contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

List of contributors

Chapter 1

by Marcia Kuperberg

Exploring the background, tools and techniques of computer animation

Introduction

Perception

The mechanism to make moving pictures

Birth of the movie industry

Traditional animation production techniques

2D computer animation

3D computer animation

Digital convergence

Animation: the art of making things move

Conclusion

Chapter 2

by Rob Manton

Understanding the technical constraints of creating for different digital media

Introduction

Some technical issues

Display devices

Bitmap images and vectors

Image size and resolution

Frame rate

Data rates and bandwidth

Compression

Types of software used in animation

Hand-drawn animation

Spline-based keyframe animation

2D morphing

Using ready-made animations

Output options

3D modeling and animation

Modeling techniques

Animating 3D worlds

Linked hierarchies

3D morphing

Procedural animation

Output options

Video editing and compositing tools

Delivering animation

Conclusion

Chapter 3

by Marcia Kuperberg

Techniques and stages of creating 3D computer animation

Introduction

Following the brief

Scheduling your work to deliver on time

Doing your research

Checking the proposed action from your storyboard before creating the model

Thinking about the most efficient way to make your models

Constructing the basic room

Paying attention to materials

Paying attention to lighting your scene

Fine-tuning the effects of lights used in your scene

Lighting setups

Using your camera effectively

Camera lenses

Using a number of cameras

Basic camera moves

Using your camera to explore the room

Creating camera moves

Chapter 4

by Alan Peacock

Animation for multimedia and new media

Introduction

Motivation and responsiveness: animated objects in multimedia

Changing moves: animation and interaction

Animation: an everyday experience

Early games and hypertext

Animation in iTV (interactive TeleVision)

Approaches and working methods

Rollovers, buttons and other responsive objects

GIF animation

Movable objects

Animated worlds

Conclusion

Chapter 5

by Martin Bowman

Creating artwork for computer games: from concept to end product

Introduction

How is a game made?

Animation in the computer games industry

Animation to game

What art positions are there in the games industry?

What skills do employers look for?

Conclusion

Chapter 6

by Marcia Kuperberg

tv case studies: looking behind the scenes at the creation of network idents and commercials

Introduction

TechTV

Moviepix

The Movie Network

Super Écran

Behind the scenes of Cingular Wireless

The making of Chrysler’s ‘Golden Gate’

Chapter 7

by Marcia Kuperberg

The art and craft of telling a story: narrative and characterization

Introduction

The importance of understanding filmic techniques when creating screen narrative

Audience perception

Narrative theory in practice

Using camera angles and framing to tell a story

The soundtrack

The storyboard

Characterization

Stylization and realism

CGI combined with live action

Character creations

Making your characters talk

Observation and inspiration

Conclusion

Chapter 8

compiled by Marcia Kuperberg

Project briefs, self-tests, tutorials and resources

Introduction

Self-test based on Chapter 1

Self-test based on Chapter 2

3D modeling project based on Chapter 3: creating a room

Self-test based on Chapter 4

Web tutorial rollover project based on Chapter 4

Self-test based on Chapter 5

Exercises and 3D modeling project tutorials based on Chapter 5

Exercises and projects based on Chapter 7

Exercises in characterization based on Chapters 1, 5 and 7

Useful online resources

Magazines

Books

Index

..................Content has been hidden....................

You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.
Reset
3.144.224.76