Introduction - Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques - page 8

Camera movement
Each plane can move
independently in six directions
FIGURE 1.3
Directional range of the multiplane camera, inside of which the image is optically composited.
With regard to the art of animation, Disney perfected the ability to impart unique, endearing person-
alities in his characters, such as those exemplified inMickeyMouse, Pluto, Goofy, the Three Little Pigs,
and the Seven Dwarfs [ 44 ] [ 45 ] . He promoted the idea that the mind of the character was the driving
force of the action and that a key to believable animated motion was the analysis of real-life motion.
He also developed mood pieces, for example, Skeleton Dance (1929) and Fantasia (1940).
1.2.4 Contributions of others
The 1930s saw the proliferation of animation studios, among them Fleischer, Iwerks, Van Beuren, Uni-
versal Pictures, Paramount, MGM, and Warner Brothers. The technological advances that are of con-
cern here were mostly complete by this period. The differences between, and contributions of, the
various studios have to do more with the artistic aspects of animation than with the technology involved
in producing animation [ 26 ]. Many of the notable animators in these studios were graduates of Disney's
or Bray's studio. Among the most recognizable names are Ub Iwerks, George Stallings, Max Fleischer,
Bill Nolan, Chuck Jones, Paul Terry, and Walter Lantz.
1.2.5 Other media for animation
The rich heritage of hand-drawn animation in the United States makes it natural to consider it the pre-
cursor to computer animation, which also has strong roots in the United States. However, computer
animation has a close relationship to other animation techniques as well.
A good comparison can be made between computer animation and some of the stop-motion tech-
niques, such as clay and puppet animation. Typically, in three-dimensional computer animation, one of
the first steps is the object modeling process. The models are then manipulated to create the three-
dimensional scenes that are rendered to produce the images of the animation. In much the same
way, clay and puppet stop-motion animation use three-dimensional figures that are built and then ani-
mated in separate, well-defined stages [ 23 ] . Once the physical three-dimensional figures are created,
they are used to lay out a three-dimensional environment. A camera is positioned to view the environ-
ment and record an image. One or more of the figures are manipulated, and the camera may be reposi-
tioned. The camera records another image of the scene. The figures are manipulated again, another
image is taken of the scene, and the process is repeated to produce the animated sequence.