Guide to Computer Animation

Table of contents

1. Cover Page
2. Title Page
3. Copyright Page
4. Contents
5. Acknowledgements
6. Introduction
7. List of contributors
8. Dedication
9. Chapter 1. Exploring the background, tools and techniques of computer animation
   1. Introduction
   2. Perception
   3. The mechanism to make moving pictures
   4. Birth of the movie industry
   5. Traditional animation production techniques
   6. 2D computer animation
   7. 3D computer animation
   8. Digital convergence
   9. Animation: the art of making things move
   10. Conclusion
10. Chapter 2. Understanding the technical constraints of creating for different digital media
    1. Introduction
    2. Some technical issues
    3. Display devices
    4. Bitmap images and vectors
    5. Image size and resolution
    6. Frame rate
    7. Data rates and bandwidth
    8. Compression
    9. Types of software used in animation
    10. Hand-drawn animation
    11. Spline-based keyframe animation
    12. 2D morphing
    13. Using ready-made animations
    14. Output options
    15. 3D modeling and animation
    16. Modeling techniques
    17. Animating 3D worlds
    18. Linked hierarchies
    19. 3D morphing
    20. Procedural animation
    21. Output options
    22. Video editing and compositing tools
    23. Delivering animation
    24. Conclusion
11. Chapter 3. Techniques and stages of creating 3D computer animation
    1. Introduction
    2. Following the brief
    3. Scheduling your work to deliver on time
    4. Doing your research
    5. Checking the proposed action from your storyboard before creating the model
    6. Thinking about the most efficient way to make your models
    7. Constructing the basic room
    8. Paying attention to materials
    9. Paying attention to lighting your scene
    10. Fine-tuning the effects of lights used in your scene
    11. Lighting setups
    12. Using your camera effectively
    13. Camera lenses
    14. Using a number of cameras
    15. Basic camera moves
    16. Using your camera to explore the room
    17. Creating camera moves
12. Chapter 4. Animation for multimedia and new media
    1. Introduction
    2. Motivation and responsiveness: animated objects in multimedia
    3. Changing moves: animation and interaction
    4. Animation: an everyday experience
    5. Early games and hypertext
    6. Animation in iTV (interactive TeleVision)
    7. Approaches and working methods
    8. Rollovers, buttons and other responsive objects
    9. GIF animation
    10. Movable objects
    11. Animated worlds
    12. Conclusion
13. Chapter 5. Creating artwork for computer games: from concept to end product
    1. Introduction
    2. How is a game made?
    3. Animation in the computer games industry
    4. Animation to game
    5. What art positions are there in the games industry?
    6. What skills do employers look for?
    7. Conclusion
14. Chapter 6. tv case studies: looking behind the scenes at the creation of network idents and commercials
    1. Introduction
    2. TechTV
    3. Moviepix
    4. The Movie Network
    5. Super Écran
    6. Behind the scenes of Cingular Wireless
    7. The making of Chrysler’s ‘Golden Gate’
15. Chapter 7. The art and craft of telling a story: narrative and characterization
    1. Introduction
    2. The importance of understanding filmic techniques when creating screen narrative
    3. Audience perception
    4. Narrative theory in practice
    5. Using camera angles and framing to tell a story
    6. The soundtrack
    7. The storyboard
    8. Characterization
    9. Stylization and realism
    10. CGI combined with live action
    11. Character creations
    12. Making your characters talk
    13. Observation and inspiration
    14. Conclusion
16. Chapter 8. Project briefs, self-tests, tutorials and resources
    1. Introduction
    2. Self-test based on Chapter 1
    3. Self-test based on Chapter 2
    4. 3D modeling project based on Chapter 3: creating a room
    5. Self-test based on Chapter 4
    6. Web tutorial rollover project based on Chapter 4
    7. Self-test based on Chapter 5
    8. Exercises and 3D modeling project tutorials based on Chapter 5
    9. Exercises and projects based on Chapter 7
    10. Exercises in characterization based on Chapters 1, 5 and 7
    11. Useful online resources
    12. Magazines
    13. Books
17. Index