Chapter 1: Computer animation

The generation of moving pictures via the use of digital technology is known as computer animation. Computer animation solely refers to moving visuals, while the more generic term computer-generated imagery, or CGI, comprises both still sceneries and dynamic graphics. The generation of a three-dimensional image in contemporary computer animation often involves the use of 3D computer graphics. There are instances when the computer itself serves as the focus of the animation, but there are other occasions when film is the focus.

Traditional animation methods such as frame-by-frame animation of 2D images are being replaced by computer animation, which is basically a digital successor to stop motion techniques employing 3D models. Computer animation is essentially a digital successor to stop motion techniques. Using computer-generated animations, a single graphic designer may be able to create such material without the need for any actors, costly set pieces, or props. An image is presented on the computer monitor and then continuously replaced with a fresh picture that is comparable to it but is advanced slightly in time (often at a rate of 24, 25, or 30 frames per second). This creates the illusion that the image is moving, which gives the impression that it is. This method is exactly the same as the one used by television and movie studios to create the illusion of motion on the screen.

For the purpose of creating 3D animations, items are constructed on the computer display in the form of models, and 3D figures are rigged using a virtual skeleton. After that, the animator will move the figure's limbs, eyes, lips, clothing, and other components using key frames. Tweening and morphing are both terms that refer to the same technique, in which the computer is used to automatically determine the alterations in appearance that exist between key frames. The animation is then produced once everything is finished.

After modeling is finished, 3D animations need every frame to be rendered before they can be played. When presentations are pre-recorded, the generated frames are exported to a different format or media, such as digital video. It is also possible for the frames to be displayed in real time while they are being shown to the audience of end users. As an alternative to streaming or pre-loading big bandwidth animations, animations with a low bandwidth that are broadcast over the internet (such as Adobe Flash or X3D) sometimes employ software installed on the computer of the end user to render the animation in real time.

The images should be generated at a rate of around 12 frames per second or quicker in order to give the impression to the eye and the brain that they are viewing an object that is moving smoothly. Because of the stylized character of cartoons, it is common practice for conventional hand-drawn cartoon animation to employ 15 frames per second. This is done in order to reduce the amount of drawings that are required for the animation, although this is generally accepted. Higher frame rates are required for computer animation in order to create picture that is more realistic.

Films that are shown in cinemas in the United States run at a frame rate of 24 per second, which is fast enough to provide the impression of continuous motion. Adapters are used in order to get high resolution.

Edward E. Zajac, Frank W. Sinden, Kenneth C. Knowlton, and A. Michael Noll are credited with developing some of the first forms of digital computer animation in the 1960s at Bell Telephone Laboratories. The creators of computer games and 3D video cards work hard to provide the same level of visual realism and fluidity to real-time gameplay on home computers as is already feasible for computer-generated movies and animation. Because of the fast improvement in real-time rendering quality, artists started making use of gaming engines to create movies that were not interactive, which eventually led to the creation of the art form known as machinima.

Since 1976, independent animators have been creating short films that are entirely computer generated. VeggieTales was the first American entirely 3D computer animated series to be marketed directly (it was produced in 1993); the popularity of the series encouraged subsequent animation programs, such as ReBoot (1994) and Transformers: Beast Wars (1996), to adopt a totally computer-generated aesthetic.

ReBoot was the first computer-animated television programme to run for its entire scheduled duration, When using the majority of 3D computer animation tools, an animator will build a simplified approximation of a character's anatomy, which is comparable to a stick figure or skeleton. For instance, the character "Woody" from "Toy Story" makes use of 712 Avars (212 in the face alone). In most cases, the skeletal model is not displayed directly by the computer (since it is invisible), but the computer does make use of the skeleton model in order to determine the precise position and orientation of a particular character before the character is rendered as an image. Consequently, the animator produces motion by moving the character from frame to frame by modifying the values of the Avars during the course of the animation.

There are a few different approaches that may be used to generate the Avar values in order to provide realistic motion. Animators traditionally directly control the Avars to get their desired effects. For instance, Bill Nighy gave the performance that was required for the role of Davy Jones in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which was released in 2006. Even though Bill Nighy doesn't make an appearance in the film personally, the movie is better for his performance since it captures the subtleties of his body language, posture, facial emotions, and other aspects of his acting. Therefore, the use of motion capture is useful in circumstances in which genuine, realistic behavior and activity are needed, but the varieties of characters required transcend what can be done with the usual costuming.

3D computer animation mixes 3D models of the things being animated with movement that is either programmed or keyframed by hand. These models are built using a three-dimensional coordinate system with geometric vertices, faces, and edges as the building blocks. Sculpting an object is accomplished in a manner quite similar to that of working with actual clay or plaster, moving from broad shapes to minute details using a variety of sculpting tools. For a 3D model to seem realistic, it has to be painted with "textures," even if the object's primary purpose is to be a solid color. The computer-generated image is deformed using a bone-and-joint animation system that has been set up (e.g., to make a humanoid model walk). During a procedure referred to as "rigging," the virtual marionette is outfitted with a number of controls and grips that are used to direct its movements.

There might be hundreds of control points in a 3D model that has been rigged for animation. For instance, the character "Woody" from "Toy Story" makes use of 700 specialized animation controllers. It took Rhythm and Hues Studios around 1,851 controllers to bring Aslan to life in the film adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which took place over the course of two years (742 in the face alone). In the film "The Day After Tomorrow," which was released in 2004, the production designers were tasked with creating the forces of severe weather using visual references and precise meteorological information. In the King Kong movie that was remade with 2005, the actor Andy Serkis was used to assist in determining the gorilla's primary position in each shot, and the animators used his facial expressions to replicate "human" features onto the beast. Prior to that, Serkis had portrayed and given the voice for Gollum in J. R. R. Tolkien's series The Lord of the Rings.

The only requirements for creating computer animation are a computer and some animation software. Even with simple tools, it is possible to create some really amazing animation; but, the rendering process might take a significant amount of time on a regular home computer.

In computer-generated imaging, one of the aspects that is considered to be both one of the most difficult and one of the most desirable to have is a realistic modeling of human face characteristics. Computer face animation is a very sophisticated area that often involves a very large number of animation variables being included into models.

Realism in computer animation might involve rendering each frame to seem photorealistic, which means that the scene is produced to resemble a picture. Realism can also imply animating characters in a way that appears convincing and alive. have drawn criticism for being described as "disturbing" and "creepy".

Because the objective of computer animation is not necessarily to imitate live action as precisely as possible, many animated films instead contain characters that are anthropomorphic animals, mythical creatures and characters, superheroes, or otherwise have non-realistic, cartoon-like proportions.

The following is a list of well-known companies that make computer-animated feature films::

Happy Feet (2006), Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010), Walking with Dinosaurs (2013), and The Lego Movie (2014) are some examples of films that use Animal Logic (2014)

Aardman Animations is responsible for such films as "Flushed Away" (2006) and "Arthur Christmas" (2011)

The Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002) and The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie were both produced by Big Idea Entertainment (2008)

Films produced by Bron Studios include The Addams Family (coming out in...