Kansas State University
CIS 636 & 736
Intermediate Topics 2 of 2
Computer Animation: Survey and Intro
Reading: chapter 21 of the textbook
Lab: None
Slides by Rotenberg (UCSD) and Gooch (Northwestern)
Prerequisites
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CIS 636
Familiarity with:
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Vectors (dot products, cross products…)
Matrices (4x4 homogeneous transformations)
Polygon rendering
Basic lighting (normals, Gouraud, Phong…)
OpenGL, Direct3D, Java3D, or equivalent
C++ or Java
Object oriented programming
Basic physics
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Topics in CGA
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Introduction
11.
Skeletons
12.
Quaternions
13.
14.
Skinning
15.
Facial Animation
16.
Advanced Skinning 17.
Channels &
18.
Keyframes
Animation Blending
Inverse Kinematics 1
Inverse Kinematics 2
Locomotion
Particle Systems
Cloth Simulation
Collision Detection
Rigid Body Physics
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Angel Games
Computer Animation
Overview
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Applications
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Special Effects (Movies, TV)
Video Games
Virtual Reality
Simulation, Training, Military
Medical
Robotics, Animatronics
Visualization
Communication
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Computer Animation
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Kinematics
Physics (a.k.a. dynamics, simulation,
mechanics)
Character animation
Artificial intelligence
Motion capture / data driven animation
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Animation Process
while (not finished) {
MoveEverything();
DrawEverything();
}
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Interactive vs. Non-Interactive
Real Time vs. Non-Real Time
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Character Rigging
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Skeleton
Skin
Facial Expressions
Muscles
Secondary motion: fat, hair, clothing…
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Character Animation
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Keyframe Animation
Motion Capture
Inverse Kinematics
Locomotion
Procedural Animation
Artificial Intelligence
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Character Animation
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Physics Simulation
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Particles
Rigid bodies
 Collisions, contact, stacking,
rolling, sliding
Articulated bodies
 Hinges, constraints
Deformable bodies (solid
mechanics)
 Elasticity, plasticity, viscosity
 Fracture
 Cloth
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
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Fluid dynamics
 Fluid flow (liquids & gasses)
 Combustion (fire, smoke,
explosions…)
 Phase changes (melting,
freezing, boiling…)
Vehicle dynamics
 Cars, boats, airplanes,
helicopters, motorcycles…
Character dynamics
 Body motion, skin & muscle,
hair, clothing
Physics Simulation
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Animation Tools
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Maya
3D Studio
Lightwave
Filmbox
Blender
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Many more…
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Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Animation Production
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Conceptual Design
Production Design
Modeling
Materials & Shaders
Rigging
Blocking
Animation
Lighting
Effects
Rendering
Post-Production
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Resolution & Frame Rates
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Video:
 NTSC: 720 x 480 @ 30 Hz (interlaced)
 PAL: 720 x 576 @ 25 Hz (interlaced)
HDTV:
 720p: 1280 x 720 @ 60 Hz
 1080i: 1920 x 1080 @ 30 Hz (interlaced)
 1080p: 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Film:
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
 35mm: ~2000 x ~1500 @ 24 Hz
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
 70mm: ~4000 x ~2000 @ 24 Hz
 IMAX: ~5000 x ~4000 @ 24-48 Hz
Note: Hz (Hertz) = frames per second (fps)
Note: Video standards with an i (such as 1080i) are interlaced,
while standards with a p (1080p) are progressive scan
Rendering
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There are many ways to design a 3D renderer
The two most common approaches are:
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Traditional graphics pipeline
Ray-based rendering
With the traditional approach, primitives (usually triangles) are rendered
into the image one at a time, and complex visual effects often involve a
variety of different tricks
With ray-based approaches, the entire scene is stored and then
rendered one pixel at a time. Ray based approaches can simulate light
more accurately and offer the possibility of significant quality
improvements, but with a large cost
In this class, we will not be very concerned with rendering, as we will
focus mainly on how objects move rather than how they look
Source: CSE 169, Computer Animation, UC San Diego
Winter, 2006
Rotenberg, S. & Jarosz, W.
http://graphics.ucsd.edu/courses/cse169_w06/
Animation
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Animate = “to give life to”
Specify, directly or indirectly, how ‘thing’
moves in time and space
Tools
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Two main categories
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Computer-assisted animation
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2D & 2 1/2 D
Inbetweening
Inking, virtual camera, managing
data, etc
Computer generated animation
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Low level techniques
 Precisely specifying motion
High level techniques
 Describe general motion behavior
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Low level techniques
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Shape interpolation (in-betweening)
Have to know what you want
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
High level techniques
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Generate motion
with set of rules or
constraints
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Physically based
motion
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~job/Projects/SoundGen/video.html
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Abstraction
Animator colors each pixel
to
Tell computer to “make movie about a dog”
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Perception of Animations
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Playback rate
Sampling or update rate
TV: 30 images/second
Sat Morning Cartoons:
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6 different images per second
Each image repeated five times
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Heritage of Animation
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Persistence of vision: discovered about
1800s
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Zoetrope or “wheel of life”
Flip-book
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Heritage of Animation
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Camera to make lifeless things move
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Meleis 1890 using simple tricks
Emil Cohl (1857-1938, French)
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Heritage of Animation
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J. Stuart Blackton (American)
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Meet Thomas Edison in 1895
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Combine drawing and file: “The Enchanted Drawing”
 Six years later: “Humorous Phases of Funny Faces
Animated smoke in 1900; First animated cartoon in 1906

QuickTime™ and a
YUV420 codec decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
QuickTime™ and a
YUV420 codec decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Heritage of Animation
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First celebrated Animator
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Winsor McCay (American)
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Little nemo
Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
QuickTime™ and a
YUV420 codec decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Heritage of Animation
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First major technical development
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John Bray /Earl Hurd (1910)
Translucent cels (short for celluloid) in
compositing multiple layers
Use of grey scale (as opposed to B&W)
Color short in 1920
John Randolph Bray'sColonel Heeza Lair.
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Heritage of Animation
Out of Bray’s studio
 Max Fleischer (Betty Boop,,
Popeye)
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Patented rotoscoping in 1915
Draing images on cells by
tracing over previously recorded
live action
Paul Terry (Terrytoons: Mighty
Mouse)
George Stallings(?)
Walter Lantz (Woody
Woodpecker)
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Heritage of Animation
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Animation as an art form
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First animated character with personality
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Felix the cat by Otto Messmer (1920s)
Force to reckoned with
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Sound and Walt Disney
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Disney: Animation as an art
form
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Innovations
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Story board to review story
Pencil sketch to review motion
Multi-plane camera stand
Color (not first to use color)
Sound!
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Steamboat Willie (1928)
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Multiplane Camera
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Move scene layers independently of camera
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/9199/Animation/Disney_Multiplane.html
MGM and Warner Brothers,
etc.
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Other Media Animation
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Computer animation is
often compared to
stop motion animation
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Puppet animation
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Willis O’Brian (King
Kong)
Ray Harryhausen (Might
joe Yong, Jason and the
Argonauts)
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
QuickTime™ and a
YUV420 codec decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Other Media Animation
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Claymation
Pinhead animation
Sand animation
Physical object is manipulated, image
captured, repeat
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Hierachy of film/animation
Presentation
Act
Scene
Shot
Frame
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Production of Animation
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Preliminary story
Story board
Detailed story
Key Frames
Test shot
Pencil test
Inbetweening
Inking
Coloring
Computer Animation
basically follows this
pipeline
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Computer Animation as
Animation
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/

Lasseter translated principles of animation as
articulated by two of Nine Old Men of Disney
to computer animation
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Lasseter is conventionally trained animator
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Worked at Disney before going to Pixar
Many celebrated animations
Knick-knack (oscar-winning)
Short History of Computer
Animation
In Research labs
 NYIT
Still frame from Gumby animation by Hank Grebe and Dick Lundin, 1984.
In Research Labs
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University of Utah
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University of Pennsylvania
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Films on walking and talking figure
Animated hand and animated face (1972)
Human figure animation (Norm Badler)
Cornell University
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architectural walk-throughs (Don Greenberg)
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
History of Computer Animation
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1974: Hunger by Rene Jodoin and Peter
Foldes
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2.5D system, object interpolation
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Current activity Centers
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University of Toronto's Computer Science Department
Simon-Fraser University's Graphics and Mulitmedia Research Lab
Georgia Tech's Graphics Visualization and Usability Center
Brown Computer Graphics Group
Ohio State University's ACCAD
Ohio State University's Department of Computer and Information Science
George Washington University Graphics Group
UC San Diego's Department of Computer Science and Engineering
University of North Carolina's Computer Science Department
MIT's Media Lab
MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science
University of Wisconsin at Madison
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
History of Film & Video
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Companies
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Mathematical Applications Group, Inc. (MAGI)
Information International Inc. (III, or Triple-I)
Digital Production
Digital Effects
Image West
Robert Abel and Associates
Cranston-Csuri.
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Current Companies
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Pixar
Industrial Light and Magic (ILM)
Pacific Data Images (PDI)
Disney
Xaos
Rhythm & Hues
Digital Domain
Lamb & Company
Metrolight Studios
Boss Film Studios
deGraf/Wahrman
R/Greenberg Associates
Blue Sky Productions
Sony Pictures
Cinesite
Imageworks
Apple…. .
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Animations that paved the way
Pixar
 Luxo Jr. (1986)
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Red's Dream (1987)
Tin Toy (1988)
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first computer animation to be nominated for an
Academy Award
first computer animation to win an Academy
Award
Knick Knack (1989)
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Early CG in film
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Future World (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
 Lawnmower man (1992, Xaos, Angel Studios)
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Hollywood’s view of VR
Tron (1982, MAGI)
 Supposed to look like a computer
The Last Starfighter (1984)
 Use CG in place of models
Willow (1988, ILM)
 Morphing video
 First digital blue screen matte extraction
Howard the Duck (1986, ILM)
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
 First wire removal
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
The Abyss (1989, ILM)
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
More early CG in film
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Jurassic Park (1993, ILM)
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Forest Gump (1994, Digital Domain)
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Babe (1995, Rhythm & Hues)
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Insert CG ping pong ball
Move mouths of animals & fill in background
Toy Story (1995, Pixar & Disney)
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First full length fully CG 3D animation
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Early CG on TV
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Reboot (1995, Limelight
Ltd. BLT Productions)
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Babylon 5 (1995)
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Similar intention of “inside
computer”
First fully 3D Sat. morning
cartoon
Routinely used CG models
as regular features
Simpsons (1995 PDI)
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Resources
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Milestones of the animation industry in the 20th Century
 http://www.awn.com/mag/issue4.10/4.10pages/cohen
milestones.php3
http://www.factindex.com/a/an/animation.html#History%20of%20Animat
ion
Brief History of NYIT Computer Graphics Lab http://www2.cs.cmu.edu/~ph/nyit/masson/nyit.html
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Resources (con’t.)
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Timeline from Brown Animation class
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http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs229/animTimeline.html
In-betweening
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http://alpha.luc.ac.be/~lucp1112/research/CA2001/results.html
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Credits/Resources

Rick Parent
 http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~parent/book/Intr.html
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~parent/book/outline.html
America’s Story
 http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgibin/page.cgi/sh/animation/blcktn_2
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Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Character Animation
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Control motion of articulated limbs
Skeletal-muscle-skin models
Facial animation
Representation and Animation of surface
detail
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Hair
Clothes
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/
Utah CG History

http://silicon-valley.siggraph.org/text/MeetingNotes/Utah.html
Source: CS 395, Computer Animation, Northwestern U.
Summer, 2006
Gooch, A.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~animation/