Videogames; Animation

How computer animation works?

To animate means "to give life to". An animator's job is to take a static image or object and literally bring it to life by giving it movement and personality. Incomputer animation, animators use software to draw, model and animate objects and characters in vast digital landscapes. There are two basic kinds of computer animation: computer-assisted andcomputer-generated.

Computer-assisted animation is typically two-dimensional (2-D), like cartoons. The animator draws objects and characters either by hand or with a computer. Then he positions his creationsin key frames, which form an outline of the most important movements. Next, the computer uses mathematical algorithms to fill in the "in-between" frames. This process is called tweeningComputer-generated animation is a different story. First of all, it's three-dimensional (3-D), meaning that objects and characters are modeled on a plane with an X, Y and Z axis. This can't be done with penciland paper. Using mathematical algorithms, animators can program objects to adhere to (or break) physical laws like gravity, mass and force.
PROCESS
Half of the process of creating acomputer-animated feature film has nothing to do with computers. First, the filmmakers write a sketch of the story. When they've settled on all of the major plot points they're ready to create a storyboard of thefilm. The storyboard is a 2-D, comic-book-style rendering of each scene in the movie along with some jokes and snippets of important dialogue. During the storyboarding process, the script is polishedand the filmmakers can start to see how the scenes will work visually. The next step is to have the voice actors come in and record all of their lines.
Then the art department designs all thecharacters, major set locations, props and color palettes for the film. The characters and props are modeled in 3-D or scanned into the computers from clay models. At Pixar, each character is equipped with...