A Brief on 3D Animation

3 Dimensional computer animation is probably the most prevalent form of animation seen in media today. As its popularity has sky rocketed, 3D has forever changed the look of TV, movies, video games the internet and other forms of entertainment.

The ability to create convincing 3D animation was once limited to a high powered, expensive workstations, but with computer technology on the move – always improving and always becoming more accessible – the cost of 3D software and the platforms to run it on has dropped dramatically.

While higher end systems remain the ones that are used to make the most professional looking imagery, it is now possible to create quality animation on a home computer.

If you have no experience in 3D animation, it is helpful to think of it as a digital hybrid of classic animation techniques and live action film. All of the basic principles of animation still apply, and the best 3D animators have usually started as cel or stop – motion animators.

Traditional animator’s knowledge of movement, wait & expression of characters allows their work to be far superior to the over used “flying logos” and traveling camera moves, so typical of poor 3D animation. A working knowledge of film production is also a key to in creating high quality 3D work.

Just as a live action director sets up cameras, positions actors and lights scenes, so too must a 3D animator. Because the computer aids in the process, a common myth is that 3D animation is easier, faster and even better than other forms of animation. While the machine does, in fact, draw every frame of the animation, the entire process is complex and takes some getting used to.

As with any form of animation, 3D animation requires liberal amounts of patience and diligence, but with the home computer and software costing less than $500, you can create amazing imagery that realistically duplicates our own world or explores new visions, limited only by the imagination.

3D computer graphics are often referred to as 3D models. Apart from the rendered graphic, the model is contained within the graphical data file. However, there are differences. A 3D model is the mathematical representation of any three-dimensional object (either inanimate or living). A model is not technically a graphic until it is visually displayed.

Due to 3D printing, 3D models are not confined to virtual space. A model can be displayed visually as a two-dimensional image through a process called 3D rendering, or used in non-graphical computer simulations and calculations.

The process of creating 3D computer graphics can be sequentially divided into three basic phases: 3D modeling which describes the process of forming the shape of an object, layout and animation which describes the motion and placement of objects within a scene, and 3D rendering which produces an image of an object.

Computer animation is essentially a digital successor to the art of stop motion animation of 3D models and frame-by-frame animation of 2D illustrations.

For 3D animations, objects (models) are built on the computer monitor (modeled) and 3D figures are rigged with a virtual skeleton.

For 2D figure animations, separate objects (illustrations) and separate transparent layers are used, with or without a virtual skeleton. Then the limbs, eyes, mouth, clothes, etc. of the figure are moved by the animator on key frames. The differences in appearance between key frames are automatically calculated by the computer in a process known as tweening or morphing. Finally, the animation is rendered.

For 3D animations, all frames must be rendered after modeling is complete. For 2D vector animations, the rendering process is the key frame illustration process, while tweened frames are rendered as needed.

For pre-recorded presentations, the rendered frames are transferred to a different format or medium such as film or digital video. The frames may also be rendered in real time as they are presented to the end-user audience. Low bandwidth animations transmitted via the internet (e.g. 2D Flash, X3D) often use software on the end-users computer to render in real time as an alternative to streaming or pre-loaded high bandwidth animations.

3D Animaton means animating objects that appear in a three-dimensional space. They can be rotated and moved like real objects. Whistling Woods International School of Animation is one the best animation school in India which allows students to get the film making edge, unique to this school. —- Article from articlesbase.com

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A Brief on 3D Animation related articles from the blogosphere…

Disappears – it's magic! Which 3D Animation Software Should I Use

Pixels is a Mac-only 3D program that offers advanced rendering and animation and robust modeling for a modest cost. It also features a renderer based on the REYES algorithm-the same one used in Pixar’s RenderMan software. …

Publish Date: 11/16/2010 2:42

http://disappears.org/423937-Which-3D-Animation-Software-Should-I-Use.html

Muvizu 3D: Free, easy to use 3D animation software – Instant Fundas

If you fancy creating your own 3D animation short but lack the effort, time, dedication and mostly the skills required to master the art, Muvizu 3D is exactly what you need. This free 3D animation software makes it super easy for anyone …

Publish Date: 11/15/2010 20:49

http://www.instantfundas.com/2010/11/muvizu-3d-free-easy-to-use-3d-animation.html

Cheetah3D 5.6 – 3D modeling, rendering and animation package. (Demo)

Cheetah3D 5.6 Cheetah3D is a lean, fast, and elegant 3D modeling, rendering, and animation package with an easy learning curve. It was written from ground up in Cocoa and offers many powerful tools like subdivision surface modelling, …

Publish Date: 11/16/2010 6:52

http://www.mac-update.net/cheetah3d-5-6-3d-modeling-rendering-and-animation-package-demo/

Anaglyph 3D Animation Movie Trailer – PANGEA The Neverending World

Try the YT3D in HD! www.youtube.com NORMAL HD 1080p: www.youtube.com

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Watchmen Graphic Novel Should be Left a Comic Book

Back in 1986, writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons formulated a mystery based on the Cold War, wherein the threat of nuclear warfare is an imminent fear. The story explored the possibility that superheroes existed in the 1940s. And the Watchmen were born…

And in this setting of the Watchmen graphic novel, superheroes are roughly classified into two. They are either working for the government, donning their suits while on retainer and paid by people’s taxes, or they are outlawed. Most superheroes not working for the government have decided to embark on other productive endeavors like business, and leave crime-fighting and costume-wearing behind. Some continue to be heroes, but are considered as fugitives, thanks to the law that was passed outlawing superheroes.

Creator Alan Moore cannot be blamed for wanting his art to remain in the chosen medium it was created. Not only due to the huge differences between reading a comic book and watching a film, but also because of the previous experiences he has had with his publisher and the process of converting his work from paper to film.

Initially, he thought that separating himself from the process of converting his work to a movie would turn out fine. Moore admits that he was wrong about distancing himself. The latest of his work to be released as a movie is the Watchmen graphic novel.

“The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” one of Moore’s works, was also adapted into film. He distanced himself from the process, feeling that as long as he didn’t see any of the film and had nothing to do with it, everything would be fine.

He was fairly surprised when producer Martin Poll and writer Larry Cohen filed a law suit against 20th Century Fox for alleged plagiarism. They claim that their script – yet to be produced – was copied. Indeed, the two scripts bore many similarities, but these were elements added to the film and were not in any way found in Moore’s comics.

Due to the lawsuit, Alan Moore had to testify in a deposition. The experience, he described, was shockingly painful. As if the misery was not enough, Fox settled the case, signaling to Moore that it was an admission of guilt, something he stated he had no involvement in.

When “V for Vendetta” was made into a film, producer Joel Silver stated to the press that fellow producer Larry Wachowski had talked with Alan Moore, and that Moore was excited about the project. But according to Moore, he adamantly refused to be part of anything with films, and still wasn’t interested in Hollywood.

Alan Moore wanted a public retraction and an apology. While he got an apology from Silver, who appears had also been deceived by Wachowski, there never was a public retraction.

Aside from this, Moore claims that the comic book was specifically about anarchy and fascism. Nowhere in the movie was these two things even seen or mentioned. Clearly, the adaptation of the comic book into a film reinvents Moore’s work into something totally different, something Moore would have not created and would definitely not want to be credited with.

The Watchmen graphic novel became the latest of Moore’s being adapted into a film, and was released in 2009. And anyone who has read the graphic novel and seen the film knows that the film was yucky to say the least.

Due to the lack of ability of Hollywood to translate his works into films that fairly reflect his work, it is understandable the reluctance and displeasure expressed by Alan Moore regarding film adaptations. It is bad enough that he doesn’t get paid for his work, he is also stuck with his name attached to work inherently at odds with what and who Alan Moore is.

If you haven’t read Watchmen, you have a treat in store, but read before you try watching the film…

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Watchmen Graphic Novel Should Have been Left a Comic Book related articles from the blogosphere…

REVIEW: Watchmen, Alan Moore (Graphic Novel Week #3) ~ Katie M …

This is the third day of Graphic Novel Week (although, technically, it should be the fourth…), and I’m going to be talking about arguably the most famous graphic novel ever written: Watchmen. While a lot of graphic novels have been …

Publish Date: 11/04/2010 9:40

http://katiemstout.blogspot.com/2010/11/review-watchmen-alan-moore-graphic.html

Watchmen: The Graphic Novel, the Movie and Adaptation

The Watchmen graphic novel is sublime. It’s film adaptation is one of the more faithful that I’ve seen, and it’s very entertaining. But it didn’t move me. I am truly at a loss to describe why. I don’t think it’s because it became more …

Publish Date: 11/02/2010 14:08

http://pharoahphobia.blogspot.com/2010/11/watchmen-graphic-novel-movie-and.html

Why Do Graphic Novel Adaptations Of Popular Novels Usually Suck …

There’s no sense of a world being shown or a story told. Compare that with Asterios Polyp where every color matters or Watchmen‘s long comic-ending document “excerpts” from things in the graphic novel. It just looks like laziness to me. …

Publish Date: 11/01/2010 0:01

http://dreamsandspeculation.com/2010/11/01/why-do-graphic-novel-adaptations-of-popular-novels-usually-suck/

Watchmen: Graphic Novel vs. Movie comparison

Comparing shots from the Watchmen trailer to Alan Moore’s graphic novel.