, backgrounds are
sketched. A foreground animation is subdivided into cell layers for attribution to animators and
the exposure sheet is prepared. This step consists mainly of the design of the characters to be
animated and action plotting. Based on the storyboard, the relationship between shapes and
forms in the background and foreground is decided.
The layout department in an animation studio has to finish drawings of the settings and
sketch background layouts. The artists must have knowledge of the physical characteristics of
the camera that will be used to photograph the frames.

2. Sound track recording:

In conventional animation, sound track recording has to precede the animation process. It is
done before animation drawn and the movement is matched to dialogue and sound. Dialogue
and timing information are recorded on the exposure sheet.

3. Animation:
The animation process is carried out by animators who draw key frames. Often an animator is
responsible for one specific character. Animators draw key frames for each foreground
character on paper, usually as rough sketches and specify general timing and movement on the
exposure sheet. Different animators may be assigned different scenes or different characters.
4. Exposure sheet:
It is essential book-keeping device of the animation process. Using conventional notations, it
records in a tabular form about all timing and sequencing information necessary to produce the
film.
5. In-betweens:
“In-betweens” are defined as drawings which are placed between two key positions or frames.
Assistant animators prepare the in-between frames also completed on paper and retrace and
clean up animator’s key frames. They also draw the remaining figures. The work of the
assistant animators requires more artistry than in-betweens whose task is almost automatic.
6. Line checking:
Checkers verify that all cells, layers, exposure sheets and background designs are executed and
cycle and stock animation are suitably included.
7. Painting and inking:
Each eel is painted on its backside to produce opaque colour images. As cartoon animated films
are usually in colour, they must go through a painting stage. This work requires patience and
accuracy. Cells must have the right degree of opacity and static backgrounds also have to be
painted. Animators pencil drawings are transferred to transparent acetate eels and inked. It is
done by making photocopies onto acetate. This process is known as Xeroxing.
8. Xeroxlng:
Sketches are usually drawn in pencil. Then they have to be transferred to acetate eels using
modified Xerox cameras. Lines must be inked by hand.
9. Line testing:
Animators need to check the action in their scenes before shooting. Quick shooting of un-
coloured sketched frames is sometimes done to verify the quality of animation as a part of the
checking phase.
10. Background:

To work from background designs provided with the layout, each background is then painted.
11. Filming:
Final photography of composite animation (background and layered cels) on colour film,
usually 35 mm. it is done either manually or nano-automated animation stands.
12. Post-production:
it includes both editing and sound-dubbing. At this stage, it might be decided to redraw or re-
shoot certain scenes.

Computer Animation
As the conventional animation has number of limitations such as time consuming,
expensive etc., computer animations are more widely used as the solution for these limitations.
Computer animation generally refers any time sequence of visual changes in a scene by using
computers and related software. In addition, to change the object position with translations or
rotations, a computer animation could display time variations in object size, colour,
transparency or surface texture. Computer animations can also be generated by changing
camera parameters such as position, orientation, and focal length. We can produce computer
animations by changing the lighting effects or other parameters and procedures associated
with illumination and rendering.
Computer animation production has borrowed most of the ideas from conventional
animation production, including the use of a story board, test shots and pencil testing. The
storyboard has translated directly to computer animation production although it may be done
online. It still holds the same functional place in the animation process and it is an important
component in planning animation. While computer animation has borrowed the production
approaches of conventional animation, there are significant differences between how computer
animation and conventional animation create an individual frame of the animation. 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 models,
lights and camera, and the rendering process applied to those models. It allows the reusing of
models and lighting setups. In conventional animation, all these processes happen
simultaneously each drawing is created, the only exception being the possible reuse of
backgrounds, for example, with the multilayer approach. Classification of computer animation:

There are a number of different ways of classifying the computer animation systems. First, we
can define the various levels of systems.

Level I:
It is used only to interactively create, paint, store, retrieve and modify drawings. They do not
take much time. They are basically just graphics editors used only by designers.
Level 2:
It can compute in betweens and move an object along a trajectory. These systems generally
take more time and they are mainly intended to be used by or even replace in betweens.
Level 3:
It provides the animator with operations which can be applied to objects for example,
translation or rotation. These systems may also include virtual camera operations such a zoom,
pan or tilt.
Level 4:
It provides a means of defining actors, i.e objects which possess their own animation. The
motion of these objects may also be constrained.
Level 5:
They are extensible and they can learn as they work. With each use, such a system becomes
more powerful and “intelligent”. Computer animation can be further classified into two types
based on its application in major field.
(i) Entertainment animation
(ii) Engineering animation.

Entertainment animation:
This type of computer animation is mainly used to make movies and advertisement for
entertainment purposes. The procedure is similar the conventional animation procedure
described in Figure 3.35. But the drawings of key frames and inbetweens are created by using
computer generation techniques. The drawings of key frames are created by using various
interactive graphics software programs which utilizes the different transformation techniques
such as rotation, reflection, translation etc. Here, initially geometric model is created and then
the parameters are modified on the basis of analytical procedure. Normally, wireframe models
are used to test the animation before generating actual display. The inbetweens can he
developed by the computer animation software. Here, layering concepts are used for creating
different frames and then these frames are arranged in the sequence for developing paths of
motion. For painting, various frames based on the nature of scene shading and colouring
techniques are used. Computer assisted filming is possible in recent years in which camera
movements are controlled by using computers.

The entertainment animation can be further classified into the following two types.
(a) Computer-assisted two-dimensional animation
(b) Modeled animation or three-dimensional animation.

Computer-assisted animation, sometimes, called key frame animation consists mainly of

assisting conventional animation by computer. Key frame animation systems are typically of
level 2.
Modeled animation means drawing and manipulation of more general representations
which move about in three-dimensional space. This process is very complex without a
computer. Modeled animation systems are generally of level 3 to level 4. Systems of level 5 me
not yet available.
Modeling animation uses the available computer graphics and CAD technique to create
frames, motions and images which are very difficult to achieve by conventional animation.
Moreover, accurate representation of objects as well as smooth and complex three
dimensional movements is possible.
Various steps followed to create modeled animation are shown in Figure 3.36 and
explained as follows.

Fig. Steps of Modeled animation

(a) Storyboard: The development of story board is similar to one described in conventional
animation.
(b) Geometric description:
Three-dimensional objects are created by using geometric modeling techniques such as
wireframe, surface and solid modeling techniques explained in earlier chapters. The models
created using these techniques offer a great degree of realism in terms of colour, texture,
translucency and reflectance.
(c) Frame generation:
Generation of frame of each scene is another important process which can be done by using
computers. Many characters of the animation movie need to be frequently distorted by
stretching, bending and twisting for more realistic actions. After all movements of character in
a scene have been modeled, the resulting set of geometry forms a frame in the animation
sequence to be created. A similar methodology is used to create another frame.
(d) Line testing:
Once all the frames are generated, their corresponding images are created using rendering
techniques such as shading. Then these images can be animated and displayed on the screen to
test the movements and to reflect the real time.
(e) Recording:
The recording of these frames which are tested and found satisfactory produces the animation
sequence of the film.

Engineering animation:
CAD/CAM applications using the animation technique extensively in variety of
applications such as generating NC tool paths, simulation of automated assembly and
disassembly, simulation of finite element results, mechanism movements, rapid prototyping etc.
Engineering animation is mainly an extension of modeled animation. But, it is more science
oriented rather than art and image. No real time image simulation is required as in case of
entertainment animation. Many cases only wireframe models can give the satisfactory results.
However, engineering animation systems should meet the following criteria.

(a) Exact representation and display of data:

Numerical results (data) should be displayed in an image accurately for better understanding.
Data are represented in numerical form as well as associated colours and patterns depending
upon the intensity of result. Raster displays are used for this purpose.

(b) High-speed and automatic production of animation:

Animated results should be quickly produced with high-speed display which may help the
engineers and designers to communicate their results faster. The user interface/input should
be as minimal as possible for a specific problem so that the animation could automatically
perform.

(c) Low host dependency:

An engineering animation system or workstation i.e. computer which perform animation
should be able to operate independently without the host server even though it is connected
centrally through local area network.