Animation Research

Traditional Animation

Unit 1: Computer Animation - Investigation

What is animation?

There are different techniques used to design and create animations.

Traditional Animation/Cel Animation

Traditional animations or cel animation, an animating technique, was a technique used in many 20^th century movies. The process involves developing a series of drawings pasted on celluloid transparent page. The cells are overlaid on top of a painted or colored background. The cells or images were processed by hand, but with today’s technology, the cells or images can be painted using the computer or even can be started on computer.

Stop Motion

Stop motion, is a stop action or frame-by-frame technique. It is a process that is used to make objects show as if they are moving on their own, by slightly moving the object in separate photographs. When the series of photographs or frames a played, it creates an illusion that the image is moving on its own. Sculptures or clay objects are normally used for Stop motion animation, so it’s easy it reposition.

Computer Animation (2D and 3D animation)

Computer animation is a modern technique, used to produce animated imagery through computer graphics. It is basically the digital form of the stop motion technique. 3D computer graphics are manly used, though 2D computer graphics are also used especially for faster time renderings. Computer animation has made creating animation easier, even so that a single graphic artist can easily produce an animation film.

Using Computer animation, the illusion of movement is created, by producing a series of images that are similar to each other and display minor movements. The rate is about 24 or 30 frames/second. Each frame is almost unnoticeably different from the previous.

2D animation is created using the Traditional animation technique. 3D animation is created using stop motion or the frame-by-frame technique.

Flip Book

A Flip book is a series of drawings or photographs that are gradually different from one page to the next. When the pages are flipped quickly, the images create and illusion of movement forming an animation.

Computer Animation software programs:

Adobe Flash CS5

iClone 4.0 Pro

SmithMicro’s Poser 8

Xara 3D

Other sources used:

http://www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/help/PDHelp/TraditionalAnimation.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_motion

http://www.dbswebsite.com/blog/2010/01/29/what-is-the-difference-between-3d-and-2d-animation/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_book