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Perceptual Issues II
Computer Graphics
Eadweard Muybridge
Dariusz Sawicki (1830-1904)
• first photography of
movement sequences

Computer animation

E. Muybridge: Sequence of a horse

jumping. from wikipedia

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Introduction Animation

• Animation and perceptual issues

• The history of Computer Animation • Animation is the method of „bringing things to life”
• Production process of the traditional film and Computer (Latin „animare” means to fill in life)
Animation • Animation consists in rapid displaying a sequence of
• Animation techniques images in order to create an illusion of movement.
• Keyframe animation
• The optical illusion of motion is used due to the
• Procedural animation phenomenon of persistence of vision.
• Motion capture
• Physics of the animation • The sequence of pictures (film) that creates illusion of
• Human and face modeling and animation movement is also called animation.
• Bibliography • The process of film production is called animation as well

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Perceptual Issues I Animation

• We perceive many images in rapid succession as

continuous motion („fixed”, motionless images !) Technically:
– Even if there is a transition period between the • Generate a sequence of images that, when played one
images (distracters can be put in and motion is still after the other, will give impression of movement
perceived) • One image is called a „frame”
– 24 frames per second for film, but sometimes less
• The frame rate for film was frames are used (16, 8, 7 etc.)
perceptually chosen – more frames in TV or video (e.g. 30 frames per
– The flicker can be noticed second for NTSC video)
if the frame rate is – sometimes more frames in special cases ( e.g. 50 in
incorrect selected flash animation, 60 or more in games)

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The short story of the animated movie Some technical aspects II

• 1900 (1906) Stuart Blackton created the first animated films

(Enchanted Drawing (1900) and Humorous Phases of Funny Faces
Toy Story (1995)
(1906) ) after introducing techniques of stop-motion and hand-drawn • 77 minutes long; 110,064 frames
animation • 800,000 machine hours of rendering
• 20. of XX cent. Walt Disney organized in Hollywood the first studio • 1 terabyte of disk space
for animated films (cartoons)
• 3.5 minutes of animation produced each week (maximum)
• 30. of XX cent. The first famous films by Walt Disney with Mickey
Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy • Frame render times: 45 min – 20 hours
• 1937 W.Disney: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the first full • 110 Sun computers operating 24/7 for rendering - 300 CPU’s
length animated film
• ... Toy Story 2 (1999)
• 2001 Shrek from DreamWorks • 80 minutes long, 122,699 frames
• ...
• 1400 processor renderfarm
• 2002 The Cathedral by Tomasz Bagiński, nominated to Academy
Award (OSCAR) in 2003 • Render time of 10 min to 3 days
• Direct to video film
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Companies Production process I

• Pixar
• Disney
• Sony Imageworks
• Industrial Light and
Magic (ILM)
• Rhythm and Hues
• Pacific Data Images
• Studio Miniatur Filmowych
(Koziołek Matołek)
• Wytwórnia Filmów Animowanych
in Bielsko Biała
(Bolek i Lolek)
Traditional animation
• Dreamworks SKG
• Tippett Studios • Concept (script / screenplay + storyboard)
• Angel Studios • Plan (characters, objects, shapes and forms)
• Blue Sky • Sound
• Robert Abel and • Animation: pictures/keyframes
Associates • Animation: pictures/other frames
• Giant Studios • Details developement (silhuetes, colors)
• Evaluation and improvement
• Platige Image • Recording (traditional film, magnetic tape, digital file)
(The Catedral) • Postproduction
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Some technical aspects I Production process II

Computer graphics animation
Toy Story (1995) • Plan of the film (script / screenplay vs. realization possibility,
• Texture maps on Buzz: 189 storyboard)
– (450 to show details like scuffs and dirt) • Preproduction
• Modeling
• Number of control points in animation
geometrical, movement, characters, color and lighting
– Buzz – 700
• Composition of the scenes
– Woody – 712 (Face – 212, Mouth – 58)
• Preliminary evaluation
• Number of leaves on trees – 1.2 mil (in the small resolution)
• Number of shaders – 1300 • Final version production
• Number of storyboards – 25,000 (in final resolution)
• Recording
• Postproduction
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Camera Keyframing I

• CG camera must exactly match the real camera • The original way to animate, and still the most common
– Position form for feature animation
– Rotation – Process has shifted to computers, but basic approach
– Focal length is the same
– Aperature • Interpolation is the most important technique
• Easy when camera is instrumented ! – The in-between frames are interpolated from the
keyframes
– Originally done by armies of underpaid animators
– Now done with computers
• The same problem in full CG animation as well as in
connection of CG animation and traditional film

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Storyboard Keyframing II
Defines: scenes, scale and plan of movements, camera
shots, special effects, lighting, scale

Used as guide by
animators
Dziwne przygody
Koziołka Matołka Courtesy of Studio Miniatur Filmowych in Warsaw
(1969-1971)
One page from
storyboard of
film Mano (2005) Koziołek Matołek animation was based on 14 frames in full
cycle of hands and legs movement (running character !)
Courtesy of Studio Miniatur Filmowych in Warsaw

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Animation Techniques Keyframing III

• Keyframe animation
– Main animator specifies important positions
throughout the animation – the keyframes
– Someone or computer fills in the intermediate frames
(inbetweening)
• Procedural animation
– A set of equations or rules are evaluated to determine
how the animation behaves
• Motion capture
– System captures motion data from a real movement
of the animation Animation of the ball reflection, The whole set of frames
is shown. Dark balls represent positions in keyframes,
– The data then drives a virtual character
light balls – in other (in-between) frames.
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Procedural animation I Movement problem

Usage of reverse kinematics for

positions (angles) The most important and difficult problem in
determination of arm and
forearm. animated film production is natural movement of
the characters.

α = arc cos((u2+f2-d2) /2uf)

β = arc cos((u2+d2-f2) /2ud)

Picture worked out by Z.Huang and A.Eliansa from VU. Amsterdam.

Courtesy of Z. Ruttkay, University of Twente

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Procedural animation II Rotoscopy

• Very general term for a technique that puts more The first attempt of solving the movement problem,
complex algorithms behind the scenes invented by Max Fleischer in 1915
• Technique attempts to consolidate artistic efforts in . Allow animators to trace cartoon character over
algorithms and heuristics photographed frames of live performances
• Useful for optimization and physical simulation

A horse animated by rotoscoping

from Eadweard Muybridge’s photos
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Advantages of the procedural animation Motion capture I

• Write-once, use-often Mocap – motion capture,

• Animation can be generated „on the fly” in 1984 Robert Abel (Abel and
Associates): advertisement
• Dynamic response to user „Sexy robot” (Brilliance).
• Algorithms provide accuracy and exhaustive search that
animators cannot

from http://design.osu.edu/carlson/history/tree/abel.html
Copyright law as fair use
usage only in educational purpose

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Motion capture II Motion capture V

• Extract data from real-world people acting out a scene Active optical system with
• Many techniques for getting the data: online simulation of the
animated character
– Mechanical (electromechanical) methods of extracting
motion (for small motions or with exoskeleton)
– Magnetic/Radio – attach magnets, transponders and
use sensors to get location
– Optical with passive markers or active markers
Pictures courtesy of company Virtual Magic i ATM Grupa

Actor in motion capture studio and picture of the monitor screen with
the animated character. Position of this character is determine by
optical markers on the actor’s dress (after calculation of course)
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The creation stages of contemporary

Motion capture III
animation

Pictures courtesy of company Virtual Magic i ATM Grupa

Wireframe pictures, shape modeled

with hidden surface elimination,
Texture , light and color.
Studio with motion capture equipment.
Optical active system – four tracing cameras
on the tripods.
left: one finished shot from the film
Actor in the special costume
with optical markers (LEDs) Courtesy of Studio Miniatur Filmowych in Warsaw

Frames and shot from Mano (2005).

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Motion capture IV Animation Summary (brief)

Technique Control Time to Computation Interactivity

Create Cost

P = K1+C1(P’-K1) Key-Framed Excellent Poor Low Low

P = K2+C2(P’’-K2) Motion Excelent at Medium Medium High at time

Capture time of of creation
C1 , C2 - proper constants creation, after
that poor
Procedural Poor Poor to High High
Motion capture system uses two projection (at least, but create
program
can be more !). Based on the position in projection the
coordinates of real position of the point are calculated.
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Physics of the animation Face modeling and animation

• Physical phenomenon Methods:

weight, speed, acceleration, • Directly modeling of shape ( polygonal mesh,
deformation parameterization, interpolation etc.)
• Stages of the movement (depending on time) • Anatomical based modeling (layer model with skin and
• Movement modeling depending on object properties muscles)
• Stiff and elastic objects • Parameterization of shape using expected expression
(„body language”) of the face.
• Collision detection
• Motion capture on the face level

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Human body (other character !)

Face – modeling and animation
modeling and animation

Methods:
• Simplified
– polygonal modeling or using other solids (ellipsoidal
shape)
• Anatomical based modeling (layer model with skin and
muscles)

In both cases skeleton with kinematics or motion capture can

be used in order to describe movement Courtesy of Z. Ruttkay, University of Twente

Ring of emotions and example of face modeling this way

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Character animation Face – modeling and animation

Motion capture of the face

Courtesy of Z. Ruttkay, University of Twente

Reverse kinematics used in human body animation.

An attempt of gesture animation: upper row extravert person, lower
row introvert. In column from left: emphasize, enumerate, sorry for, Courtesy of Janusz Gajdecki http://www.art.dfx.pl/

greeting. from left: actor with markers, wireframe model, virtual

character
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Face – modeling and animation

Agent Smith,
The Matrix Reloaded, Neo, The Matrix Reloaded,
Computer Graphics. left Computer Graphics,
right real actor.
pictures from papers:
Borshukov G., Lewis J.P.: Realistic Human Face Rendering for „The Matrix Reloaded”, SIGGRAPH 2003 Sketch #2,
Mihashi T., Tempelaar-Lietz C., Borshukov G.: Generating Realistic Human Hair for „The Matrix Reloaded”, SIGGRAPH 2003 Sketch #4,
Copyright law as fair use, usage only for educational purpose

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Bibliography (additionally)
● Beck J. (ed.): Sztuka animacji, Arkady 2004.
● Berger van den G.: Collision Detection in Interactive 3D
Environments, Morgan Kaufmann 2004.
● Bourg D.M.: Physics for Game Developers, O'Reilly Media,
Inc. 2001.
● Ericson C.: Real-Time Collision Detection, Morgan Kaufmann
2005.
● Haber J., Terzopoulos D.: Facial Modeling and Animation,
SIGGRAPH 2004 Course Notes.
● Magnenat-Thalmann N., Magnenat-Thalmann D.: Computer
Animation, Springer-Verlag 1985.
● Magnenat-Thalmann N., Magnenat-Thalmann D. (ed.): Handbook
of Virual Humans, Wiley 2004.
● Parent R.: Computer Animation, Algorithms and Techniques,
Morgan Kaufmann 2007.

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