Natasha Williams- character design

14^th May 09

Procedural animation- notes

 

Today I was introduced to a new area of animation. We had an animator/tutor come to our University to present some of his work and tell us about his influences on procedural animation. Procedural animation is a type of computer animation, used to generate animation in real-time. It is used in computer games, when actions are needed such as a character dying it will realistically fall to the floor. Procedural animation can be used to control a character and even more complex user-created characters can be control in the game from walking to driving a car and picking up objects. This technique can be used to control more than one character at the same time. Procedural animation was discovered by Mary Ellen Bute in the 20’s, this was imagery of pattern created by sound.

 

 

“Motion synthesis as in sound synthesis”

Procedural animation includes-

·      Key framing- Flash –easy to use, simple but effective animation 

·      Motion capture – After effects  

·      Blending- Maya

 

 

 

Physics based animation-

·      Particle systems – After effects

·      Cloth/flexible dynamics – Maya

·      Locomotion

·      Rigid- body physics – Maya

·      Fluids

 

 

 

Simulation= building a replica of reply

 

Genetic algorithms: synthetic characters can be trained to walk, swim, climb etc

Artificial Intelligence: can be used to control large numbers of characters

 

 

Philip Galanter-Generative art

 

Yoko Ono: 1961 Smoking paintings

Algorithmic art

 

·      Mathematically constructed

·      No visual hypothesis to begin with

·      Not a modelisation or simulation

·      Movements: Lyapunov, Lissajous art (Laposky,blue)

 

Computational aesthetics

Computation aesthetics or generative design is a process by which design is deconstructed into conception elements.

·      From the computer as a tool to the computer as a medium

·      Computers as programmable calculators

·      Programs as a custom-made piece of machinery set in motion

·      Handle data with software routine and procedures (handled by you)

 

Is it animation?

Whatever you do it is art but that is for you to decide, Procedural animation is a technical art and if you can find beauty in mathematical forms it helps a great deal and it all make sense.

 

Historical background

 

Mary Ellen Bute

Mary Ellen Bute began painting in 1920’s, she was influenced by cubism. She became the only animator in its time and was interested in physics and electronics, she combined science and technology to show “seeing sound”. In 1932 Mary Ellen Bute worked with Leon Theremin (invented the musical instrument) and they put together a show using electronics for drawing.

Book- Cecile starr- co-author-Experimental animation

 

 

John and James Whitney

·      Composer and painter

·      John studied music with Sheinberg in Paris

·      Created their own tools, using the oscillations of pendulums and pantograph to compare synthetic sound and motion

·      Reduced images to atomic levels, working with point of light

·      Motion control devices (optical printer-not creative)

·      Use of transformation- matrix- still use it today

 

Larry Cuba

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tools and Methods

 

·      3D studio max + Havok

·      Maya- create particle systems and soft bodies

·      After Effects- motion graphics

·      Lets you set up dynamic systems and run simulations

 

 

Visual programming environments

·      Max-MSP-musicians use this

·      Isadora

·      Pure-Data (open source) free- good program to start with

·      VVVV- not free

·      Quartz Composer (Mac only) free- well designed

 

Script based environments

·      Flash

·      Processing (open source)

·      Fluxus (open source environment)

-http://pawfal.org/fluxus

“People are working for a living”

 

Contempory figures

John Maeda

·      Associate Director of research, MIT Media lab

·      Redefined the use of electronic media  as a tool for expression and creativity

·      Works at the intersection of interaction, graphics and games

·      Books he has written:

Maeda @ media

Edited-Creative code

·      Initiated the “Design by numbers” project; a very simple programming environment to introduce artists to computational design (programming)

·      DBN became the stonework for processing used widely in the creative art world

 

Marius Watz

·      Began doing live graphics in the 90’s

·      Makes hedonistic and colourful visuals in contrast to minimalist or conceptional approaches that often characterises computer art

·      Creator of Generator x- a platform for generative practises

 

Other artists used generativity

·      Lia- http://re-move.org

·      Taxi- http://taxi.co.uk

·      Chdh- http://chdh.net

·      Flight 404- http://flight404.com

·      Dave Griffiths- http://pawful.org/dave – used Fluxus

·      Evan Raskds- http://pixelist.info

 

Outputs and applications

·      Artificial life algorithms (artificial life)

·      Modelisation of real world situations

·      Maths art (if you like it- use it)

·      “Visualises” programs using real-time sound analysis to produce sound responsive visuals

·      Visual instruments akin to their musical counterpart, can be used with controllers

 

Where is it used?

·      Music video’s

·      SFX in film

·      Audiovisual art

·      Real time graphics- playing graphics to the music

·      Games

 

Why use procedural techniques?

·      To achieve results that would be difficult/impossible in traditional animation

·      To explore the formal/structural qualities of algorithms

·      To create an animation that responds to events (e.g. audience/user input) utilisable in live contexts (games performance)

·      As a method to manipulate and re-shuffle existing media: sound samples, illustrations, re-useability of the things you produce- i.e. walk cycles