Project Report 3d animation
Content
3D Animation Movie
Using Autodesk Maya and Motion Capture Technology
by
Sumit Pratap Singh (1109110099)
Saawan Kumar Singh (1109110081)
Akshay Verma (1109110119)
Shubhangi Dixit (1209110805)
Department of Computer Science
Name of Institute
JSS ACADEMY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION, NOIDA
C-20/1, Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301
January, 2015
3D Animation Movie
Using Autodesk Maya and Motion Capture Technology
by
Sumit Pratap Singh (1109110099)
Saawan Kumar Singh (1109110081)
Akshay Verma (1109110119)
Shubhangi Dixit (1209110805)
Submitted to
Department of Computer Science
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Bachelor of Technology
in
Computer Science
JSS MAHAVIDYAPEETHA
JSS Academy of Technical Education Noida
UTTAR PRADESH TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
2014-15
DECLARATION
We hereby declare that this submission is our own work and that, to the best of our knowledge and belief,
it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a
substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or
other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgment has been made in the text.
Signature
:
Name
: Sumit Pratap Singh
Roll No.
: 1109110099
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
: Saawan Kumar Singh
Roll No.
: 1109110081
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
: Akshay Verma
Roll No.
: 1109110119
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
: Shubhangi Dixit
Roll No.
: 1209110805
Date
: January, 13th 2015
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Project Report entitled “3D Amination Movie using Autodesk Maya and
Motion Capture Technology" which is submitted by Sumit Pratap Singh, Saawan Singh, Akshay
Verma, Shubhangi Dixit in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree B. Tech.
in Department of Computer Science of U. P. Technical University, is a record of the candidate
own work carried out by him under my/our supervision. The matter embodied in this thesis is
original and has not been submitted for the award of any other degree.
Supervisor: Deepti Agarwal
Date: 13th January, 2015
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It gives us a great sense of pleasure to present the report of the B. Tech Project undertaken during B.
Tech. Final Year. We owe special debt of gratitude to Professor Mrs. Deepti Agarwal, Department of
Computer Science & Engineering, JSS Academy of Technical Education, Noida for her constant support
and guidance throughout the course of our work. Her sincerity, thoroughness and perseverance have
been a constant source of inspiration for us. It is only her cognizant efforts that our endeavours have seen
light of the day.
We also do not like to miss the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of all faculty members of the
department for their kind assistance and cooperation during the development of our project.
Signature
:
Name
: Sumit Pratap Singh
Roll No.
: 1109110099
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
:Saawan Kumar Singh
Roll No.
: 1109110081
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
: Akshay Verma
Roll No.
: 1109110119
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
:Shubhangi Dixit
Roll No.
: 1209110805
Date
: January, 13th 2015
ABSTRACT
Computer Animations have in recent years become very common in Feature Movies,
Television Commercials and Computer Gaming Industry. Computer animation, or CGI animation, is the
process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term
computer-generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images while computer
animation only refers to moving images. Computer-generated animations are more controllable than
other more physically based processes, such as constructing miniatures for effects shots or hiring extras
for crowd scenes, and because it allows the creation of images that would not be feasible using any other
technology. It can also allow a single graphic artist to produce such content without the use of actors,
expensive set pieces, or props.
The goal of this project is to demonstrate using Autodesk Maya and Motion Capture Technology, the
existing practice for Production of Animated content for Visual Media and Entertainment. An additional
goal was to demonstrate the possibilities for collaborative work among animators by allowing several
animators to animate one or many objects at the same time in real-time using python scripting techniques
and motion capture. Motion capture (Mo-cap for short) is the process of recording the movement of
objects or people. Motion capture transfers the movement of an actor to a digital character. Systems that
use tracking cameras (with or without markers) can be referred to as "optical," while systems that
measure inertia or mechanical motion are "non-optical".
Table of Contents
Page
DECLARATION
1
ABSTRAK
2
ABSTRACT
3
LIST OF FIGURES
6
LIST OF TABLES
7
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Introduction
1.2
1
Problem Statement
1.3
Goal
2
3
1.4
Objective
3
1.5
Target Users
3
1.6
Project Timeline (Gantt Chart)
4
1.7
Report Organisation
4
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1
Introduction
6
2.2
History of Animation
6
2.3
Technique Applied in Animation
8
2.3.1
Traditional Animation
8
2.3.2
Computer Animation
10
2.4
2D Animation
10
2.5
Evolution to 3D Animation
11
2.6
Difference in 2D and 3D Animation
12
2.7
3D Animation in Film Industry
13
2.8
Storyline Definition
17
2.9
Theme
17
2.10
Conclusion
18
CHAPTER 3
ANALYSIS
3.1
Introduction
20
3.2
Requirement
20
3.2.1
Hardware Requirements
20
3.2.2
Software Requirements
21
3.2.3
Functional Requirements
22
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
At the early age of Animation, t was done by hand and all of the frames in animation had to be drawn on a
piece of paper. A tremendous amount of work is essential even to develop shortest animated films. there
are a couple of different techniques were developed for creating animation by hand such as Cel
Animation, key frames and Rotoscoping Technique.
However, the development of computer technology has driven the new era in Animation in which
where it is today. Since the invention of software which enables an animator to develop 2-Dimensional
animation to the invention of software which enable an animator to develop 3-Dimensional Animation,
the area of animation have been developed and it is used in Many Industries today.
Talking about 3-dimensional Animation, people will imagine the movement of realistic character
which as same as in the real life. The development of 3D animation today. makes the 3D elements usefel
in multiple aspects. In example, 3D is used for the purpose of Advertisements of Television, film
production, video clip production and also games industry. The most popular one of the usage od 3D is in
the film production.
Nowadays, 3D character is used to perform actions in many films which cannot be reached or
done by human character. This is especially for the Animal character, fictions science character and many
more. We have seen much 3D Animation films in the market today. There are two kinds of 3D Film, the
first one is cartoon character and the second one is in real character. For Example is King Kong, Lord of
the Rings and Dinosaur which is the use of 3D Character that looks like it is in real. The Examples of 3
Animation using Cartoon Character as Shrink, Over the Hedge, Toy Story and Aunt Bully.
1.2 Problem Statement
In 3D Animation development, the most critical problem is to create a good character which could attract
user's attention. The Character being developed should be suitable with the story line and could bring the
message of the story. The weakness in character design can cause the story will not be understandable and
the message of the story will not be reached by the end users.
Today, 3D Animation has become the popular types of animation to create stories or simple
animation movie. This happens due to the rapid changes from 2D Animation to 3D Animation. 2D
Animation looks flat and the movement of characters looks unrealistic. This makes the story being
developed look like immature. This scenario causes the message to be brought by 2D Animation
sometimes cannot be reached to the audience.
In terms of the film industry, 3D Animation becomes one of the most important parts especially
for the story which involves science fictions. The limitations of action which can be done by human actor
force the film director to hire a good animator to create an animation for certain characters in movie. This
can be done such as the character of Dinosaur movie and the character of Big Snake (Anaconda) in
Anaconda movie.
In the rapid development on animation today, most of the animation being created focuses on
comedy, wars and happening stories. There are less of animation story which focuses on moral values.
Thus, in the developing projects, focus were given in developing a story which conveyed a moral valuw
which is suitable with the Target Users.
1.3
Goal
The goal of this 3D Animation Project is to develop 3D Animation short stories that have a moral valuw
and can be emotionally entertaining whistle educating people especially children. The entire story is
brought to audience in a simple 3D animation story titled The Worst Day in my Life, with the message
"listens to your parents"
1.4
Objective
In developing this 3D Animation there are some objectives that would like to be achieved. It is hopefully
that the list of objectives for this project will help to achieve the goals of this project. The objective of this
project as stated below.
a) To develop an interesting 3D Animation which may attract user especially children.
b) To entertain people watching 3D Animation besides promoting good value to people
especially children 3D Animation story.
1.5
Target User
General, the goal of development of 3D Animation story is to attract user to watch and enjoy the story.
However, to attract the user attention the user on the story being developed, animation or developer
should know the target user of the story. By knowing the Target users then, a relevance story can be
developed to fulfill the goals of the project. The target user for this project is children aged below 12
years old. This is because, children age is the most suitable age to learn about positive values. However,
the story can also be watched by different ages of people.
1.6
Report Organization
This report contains 7chapters. The first chapter is Introduction. Introduction chapter describes the basic
animation development. Besides, it also touch on the goals and objective of the project being developed
and general information on animation development which is based on the weaknesses and the problem
faced by the early style of animations. In this chapter the target user is also being specified and the
schedule of the project development plans is presented in Gantt Chart.
The Second chapter is the literature review. Literature review, consist of the history of animation
and the evolutions in animation which brought to the 3D Animation level. Besides, it also tells on the
technique applied in animation and the use of 3D Animation in the film industry. A brief description of the
animation being developed with the theme and a few elements related to animation field also discussed.
The third chapter of this report concerned on analysis of hardware and software requirement
which will be used to developed this 3D Animation project. The explanation of the hardware and software
used in both side of developer and end user were discussed briefly.
The fourth chapter in this report is design. Design become the most important part in 3D
Animation development because it is the phase of Animator try their best to create a good character and
stage (In form of sketches). In this Chapter, the synopsis of the 3D Animation developed and the character
design is presented. The overall storyboard of this 3D animation project also being elaborated in details.
The fifth chapter is implementation. This is the critical phase in 3D Animation development
where animator to develop the story character into 3D model. In this chapter the explanations of the
modelling process, rigging process, animation, lighting, rendering process and also the audio and video
editing being elaborated in details. The explanations will be supported with some figure on how is was
done.
While the sixth chapter is testing and evaluation. Testing and evaluation being done to examine
the functionality of the overall 3D project. This is to ensure that the 3D short stories being developed
accort with the target user's requirements. The testing and evaluation process is divided into 3 parts which
is testing before development testing during development and testing after development of the projects.
And the last chapter in this report is conclusion. This chapter concerned on summarize all of the
chapters from the first to the end chapter. There also some recommendation being suggested for the future
development of 3D Short Stories animation.
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1
Introduction
Nowadays, animation have become one of the most developed fields in multimedia. It is being used in
many areas of industry, especially in film industry, advertising and promotion, education and also in game
industry. However, peoples are never alert on how the animation was begun and some particular thing
which bring the animation to what is today.
Thus, in this chapter, it will touch briefly on the history of animation, techniques being user in
animation, 2D Animation, and the evolution from 2D to 3D Animation, the use of 3D Animation in the
film industry, and also the difference between 2D and 3D Animation. Besides, in this chapter, the
storyline definition and theme of this project is being discussed.
2.2
History of Animation
Animation did not just happen instantly. Many people contribute to make animation on what is today, and
make computer animation at all possible. From using the movie images which consist of many sketched
of scene drawn on a paper, then developing techniques for creating animation using computer the field of
animations have developed to what it is today.
Animation is a technique of moving characters by combination of frames of picture following the
sequence of it movements. The word 'Animation' comes from a Japanese word 'anime' which means
breathe, wind, air and alive. The development of animation is driven by the invention of electronic
devices which can be present the animation to the audience. In 1831 Dr. Joseph Antoine Plateau and Dr.
Simon Rittrer constructed a machine called a phenakitstoscope which produced an illusion of movement
by allowing a viewer to gaze at a rotating disk containing small windows, behind which was another disk
containing a sequence of images. Then the disks were rotated at the correct speed, the synchronization of
the windows with the images created an animated effect (Cybulski, k. & Valentine, D., 1995).
However, as time goes by many devices have been invented which enables the end users to watch
and enjoy the animation. The first animated film is "Fantagmagore" was released on 1908 done by Cohl
(MacLaughlin, D,. 2001). After that many animated films have been created and few animation
companies have been setup which involved in animation industry. The early company that monopolies
animation industry such as Kansas City Slide Company (1920), Walt Disney Studio (1992) and Bray
Studio (1923).
All of the early animation was created in 2D animation. However trials to make 3D animation
have been started before the invention of computers. That is, in 1936 Max Fleischer produces "POPEYE
THE SAILOR MEETS SINBAD THE SAILOR" a 20 minute film. It is shot on a horizontal rig with 3Dimensional models for background and the characters drawn on cels and placed between two sheets of
glass and set in front of the models (Cybulski, k.& Valentine, D., 1995).
And today, animation have becomes one of the biggest industries in the broadcasting field. It is
used not only for the purpose of films and cartoon production only, even in another fields such as
advertisements, games and education.
2.3
Technique Applied in Animation
Since the early age of Animation until today, there are many techniques that have been applied to create
animation. Generally, types of animation technique can be classes into two categories which is traditional
animation and computer animation.
2.3.1
Traditional Animation
The traditional animation consists of many techniques. The most popular are Cel Animation and
Rotoscoping. Before the use of cel animation of the entire frame, including the background and
all characters and items, were drawn on a single sheet of paper, and then photographed.
Everything had to be redrawn for each frame containing movements.
However, after the cel animation invented by Earl Hurd and john Bray in 1915, it
becomes an important innovation to traditional animation. It allows some parts of each frame to
be repeated from frame to frame. A simple example of using cel animation technique would be a
scene with two characters on screen, one of which is talking and other standing silently. Since the
latter character is not moving, it can be displayed in this scene using only one drawing, on one
cel, while multiple drawings on multiple cels will be used to animate the speaking character. The
example of the usage of cel animation on the figure 2.1, on the next page.
Figure 2.1:
The cel animation technique. How to transparent cels, each with a different
character drawn on them, and an opaque background are photographed together to
form the composite image.
The second popular method of traditional animation is Rotoscoping. It was invented by Max
Fliescher in 1915. In Rotoscoping technique animation is "traced" over actual film footage of actors and
scenery. Traditionally, the live action will be printed out frame and registered. Another piece of paper is
then plaved over the live action printouts and the action is traced frame by frame using a lightbox. The
end result still looks hand drawn but the motion will be remarkably lifelike. In Rotoscopng, if the movie
was supposed to contain inanimate objects like a car or a boat, a small live action model of the object(s)
was built and painted white, while the edges of the model were painted with thin black lines. Most of the
popular cartoons use the Rotoscoping technique such as in Snow White and the Seven Dwarf and
Sleeping and Beauty.
2.3.2
Computers Animation
As time goes by the invention of computer in late 1940 has change the way animation being created. After
computer age comes, the animation designer move to animation studio, where there the outline drawings
scanned into the computer and filled with digital paint instead colored by hand like in cel animation.
By computer, working in animation become easier and fast. Computer animation has developed
rapidly, to the current stage where movies can be created with characters so life-like as to approach
indistinguishability from live-action actors. This involves modeling, motion generation, followed by the
addition of surfaces, and finally rendering. Surfaces are programmed to stretch and bend automatically in
responce to movements of a 'wire from model', and the final rendering converts such as movements to a
bitmap image. It is the recent developments in rendering complex surfaces like fur and clothing textures
that have enabled stunningly life-like environments and character models, including surfaces that even
ripple, fold and blow in the wind, with every fibre on hair individually calculated for rendering.
2.4
2D Animation
The 2D Animation is the early styles in animation before the development of 3D Animation. The concept
of 2D Animation is arranging pictures or images in sequence following the movements order. This called
frame oriented or picture by picture. In Developing 2D Animation, animator or developer needs to draw
the same character in multiple movements on piece of paper After that, the papers contain movement of
image will be move quickly to make the characters look alive. In this style, the patience of animators is
very essential to draw thousands of movements for a character in a film.
Nowadays, with computer technology, 2D animation becomes a bit easy to be done. Animator
just needs to master 2D Animation software to create an animation. The most popular software used to
create 2D Animation is Macromedia Flash and Toon Boom. Many 2D Animation sotries have been
created and it is dominating the animation market until today. However, the movements of character in
2D Animation took flat and sometimes not attractive.
2.5 Evolution to 3D Animation
The 3D animation evolves from the usage of 2D Animation. 3D Animation becomes popular due to
weakness of 2D animation and desire of animator and developer to create animation that looks in reality.
3D animation is a process where characters or objects are created as moving images. Rather than
traditional flat or 2D characters, these 3D animation images give the impression of being able to move
around characters and observe them from all angles, just like real life (Christensen, S., 2005). 3D
animation technology is relatively new and if done by hand would take thousands of hours to complete
one short section of moving film The employment of computers and software has simplified and
accelerated the 3D animated process. As a result, the number of 3D animators as well as the use of 3D
animation technology has increased.
The evolution of 3D Animation move together with the rapid development of computer
technology. The invention of Computer Graphic Image (CGI) that can be installed in a computer bring a
great view of visual and this contribute to the production and a good 3D Animation performane.
Further, there are many 3D software tools have been created to make 3D animation. Some of the
popular one is Studio Max, Poser and Autodesk Maya. All of these softwares increased the productivity of
3D Animation Production. What is being imagined by audience.
A good animation story is the animation which have a good storyline and arranged properly in
order. As the objective of animation that is to give employment and satisfaction to the audience and at the
same time leave a great impact in audience memory. That is why, before comes to the development phase,
each elements and storyline should be studied so long the animation being created could reach demands
of end users.
Today the 3D Animation have been combines with the real image. The application of blue screen
usage make actor perform with character through editing process. This can be seen in "LOONEY
TOONS" film and many more.
2.6
Difference between 2D and 3D Animation
The Difference between 2D and 3D animation can be seen in image design, character movements,
background, coloring styles and many more.
In term of images, 3D Animation look like realistic and attractive than 2D animation which the
image took flat. In 3D animation, the character is designed to be look alive so that it can attract the end
user. As being stated before the development of Computer Graphic Image create a new technique in
Animation. The CGI technique help animator to create great animation movements rather that using the
manual technique.
In term of background and stage development, 3D Animation can be matched with the real
background. Since the character look like realistic, so there is no problem to combine 3D animation with
a realistic background. This cannot be done to 2D Animation where animator forced to draw the
background of every scene in a story.
In term of coloring styles, the 3D animation use many tones color that makes it look more
attractive in realistic. This does not go to 2D animation.
2.7
3D Animation in Film Industry
Looking at the development of 3D animation, it is undeniably that it is one of the important elements in
film industry. 3D animation bring the way movie presented to end user to a level where can experience
the things which they imagine in fantasy into reality.
A well made 3D movie can provide an audience with an unparallel cinematic experience that
stimulates the imagination in a way that is undeniable. Digital technology is constantly making huge
strides in every aspect of film making and video production. This statement goes for 3D production as
well.
3D animation in film industry can be classes into two categories. The first category is a 3D
Animation film in which all the character and stage fully uses 3D models. This category is very difficult
to be created because animator needs to design every stage and character will look like cartoon and 3D
elements just can be seen in the movements of characters. Most s the animation film in this category
usually uses animal character such as in the hoodwinked , The Wild, Toy Story, Madagascar, and Over the
Hedge Movie. However, there also some of the animation films in this category use human character such
as in Final Fantasy, where the characters, models and stage look like about to realistic.
The second category is combination of 3D Character or models with realistic scene or even with
true actor. For this category the 3D models being uses look like in real life to make it is matched with
realistic world. A good technique, of modeling and colorings is essential in this category to create models
that look like in realistic. Most of the movie use this category is the movie which is related to fiction
science story, history, and movie with character which cannot be performed by human character. The
examples of Film use this category such as King Kong, Namia and Harry Potter.
With the invention of many techniques and driven by the development of new technologies, new
movies with even more advanced and arguably better animation quality are enroute (david S., 2004).
These make the 3D animation as a very competitive market in animation Industry.
Even there are many films in 3D animation in the market today, most of the movie focuses on
comedy story, wars, hostility and heroism rather than 3D Animation movie that conveyed full story which
have moral value. However, there are some 3D Animation movies which bring moral value to end user.
Figure: A Short 3D Animation Movie
2.8
Storyline Definition
In animation, the function of a story is to tell and express about a things or events that occurred
throughout the animations whether in physically, mentally or spiritually and change every time and
change every time. For example:
a)
Things which is required and achieved
b)
Decisions which being made.
c)
A journey to be accomplished.
d)
The Solutions for a Problem
2.9
Theme
The definition of theme is the main concept of a story. Theme should come together with the story with
the story that is going to present to the end users. A good theme will make a story to be consigned
accurately and easily understand by the end users.
There are a few themes which is always being used in a story such as
Wars
Family
Heroism
Love
Friendship
Terrified
Comedy
Religious
Sometimes there is also a combination of themes in a story. It aims to reinforce the storyline or the
animation being presented.
2.10
Conclusion
In this chapter, it has shown how animation was begun in the early day of animation. It also discussed
about 2D and 3D Animation briefly and some examples of 2D and 3D animation films.
The development from 2D to 3D animation is driven by the invention of many programs such as
Maya and 3D Max. These programs made creating 3D Characters and 3D animated projects possible.
With the popularity of movies like Toy Story and Shriek, the genre of 3D animated films has established
its place in 21st Century culture. What's more, there a demand for 3D Animation over and beyond what
animation houses and movie studios are currently producing.
CHAPTER 3
ANALYSIS
3.1
Introduction
The development of a project needs some requirements to make the project perform better and achieves
the goals and the projects. In developing 3D animation, the capabilities of computer and hardware plays a
big impact of the animation quality. The animator should determine the minimum and maximum
requirement of hardware and else softwares to be used to develop a good and attractive animation.
3.2
Requirements
To ensure this project implemented effectively, some computer hardware and software is required. In this
project, the hardware used as a minimal rate of capabilities to create an animation. This is due to the
restriction such as high cost is the most important thing in the animation development. There are a few of
3D animation software sold in the market today. It comes with many capabilities to help user or animate
to create 3D animation. However, in developing 3D Animation, there are also some other software being
used to edit graphics, sound and to make simple animation.
3.2.1
Hardware Requirements
The hardware requirements used in this project are:
Central Processing Unit (CPU) Intel Pentium 4, 3.06Ghz
Hard Disk, Maxtor 80 GB SATA II
Graphics Card, 128 MB (ATI Radeon 9450)
Memory Chip (RAM), DDR2 512 MB
Koyboard
USB Mouse
Monitor, Acer LCD monitor 15"Inch
Printer and Scanner
Storage Devices (Thumb Drive), Kingston 1 GB.
CD-Rom Drive, Samsung 52X Max, and
DVD-RW Drive, BenQ Double Player
While for the user the hardware requirement they need to view this 3D Animation is a set
of desktop computer or laptop which least have capabilities such as:
Intel Pentium III (1.06Ghz above)
Integrated Graphics Slots, and
Monitor and Speaker
3.2.2
Software Requirements
This list of software used in this project are shown below:
Autodesk 3ds Max8
Autodesk Maya 2013
Adobe Photoshop CS6
Adobe Premier Pro CS6
Adobe After Effects CS6
Windows XP, Windows 7 Operating System
3.2.3
Functional Requirements
Below is the explanation for the hardware used in this project:
Central Processing Unit (CPU) Intel Pentium 4, 3.06 Ghz
The power of processing units being used influenced the performance of 3D animation being
developed. Processor determines how fast data can be processes. The minimum specification to
develop 3D animation is Intel Pentium 4, 1.5 Ghz and maximum until Intel Pentium D, 3.60 Ghz (today),
(For Pentium Branded Processor)
Hard Disk, Maxtor 80 GB SATA II
Internal Hard Disk used in these projects is required to store all the information being collected, store the
model being created and stored the end product of 3D animation. The minimum capacity of storage
device can be used as little as 20 GB.
Graphics Card, 128 MB
To enhance the graphics presentation of the 3D Animation it is suggested the graphics card should be
installed into the computer. This is because it will to give a good view of animation to the user rather than
using integrated graphics.
Memory Chip (RAM), DDR2 512 MB
The efficiency of a computer also depends on the Random Access Memory (RAM). RAM is a place
where the memory of application being used is stored. The higher the RAM power would help in
rendering process in term of time-consuming. For this projects the lower of power of RAM can be used is
512 MB and u to the maximum power of 2 GB.
Keyboard
Used in typing process (insert the data) and help in overall of the 3D production.
USB Mouse
Help animator to perform his work on this projects (Editing graphics, create animation characters, editing
sounds and etc).
Monitor, Acer LCD monitor 15"Inch
Display the work being done and the end products of these projects. The wider the screen the more visual
satisfaction achieved. Minimum specifications is 15" Inch and the maximum 17" Inch.
Storage Device (Thumb Drive), Kingston 1 GB.
External storage device which is used to store data get from the internet or any other resource. It is
compatible and mobile. It replaced the diskette as external storage devices.
CD-Rom Drive, Samsung 52Max
Used to install some software comes with CD.
DVD-RW Drive, BenQ double layer
Used to install some software comes with DVD. It is also used to burn the final product of these projects
inside the Cd's or DVD.
Windows XP Professional, Windows 7 Operating System, Service Pack 2
Basically, this is the main system which used to run all the software to run all the software that used in
these projects. Its support the operation of the software used.
Animation Softwares
Autodesk 3d Max 8
The most important software in this project while enable the modeling and rendering process being done,
and mostly all of the characters and stage design was built using this software. It's good software to create
3D animation.
Adobe Photoshop CS6
Used to create some graphics and do editing on some graphics.
Adobe After Effects CS6
Adobe After Effects is primarily used for creating motion graphics and visual effects.
After Effects allows users to animate, alter and composite media in 2D and 3D space
with various built-in tools and third party plug-ins, as well as individual attention to
variables like parallax and user-adjustable angle of observation.
After Effects and some non-linear editing systems (NLEs) are layer-oriented, meaning
that each individual media object (video clip, audio clip, still image, etc.) occupies its
own track. In contrast, other NLEs use a system where individual media objects can
occupy the same track as long as they do not overlap in time. This track-oriented system
is more suited for editing and can keep project files much more concise. The layeroriented system that After Effects adopts is suited for extensive effects work
and keyframing. Although other compositing packages, especially ones that employ tree
or node workflows, such as Nuke andeyeon Fusion are better suited to manage large
volumes of objects within a composite, After Effects is able to counter the clutter
somewhat by selectively hiding layers (using the Shy switch) or by grouping them into
pre-compositions.
The main interface consists of several panels (windows in versions prior to After Effects
7.0). Three of the most commonly used panels are the Project panel, the Composition
panel, and the Timeline panel. The Project panel acts as a bin to import stills, video, and
audio footage items. Footage items in the Project panel are used in the Timeline panel,
where layer order and timing can be adjusted. The items visible at the current time
marker are displayed in the Composition panel.
After Effects shares many features with other Adobe programs, such as creating circles,
squares and free form shapes that are defined by bezier curves. Like Photoshop and
Illustrator, After Effects can import and manipulate many image formats, and filters and
adjustments can be added.
After Effects integrates with other Adobe software titles such
as Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Encore, Flash, and third-party 3D programs
like Cinema 4D, Lightwave 3D, and Autodesk 3ds Max.
Adobe Premier Pro CS6
Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing software application. It is part of
the Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes video editing, graphic design, and web
development programs.
Premiere Pro is used by broadcasters such as the BBC[2] and CNN.[3] It has been used to
edit feature films, such as Gone Girl,[4] Captain Abu Raed,[5] and Monsters,[6] and other
venues such as Madonna's Confessions Tour.
Autodesk Maya
Maya is an application used to generate 3D assets for use in film, television, game
development and architecture. The software was initially released for the IRIX operating
system. However, this support was discontinued in August 2006 after the release of
version 6.5. Maya was available in both "Complete" and "Unlimited" editions until
August 2008, when it was turned into a single suite.[14]
Users define a virtual workspace (scene) to implement and edit media of a particular
project. Scenes can be saved in a variety of formats, the default being .mb (Maya
Binary). Maya exposes a node graph architecture. Scene elements are node-based, each
node having its own attributes and customization. As a result, the visual representation of
a scene is based entirely on a network of interconnecting nodes, depending on each
other's information. For the convenience of viewing these networks, there is
a dependency and a directed acyclic graph.
Users who are students, teachers (or veterans or unemployed in USA markets) can
download a full educational version from the Autodesk Education community. [15] The
versions available at the community are only licensed for non commercial use (once
activated with the product license) and some products create watermarks on output
renders. The software comes with a full 36 month license. Once it expires, users can log
in to the community to request a new 36 months license and download the latest
Autodesk product.[16]
Additionally, a perpetual student license can be purchased for Maya. This license does
not expire and the student version can be upgraded to the commercial version at a
significant discount. It can be used even after the student graduates, the only restriction
being non commercial use. No watermarks are created during output, making the student
version of Maya suitable for portfolio creation. However, files saved with this version
are recognized by all versions of Maya as files created by a student version. The
perpetual student license also permits the creation of non commercial assets for non
commercial use in game engines such as the Unreal Development Kit. The free student
license does not allow this.
Concentrated Software : Autodesk Maya (Using Python Scripting Language)
This is the basic layout of Autodesk Maya 2013
Components
Since its consolidation from two distinct packages, Maya and later contain all the features of the now
defunct Unlimited suites.
Fluid Effects
A realistic fluid simulator based on simplified, incompressible Navier–Stokes equations[17] for
simulating non-elastic fluids was added in Maya 4.5. It is effective for smoke, fire, clouds and
explosions, as well as many thick fluid effects such as water, magma or mud.
Classic Cloth
A dynamic cloth simulation tool set utilizing a planar pattern based workflow inspired by the
process used to design real world garment patterns. In modern productions, the Maya Cloth
module has been largely replaced by the faster, more flexible nCloth system introduced in version
8.5. Prior to this, third party plugins, most notably Syflex, were generally preferred for their
superior performance, simulation stability and their polygon modeling based workflow already
familiar to 3D artists.
Fur
Fur simulation designed for large area coverage of short hairs and hair-like materials. It can be
used to simulate short fur-like objects, such as grass, carpet, etc. In contrast to Maya Hair, the Fur
module makes no attempt to prevent hair-to-hair collisions. Hairs are also incapable of reacting
dynamically to physical forces on a per hair basis. Physics-like effects are achieved through
nearby fur effectors that approximate the effect of physical forces averaged over nearby follicles.
nHair
Hair simulator capable of simulating dynamic forces acting on long hair and per-hair collisions.
Often used to simulate computationally complex human hair styles including pony tails, perms
and braids. The simulation utilizes NURBS curves as a base which are then used as strokes for
Paint Effects brushes thereby giving the curves a render time surface-like representation that can
interact with light and shadow. A simulation on the curves alone for other, non-hair purposes
(such as flexible tubing, cables, ropes, etc.) is often known simply as Dynamic Curves.
Maya Live
A set of motion tracking tools for CG matching to clean plate footage. It has been largely
obsoleted by MatchMover.
nCloth
Added in version 8.5, nCloth is the first implementation of Maya Nucleus, Autodesk's simulation
framework. nCloth provides artist with detailed control of cloth and material simulations.
Compared to its predecessor Maya Cloth, nCloth is a faster, more flexible and more robust
simulation framework.
nParticle
Added in version 2009, nParticle is addendum to Maya Nucleus toolset. nParticle is for
simulating a wide range of complex 3D effects, including liquids, clouds, smoke, spray, and dust.
nParticles are more flexible than Maya's previous particle system in that nParticles may be used
to simulate viscous fluids as well as supporting true particle-to-particle collisions. nParticles also
interact with the rest of the Nucleus simulation framework without the need for costly workarounds and custom scripting.
MatchMover
Added to Maya 2010, this enables compositing of CGI elements with motion data from video and
film sequences, a process known as Match moving or camera tracking. This is an external
program but is shipped with Maya.
Composite
Added to Maya 2010, this was earlier sold as Autodesk Toxik. This is an external program but is
shipped with Maya.
Camera Sequencer
Added in Autodesk Maya 2011, Camera Sequencer is used to layout multiple camera shots and
manage them in one animation sequence.
Maya Embedded Language
Alongside its more recognized visual workflow, Maya is equipped with a cross-platform scripting
language, called Maya Embedded Language. MEL is provided for scripting and a means to customize the
core functionality of the software, since many of the tools and commands used are written in it. Code can
be used to engineer modifications, plug-ins or beinjected into runtime. Outside these superficial uses of
the language, user interaction is recorded in MEL, allowing even inexperienced users to
implement subroutines. Scene information can thus be dumped, extension .ma, editable outside Maya in
any text editor
Python in Maya
Maya’s scripting commands come in the module package maya.cmds.
import maya.cmds
People usually use the shorthand
import maya.cmds as cmds
Or
import maya.cmds as mc
You will notice that if you type in help(cmds), you do not get anything useful besides a list of function
names. This is because Autodesk converted all of their MEL commands to Python procedurally. To get
help with Maya’s Python commands, you will need to refer to the Maya documentation.
Figure 11 ‐ Maya Python Command Documentation
There are so many commands that there is no reason to memorize them all. You will come to memorize
many of the commands simply by using them a lot. How do you get started learning commands? Do what
you are trying to accomplish with Maya’s interface and look at the script editor. Most the actions you do
with the Maya interface output what commands were called in the script editor. The only caveat is that the
output is in MEL so we’ll have to do a little bit of translating. Since all of the commands and arguments
are the same between the MEL and Python commands, translating between the two is pretty easy.
The Maya Python Command Documentation
In this section, we will go over how to learn Maya’s Python commands by studying the MEL output
in the script editor when interacting with Maya. We will then decipher the MEL output and
reconstruct the command using the Maya Python documentation.
Creating a polygon sphere outputs the following MEL command into the script editor:
polySphere -r 1 -sx 20 -sy 20 -ax 0 1 0 -cuv 2 -ch 1;
MEL commands usually consist of the command name followed by several flags. In the above code,
polySphere is the command, and each group of letters following a “-“ is a flag. The numbers after each
flag are arguments of their corresponding flag. For example, “-r” is a flag with an argument of 1, “-sx” is
a flag with an argument of 20, “-ax” is a flag with 3 arguments: 0, 1, 0. Using this information, we can
look up the command in the Maya Python command documentation and write its Python equivalent. Like
I said earlier, commands in MEL and Python have the exact same name, look up “polySphere” in the
Python documentation. It looks like this:
30
Using Autodesk Maya and Motion Capture Technology
by
Sumit Pratap Singh (1109110099)
Saawan Kumar Singh (1109110081)
Akshay Verma (1109110119)
Shubhangi Dixit (1209110805)
Department of Computer Science
Name of Institute
JSS ACADEMY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION, NOIDA
C-20/1, Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301
January, 2015
3D Animation Movie
Using Autodesk Maya and Motion Capture Technology
by
Sumit Pratap Singh (1109110099)
Saawan Kumar Singh (1109110081)
Akshay Verma (1109110119)
Shubhangi Dixit (1209110805)
Submitted to
Department of Computer Science
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Bachelor of Technology
in
Computer Science
JSS MAHAVIDYAPEETHA
JSS Academy of Technical Education Noida
UTTAR PRADESH TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
2014-15
DECLARATION
We hereby declare that this submission is our own work and that, to the best of our knowledge and belief,
it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a
substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or
other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgment has been made in the text.
Signature
:
Name
: Sumit Pratap Singh
Roll No.
: 1109110099
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
: Saawan Kumar Singh
Roll No.
: 1109110081
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
: Akshay Verma
Roll No.
: 1109110119
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
: Shubhangi Dixit
Roll No.
: 1209110805
Date
: January, 13th 2015
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Project Report entitled “3D Amination Movie using Autodesk Maya and
Motion Capture Technology" which is submitted by Sumit Pratap Singh, Saawan Singh, Akshay
Verma, Shubhangi Dixit in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree B. Tech.
in Department of Computer Science of U. P. Technical University, is a record of the candidate
own work carried out by him under my/our supervision. The matter embodied in this thesis is
original and has not been submitted for the award of any other degree.
Supervisor: Deepti Agarwal
Date: 13th January, 2015
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It gives us a great sense of pleasure to present the report of the B. Tech Project undertaken during B.
Tech. Final Year. We owe special debt of gratitude to Professor Mrs. Deepti Agarwal, Department of
Computer Science & Engineering, JSS Academy of Technical Education, Noida for her constant support
and guidance throughout the course of our work. Her sincerity, thoroughness and perseverance have
been a constant source of inspiration for us. It is only her cognizant efforts that our endeavours have seen
light of the day.
We also do not like to miss the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of all faculty members of the
department for their kind assistance and cooperation during the development of our project.
Signature
:
Name
: Sumit Pratap Singh
Roll No.
: 1109110099
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
:Saawan Kumar Singh
Roll No.
: 1109110081
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
: Akshay Verma
Roll No.
: 1109110119
Date
: January, 13th 2015
Signature
:
Name
:Shubhangi Dixit
Roll No.
: 1209110805
Date
: January, 13th 2015
ABSTRACT
Computer Animations have in recent years become very common in Feature Movies,
Television Commercials and Computer Gaming Industry. Computer animation, or CGI animation, is the
process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term
computer-generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images while computer
animation only refers to moving images. Computer-generated animations are more controllable than
other more physically based processes, such as constructing miniatures for effects shots or hiring extras
for crowd scenes, and because it allows the creation of images that would not be feasible using any other
technology. It can also allow a single graphic artist to produce such content without the use of actors,
expensive set pieces, or props.
The goal of this project is to demonstrate using Autodesk Maya and Motion Capture Technology, the
existing practice for Production of Animated content for Visual Media and Entertainment. An additional
goal was to demonstrate the possibilities for collaborative work among animators by allowing several
animators to animate one or many objects at the same time in real-time using python scripting techniques
and motion capture. Motion capture (Mo-cap for short) is the process of recording the movement of
objects or people. Motion capture transfers the movement of an actor to a digital character. Systems that
use tracking cameras (with or without markers) can be referred to as "optical," while systems that
measure inertia or mechanical motion are "non-optical".
Table of Contents
Page
DECLARATION
1
ABSTRAK
2
ABSTRACT
3
LIST OF FIGURES
6
LIST OF TABLES
7
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Introduction
1.2
1
Problem Statement
1.3
Goal
2
3
1.4
Objective
3
1.5
Target Users
3
1.6
Project Timeline (Gantt Chart)
4
1.7
Report Organisation
4
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1
Introduction
6
2.2
History of Animation
6
2.3
Technique Applied in Animation
8
2.3.1
Traditional Animation
8
2.3.2
Computer Animation
10
2.4
2D Animation
10
2.5
Evolution to 3D Animation
11
2.6
Difference in 2D and 3D Animation
12
2.7
3D Animation in Film Industry
13
2.8
Storyline Definition
17
2.9
Theme
17
2.10
Conclusion
18
CHAPTER 3
ANALYSIS
3.1
Introduction
20
3.2
Requirement
20
3.2.1
Hardware Requirements
20
3.2.2
Software Requirements
21
3.2.3
Functional Requirements
22
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
At the early age of Animation, t was done by hand and all of the frames in animation had to be drawn on a
piece of paper. A tremendous amount of work is essential even to develop shortest animated films. there
are a couple of different techniques were developed for creating animation by hand such as Cel
Animation, key frames and Rotoscoping Technique.
However, the development of computer technology has driven the new era in Animation in which
where it is today. Since the invention of software which enables an animator to develop 2-Dimensional
animation to the invention of software which enable an animator to develop 3-Dimensional Animation,
the area of animation have been developed and it is used in Many Industries today.
Talking about 3-dimensional Animation, people will imagine the movement of realistic character
which as same as in the real life. The development of 3D animation today. makes the 3D elements usefel
in multiple aspects. In example, 3D is used for the purpose of Advertisements of Television, film
production, video clip production and also games industry. The most popular one of the usage od 3D is in
the film production.
Nowadays, 3D character is used to perform actions in many films which cannot be reached or
done by human character. This is especially for the Animal character, fictions science character and many
more. We have seen much 3D Animation films in the market today. There are two kinds of 3D Film, the
first one is cartoon character and the second one is in real character. For Example is King Kong, Lord of
the Rings and Dinosaur which is the use of 3D Character that looks like it is in real. The Examples of 3
Animation using Cartoon Character as Shrink, Over the Hedge, Toy Story and Aunt Bully.
1.2 Problem Statement
In 3D Animation development, the most critical problem is to create a good character which could attract
user's attention. The Character being developed should be suitable with the story line and could bring the
message of the story. The weakness in character design can cause the story will not be understandable and
the message of the story will not be reached by the end users.
Today, 3D Animation has become the popular types of animation to create stories or simple
animation movie. This happens due to the rapid changes from 2D Animation to 3D Animation. 2D
Animation looks flat and the movement of characters looks unrealistic. This makes the story being
developed look like immature. This scenario causes the message to be brought by 2D Animation
sometimes cannot be reached to the audience.
In terms of the film industry, 3D Animation becomes one of the most important parts especially
for the story which involves science fictions. The limitations of action which can be done by human actor
force the film director to hire a good animator to create an animation for certain characters in movie. This
can be done such as the character of Dinosaur movie and the character of Big Snake (Anaconda) in
Anaconda movie.
In the rapid development on animation today, most of the animation being created focuses on
comedy, wars and happening stories. There are less of animation story which focuses on moral values.
Thus, in the developing projects, focus were given in developing a story which conveyed a moral valuw
which is suitable with the Target Users.
1.3
Goal
The goal of this 3D Animation Project is to develop 3D Animation short stories that have a moral valuw
and can be emotionally entertaining whistle educating people especially children. The entire story is
brought to audience in a simple 3D animation story titled The Worst Day in my Life, with the message
"listens to your parents"
1.4
Objective
In developing this 3D Animation there are some objectives that would like to be achieved. It is hopefully
that the list of objectives for this project will help to achieve the goals of this project. The objective of this
project as stated below.
a) To develop an interesting 3D Animation which may attract user especially children.
b) To entertain people watching 3D Animation besides promoting good value to people
especially children 3D Animation story.
1.5
Target User
General, the goal of development of 3D Animation story is to attract user to watch and enjoy the story.
However, to attract the user attention the user on the story being developed, animation or developer
should know the target user of the story. By knowing the Target users then, a relevance story can be
developed to fulfill the goals of the project. The target user for this project is children aged below 12
years old. This is because, children age is the most suitable age to learn about positive values. However,
the story can also be watched by different ages of people.
1.6
Report Organization
This report contains 7chapters. The first chapter is Introduction. Introduction chapter describes the basic
animation development. Besides, it also touch on the goals and objective of the project being developed
and general information on animation development which is based on the weaknesses and the problem
faced by the early style of animations. In this chapter the target user is also being specified and the
schedule of the project development plans is presented in Gantt Chart.
The Second chapter is the literature review. Literature review, consist of the history of animation
and the evolutions in animation which brought to the 3D Animation level. Besides, it also tells on the
technique applied in animation and the use of 3D Animation in the film industry. A brief description of the
animation being developed with the theme and a few elements related to animation field also discussed.
The third chapter of this report concerned on analysis of hardware and software requirement
which will be used to developed this 3D Animation project. The explanation of the hardware and software
used in both side of developer and end user were discussed briefly.
The fourth chapter in this report is design. Design become the most important part in 3D
Animation development because it is the phase of Animator try their best to create a good character and
stage (In form of sketches). In this Chapter, the synopsis of the 3D Animation developed and the character
design is presented. The overall storyboard of this 3D animation project also being elaborated in details.
The fifth chapter is implementation. This is the critical phase in 3D Animation development
where animator to develop the story character into 3D model. In this chapter the explanations of the
modelling process, rigging process, animation, lighting, rendering process and also the audio and video
editing being elaborated in details. The explanations will be supported with some figure on how is was
done.
While the sixth chapter is testing and evaluation. Testing and evaluation being done to examine
the functionality of the overall 3D project. This is to ensure that the 3D short stories being developed
accort with the target user's requirements. The testing and evaluation process is divided into 3 parts which
is testing before development testing during development and testing after development of the projects.
And the last chapter in this report is conclusion. This chapter concerned on summarize all of the
chapters from the first to the end chapter. There also some recommendation being suggested for the future
development of 3D Short Stories animation.
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1
Introduction
Nowadays, animation have become one of the most developed fields in multimedia. It is being used in
many areas of industry, especially in film industry, advertising and promotion, education and also in game
industry. However, peoples are never alert on how the animation was begun and some particular thing
which bring the animation to what is today.
Thus, in this chapter, it will touch briefly on the history of animation, techniques being user in
animation, 2D Animation, and the evolution from 2D to 3D Animation, the use of 3D Animation in the
film industry, and also the difference between 2D and 3D Animation. Besides, in this chapter, the
storyline definition and theme of this project is being discussed.
2.2
History of Animation
Animation did not just happen instantly. Many people contribute to make animation on what is today, and
make computer animation at all possible. From using the movie images which consist of many sketched
of scene drawn on a paper, then developing techniques for creating animation using computer the field of
animations have developed to what it is today.
Animation is a technique of moving characters by combination of frames of picture following the
sequence of it movements. The word 'Animation' comes from a Japanese word 'anime' which means
breathe, wind, air and alive. The development of animation is driven by the invention of electronic
devices which can be present the animation to the audience. In 1831 Dr. Joseph Antoine Plateau and Dr.
Simon Rittrer constructed a machine called a phenakitstoscope which produced an illusion of movement
by allowing a viewer to gaze at a rotating disk containing small windows, behind which was another disk
containing a sequence of images. Then the disks were rotated at the correct speed, the synchronization of
the windows with the images created an animated effect (Cybulski, k. & Valentine, D., 1995).
However, as time goes by many devices have been invented which enables the end users to watch
and enjoy the animation. The first animated film is "Fantagmagore" was released on 1908 done by Cohl
(MacLaughlin, D,. 2001). After that many animated films have been created and few animation
companies have been setup which involved in animation industry. The early company that monopolies
animation industry such as Kansas City Slide Company (1920), Walt Disney Studio (1992) and Bray
Studio (1923).
All of the early animation was created in 2D animation. However trials to make 3D animation
have been started before the invention of computers. That is, in 1936 Max Fleischer produces "POPEYE
THE SAILOR MEETS SINBAD THE SAILOR" a 20 minute film. It is shot on a horizontal rig with 3Dimensional models for background and the characters drawn on cels and placed between two sheets of
glass and set in front of the models (Cybulski, k.& Valentine, D., 1995).
And today, animation have becomes one of the biggest industries in the broadcasting field. It is
used not only for the purpose of films and cartoon production only, even in another fields such as
advertisements, games and education.
2.3
Technique Applied in Animation
Since the early age of Animation until today, there are many techniques that have been applied to create
animation. Generally, types of animation technique can be classes into two categories which is traditional
animation and computer animation.
2.3.1
Traditional Animation
The traditional animation consists of many techniques. The most popular are Cel Animation and
Rotoscoping. Before the use of cel animation of the entire frame, including the background and
all characters and items, were drawn on a single sheet of paper, and then photographed.
Everything had to be redrawn for each frame containing movements.
However, after the cel animation invented by Earl Hurd and john Bray in 1915, it
becomes an important innovation to traditional animation. It allows some parts of each frame to
be repeated from frame to frame. A simple example of using cel animation technique would be a
scene with two characters on screen, one of which is talking and other standing silently. Since the
latter character is not moving, it can be displayed in this scene using only one drawing, on one
cel, while multiple drawings on multiple cels will be used to animate the speaking character. The
example of the usage of cel animation on the figure 2.1, on the next page.
Figure 2.1:
The cel animation technique. How to transparent cels, each with a different
character drawn on them, and an opaque background are photographed together to
form the composite image.
The second popular method of traditional animation is Rotoscoping. It was invented by Max
Fliescher in 1915. In Rotoscoping technique animation is "traced" over actual film footage of actors and
scenery. Traditionally, the live action will be printed out frame and registered. Another piece of paper is
then plaved over the live action printouts and the action is traced frame by frame using a lightbox. The
end result still looks hand drawn but the motion will be remarkably lifelike. In Rotoscopng, if the movie
was supposed to contain inanimate objects like a car or a boat, a small live action model of the object(s)
was built and painted white, while the edges of the model were painted with thin black lines. Most of the
popular cartoons use the Rotoscoping technique such as in Snow White and the Seven Dwarf and
Sleeping and Beauty.
2.3.2
Computers Animation
As time goes by the invention of computer in late 1940 has change the way animation being created. After
computer age comes, the animation designer move to animation studio, where there the outline drawings
scanned into the computer and filled with digital paint instead colored by hand like in cel animation.
By computer, working in animation become easier and fast. Computer animation has developed
rapidly, to the current stage where movies can be created with characters so life-like as to approach
indistinguishability from live-action actors. This involves modeling, motion generation, followed by the
addition of surfaces, and finally rendering. Surfaces are programmed to stretch and bend automatically in
responce to movements of a 'wire from model', and the final rendering converts such as movements to a
bitmap image. It is the recent developments in rendering complex surfaces like fur and clothing textures
that have enabled stunningly life-like environments and character models, including surfaces that even
ripple, fold and blow in the wind, with every fibre on hair individually calculated for rendering.
2.4
2D Animation
The 2D Animation is the early styles in animation before the development of 3D Animation. The concept
of 2D Animation is arranging pictures or images in sequence following the movements order. This called
frame oriented or picture by picture. In Developing 2D Animation, animator or developer needs to draw
the same character in multiple movements on piece of paper After that, the papers contain movement of
image will be move quickly to make the characters look alive. In this style, the patience of animators is
very essential to draw thousands of movements for a character in a film.
Nowadays, with computer technology, 2D animation becomes a bit easy to be done. Animator
just needs to master 2D Animation software to create an animation. The most popular software used to
create 2D Animation is Macromedia Flash and Toon Boom. Many 2D Animation sotries have been
created and it is dominating the animation market until today. However, the movements of character in
2D Animation took flat and sometimes not attractive.
2.5 Evolution to 3D Animation
The 3D animation evolves from the usage of 2D Animation. 3D Animation becomes popular due to
weakness of 2D animation and desire of animator and developer to create animation that looks in reality.
3D animation is a process where characters or objects are created as moving images. Rather than
traditional flat or 2D characters, these 3D animation images give the impression of being able to move
around characters and observe them from all angles, just like real life (Christensen, S., 2005). 3D
animation technology is relatively new and if done by hand would take thousands of hours to complete
one short section of moving film The employment of computers and software has simplified and
accelerated the 3D animated process. As a result, the number of 3D animators as well as the use of 3D
animation technology has increased.
The evolution of 3D Animation move together with the rapid development of computer
technology. The invention of Computer Graphic Image (CGI) that can be installed in a computer bring a
great view of visual and this contribute to the production and a good 3D Animation performane.
Further, there are many 3D software tools have been created to make 3D animation. Some of the
popular one is Studio Max, Poser and Autodesk Maya. All of these softwares increased the productivity of
3D Animation Production. What is being imagined by audience.
A good animation story is the animation which have a good storyline and arranged properly in
order. As the objective of animation that is to give employment and satisfaction to the audience and at the
same time leave a great impact in audience memory. That is why, before comes to the development phase,
each elements and storyline should be studied so long the animation being created could reach demands
of end users.
Today the 3D Animation have been combines with the real image. The application of blue screen
usage make actor perform with character through editing process. This can be seen in "LOONEY
TOONS" film and many more.
2.6
Difference between 2D and 3D Animation
The Difference between 2D and 3D animation can be seen in image design, character movements,
background, coloring styles and many more.
In term of images, 3D Animation look like realistic and attractive than 2D animation which the
image took flat. In 3D animation, the character is designed to be look alive so that it can attract the end
user. As being stated before the development of Computer Graphic Image create a new technique in
Animation. The CGI technique help animator to create great animation movements rather that using the
manual technique.
In term of background and stage development, 3D Animation can be matched with the real
background. Since the character look like realistic, so there is no problem to combine 3D animation with
a realistic background. This cannot be done to 2D Animation where animator forced to draw the
background of every scene in a story.
In term of coloring styles, the 3D animation use many tones color that makes it look more
attractive in realistic. This does not go to 2D animation.
2.7
3D Animation in Film Industry
Looking at the development of 3D animation, it is undeniably that it is one of the important elements in
film industry. 3D animation bring the way movie presented to end user to a level where can experience
the things which they imagine in fantasy into reality.
A well made 3D movie can provide an audience with an unparallel cinematic experience that
stimulates the imagination in a way that is undeniable. Digital technology is constantly making huge
strides in every aspect of film making and video production. This statement goes for 3D production as
well.
3D animation in film industry can be classes into two categories. The first category is a 3D
Animation film in which all the character and stage fully uses 3D models. This category is very difficult
to be created because animator needs to design every stage and character will look like cartoon and 3D
elements just can be seen in the movements of characters. Most s the animation film in this category
usually uses animal character such as in the hoodwinked , The Wild, Toy Story, Madagascar, and Over the
Hedge Movie. However, there also some of the animation films in this category use human character such
as in Final Fantasy, where the characters, models and stage look like about to realistic.
The second category is combination of 3D Character or models with realistic scene or even with
true actor. For this category the 3D models being uses look like in real life to make it is matched with
realistic world. A good technique, of modeling and colorings is essential in this category to create models
that look like in realistic. Most of the movie use this category is the movie which is related to fiction
science story, history, and movie with character which cannot be performed by human character. The
examples of Film use this category such as King Kong, Namia and Harry Potter.
With the invention of many techniques and driven by the development of new technologies, new
movies with even more advanced and arguably better animation quality are enroute (david S., 2004).
These make the 3D animation as a very competitive market in animation Industry.
Even there are many films in 3D animation in the market today, most of the movie focuses on
comedy story, wars, hostility and heroism rather than 3D Animation movie that conveyed full story which
have moral value. However, there are some 3D Animation movies which bring moral value to end user.
Figure: A Short 3D Animation Movie
2.8
Storyline Definition
In animation, the function of a story is to tell and express about a things or events that occurred
throughout the animations whether in physically, mentally or spiritually and change every time and
change every time. For example:
a)
Things which is required and achieved
b)
Decisions which being made.
c)
A journey to be accomplished.
d)
The Solutions for a Problem
2.9
Theme
The definition of theme is the main concept of a story. Theme should come together with the story with
the story that is going to present to the end users. A good theme will make a story to be consigned
accurately and easily understand by the end users.
There are a few themes which is always being used in a story such as
Wars
Family
Heroism
Love
Friendship
Terrified
Comedy
Religious
Sometimes there is also a combination of themes in a story. It aims to reinforce the storyline or the
animation being presented.
2.10
Conclusion
In this chapter, it has shown how animation was begun in the early day of animation. It also discussed
about 2D and 3D Animation briefly and some examples of 2D and 3D animation films.
The development from 2D to 3D animation is driven by the invention of many programs such as
Maya and 3D Max. These programs made creating 3D Characters and 3D animated projects possible.
With the popularity of movies like Toy Story and Shriek, the genre of 3D animated films has established
its place in 21st Century culture. What's more, there a demand for 3D Animation over and beyond what
animation houses and movie studios are currently producing.
CHAPTER 3
ANALYSIS
3.1
Introduction
The development of a project needs some requirements to make the project perform better and achieves
the goals and the projects. In developing 3D animation, the capabilities of computer and hardware plays a
big impact of the animation quality. The animator should determine the minimum and maximum
requirement of hardware and else softwares to be used to develop a good and attractive animation.
3.2
Requirements
To ensure this project implemented effectively, some computer hardware and software is required. In this
project, the hardware used as a minimal rate of capabilities to create an animation. This is due to the
restriction such as high cost is the most important thing in the animation development. There are a few of
3D animation software sold in the market today. It comes with many capabilities to help user or animate
to create 3D animation. However, in developing 3D Animation, there are also some other software being
used to edit graphics, sound and to make simple animation.
3.2.1
Hardware Requirements
The hardware requirements used in this project are:
Central Processing Unit (CPU) Intel Pentium 4, 3.06Ghz
Hard Disk, Maxtor 80 GB SATA II
Graphics Card, 128 MB (ATI Radeon 9450)
Memory Chip (RAM), DDR2 512 MB
Koyboard
USB Mouse
Monitor, Acer LCD monitor 15"Inch
Printer and Scanner
Storage Devices (Thumb Drive), Kingston 1 GB.
CD-Rom Drive, Samsung 52X Max, and
DVD-RW Drive, BenQ Double Player
While for the user the hardware requirement they need to view this 3D Animation is a set
of desktop computer or laptop which least have capabilities such as:
Intel Pentium III (1.06Ghz above)
Integrated Graphics Slots, and
Monitor and Speaker
3.2.2
Software Requirements
This list of software used in this project are shown below:
Autodesk 3ds Max8
Autodesk Maya 2013
Adobe Photoshop CS6
Adobe Premier Pro CS6
Adobe After Effects CS6
Windows XP, Windows 7 Operating System
3.2.3
Functional Requirements
Below is the explanation for the hardware used in this project:
Central Processing Unit (CPU) Intel Pentium 4, 3.06 Ghz
The power of processing units being used influenced the performance of 3D animation being
developed. Processor determines how fast data can be processes. The minimum specification to
develop 3D animation is Intel Pentium 4, 1.5 Ghz and maximum until Intel Pentium D, 3.60 Ghz (today),
(For Pentium Branded Processor)
Hard Disk, Maxtor 80 GB SATA II
Internal Hard Disk used in these projects is required to store all the information being collected, store the
model being created and stored the end product of 3D animation. The minimum capacity of storage
device can be used as little as 20 GB.
Graphics Card, 128 MB
To enhance the graphics presentation of the 3D Animation it is suggested the graphics card should be
installed into the computer. This is because it will to give a good view of animation to the user rather than
using integrated graphics.
Memory Chip (RAM), DDR2 512 MB
The efficiency of a computer also depends on the Random Access Memory (RAM). RAM is a place
where the memory of application being used is stored. The higher the RAM power would help in
rendering process in term of time-consuming. For this projects the lower of power of RAM can be used is
512 MB and u to the maximum power of 2 GB.
Keyboard
Used in typing process (insert the data) and help in overall of the 3D production.
USB Mouse
Help animator to perform his work on this projects (Editing graphics, create animation characters, editing
sounds and etc).
Monitor, Acer LCD monitor 15"Inch
Display the work being done and the end products of these projects. The wider the screen the more visual
satisfaction achieved. Minimum specifications is 15" Inch and the maximum 17" Inch.
Storage Device (Thumb Drive), Kingston 1 GB.
External storage device which is used to store data get from the internet or any other resource. It is
compatible and mobile. It replaced the diskette as external storage devices.
CD-Rom Drive, Samsung 52Max
Used to install some software comes with CD.
DVD-RW Drive, BenQ double layer
Used to install some software comes with DVD. It is also used to burn the final product of these projects
inside the Cd's or DVD.
Windows XP Professional, Windows 7 Operating System, Service Pack 2
Basically, this is the main system which used to run all the software to run all the software that used in
these projects. Its support the operation of the software used.
Animation Softwares
Autodesk 3d Max 8
The most important software in this project while enable the modeling and rendering process being done,
and mostly all of the characters and stage design was built using this software. It's good software to create
3D animation.
Adobe Photoshop CS6
Used to create some graphics and do editing on some graphics.
Adobe After Effects CS6
Adobe After Effects is primarily used for creating motion graphics and visual effects.
After Effects allows users to animate, alter and composite media in 2D and 3D space
with various built-in tools and third party plug-ins, as well as individual attention to
variables like parallax and user-adjustable angle of observation.
After Effects and some non-linear editing systems (NLEs) are layer-oriented, meaning
that each individual media object (video clip, audio clip, still image, etc.) occupies its
own track. In contrast, other NLEs use a system where individual media objects can
occupy the same track as long as they do not overlap in time. This track-oriented system
is more suited for editing and can keep project files much more concise. The layeroriented system that After Effects adopts is suited for extensive effects work
and keyframing. Although other compositing packages, especially ones that employ tree
or node workflows, such as Nuke andeyeon Fusion are better suited to manage large
volumes of objects within a composite, After Effects is able to counter the clutter
somewhat by selectively hiding layers (using the Shy switch) or by grouping them into
pre-compositions.
The main interface consists of several panels (windows in versions prior to After Effects
7.0). Three of the most commonly used panels are the Project panel, the Composition
panel, and the Timeline panel. The Project panel acts as a bin to import stills, video, and
audio footage items. Footage items in the Project panel are used in the Timeline panel,
where layer order and timing can be adjusted. The items visible at the current time
marker are displayed in the Composition panel.
After Effects shares many features with other Adobe programs, such as creating circles,
squares and free form shapes that are defined by bezier curves. Like Photoshop and
Illustrator, After Effects can import and manipulate many image formats, and filters and
adjustments can be added.
After Effects integrates with other Adobe software titles such
as Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Encore, Flash, and third-party 3D programs
like Cinema 4D, Lightwave 3D, and Autodesk 3ds Max.
Adobe Premier Pro CS6
Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing software application. It is part of
the Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes video editing, graphic design, and web
development programs.
Premiere Pro is used by broadcasters such as the BBC[2] and CNN.[3] It has been used to
edit feature films, such as Gone Girl,[4] Captain Abu Raed,[5] and Monsters,[6] and other
venues such as Madonna's Confessions Tour.
Autodesk Maya
Maya is an application used to generate 3D assets for use in film, television, game
development and architecture. The software was initially released for the IRIX operating
system. However, this support was discontinued in August 2006 after the release of
version 6.5. Maya was available in both "Complete" and "Unlimited" editions until
August 2008, when it was turned into a single suite.[14]
Users define a virtual workspace (scene) to implement and edit media of a particular
project. Scenes can be saved in a variety of formats, the default being .mb (Maya
Binary). Maya exposes a node graph architecture. Scene elements are node-based, each
node having its own attributes and customization. As a result, the visual representation of
a scene is based entirely on a network of interconnecting nodes, depending on each
other's information. For the convenience of viewing these networks, there is
a dependency and a directed acyclic graph.
Users who are students, teachers (or veterans or unemployed in USA markets) can
download a full educational version from the Autodesk Education community. [15] The
versions available at the community are only licensed for non commercial use (once
activated with the product license) and some products create watermarks on output
renders. The software comes with a full 36 month license. Once it expires, users can log
in to the community to request a new 36 months license and download the latest
Autodesk product.[16]
Additionally, a perpetual student license can be purchased for Maya. This license does
not expire and the student version can be upgraded to the commercial version at a
significant discount. It can be used even after the student graduates, the only restriction
being non commercial use. No watermarks are created during output, making the student
version of Maya suitable for portfolio creation. However, files saved with this version
are recognized by all versions of Maya as files created by a student version. The
perpetual student license also permits the creation of non commercial assets for non
commercial use in game engines such as the Unreal Development Kit. The free student
license does not allow this.
Concentrated Software : Autodesk Maya (Using Python Scripting Language)
This is the basic layout of Autodesk Maya 2013
Components
Since its consolidation from two distinct packages, Maya and later contain all the features of the now
defunct Unlimited suites.
Fluid Effects
A realistic fluid simulator based on simplified, incompressible Navier–Stokes equations[17] for
simulating non-elastic fluids was added in Maya 4.5. It is effective for smoke, fire, clouds and
explosions, as well as many thick fluid effects such as water, magma or mud.
Classic Cloth
A dynamic cloth simulation tool set utilizing a planar pattern based workflow inspired by the
process used to design real world garment patterns. In modern productions, the Maya Cloth
module has been largely replaced by the faster, more flexible nCloth system introduced in version
8.5. Prior to this, third party plugins, most notably Syflex, were generally preferred for their
superior performance, simulation stability and their polygon modeling based workflow already
familiar to 3D artists.
Fur
Fur simulation designed for large area coverage of short hairs and hair-like materials. It can be
used to simulate short fur-like objects, such as grass, carpet, etc. In contrast to Maya Hair, the Fur
module makes no attempt to prevent hair-to-hair collisions. Hairs are also incapable of reacting
dynamically to physical forces on a per hair basis. Physics-like effects are achieved through
nearby fur effectors that approximate the effect of physical forces averaged over nearby follicles.
nHair
Hair simulator capable of simulating dynamic forces acting on long hair and per-hair collisions.
Often used to simulate computationally complex human hair styles including pony tails, perms
and braids. The simulation utilizes NURBS curves as a base which are then used as strokes for
Paint Effects brushes thereby giving the curves a render time surface-like representation that can
interact with light and shadow. A simulation on the curves alone for other, non-hair purposes
(such as flexible tubing, cables, ropes, etc.) is often known simply as Dynamic Curves.
Maya Live
A set of motion tracking tools for CG matching to clean plate footage. It has been largely
obsoleted by MatchMover.
nCloth
Added in version 8.5, nCloth is the first implementation of Maya Nucleus, Autodesk's simulation
framework. nCloth provides artist with detailed control of cloth and material simulations.
Compared to its predecessor Maya Cloth, nCloth is a faster, more flexible and more robust
simulation framework.
nParticle
Added in version 2009, nParticle is addendum to Maya Nucleus toolset. nParticle is for
simulating a wide range of complex 3D effects, including liquids, clouds, smoke, spray, and dust.
nParticles are more flexible than Maya's previous particle system in that nParticles may be used
to simulate viscous fluids as well as supporting true particle-to-particle collisions. nParticles also
interact with the rest of the Nucleus simulation framework without the need for costly workarounds and custom scripting.
MatchMover
Added to Maya 2010, this enables compositing of CGI elements with motion data from video and
film sequences, a process known as Match moving or camera tracking. This is an external
program but is shipped with Maya.
Composite
Added to Maya 2010, this was earlier sold as Autodesk Toxik. This is an external program but is
shipped with Maya.
Camera Sequencer
Added in Autodesk Maya 2011, Camera Sequencer is used to layout multiple camera shots and
manage them in one animation sequence.
Maya Embedded Language
Alongside its more recognized visual workflow, Maya is equipped with a cross-platform scripting
language, called Maya Embedded Language. MEL is provided for scripting and a means to customize the
core functionality of the software, since many of the tools and commands used are written in it. Code can
be used to engineer modifications, plug-ins or beinjected into runtime. Outside these superficial uses of
the language, user interaction is recorded in MEL, allowing even inexperienced users to
implement subroutines. Scene information can thus be dumped, extension .ma, editable outside Maya in
any text editor
Python in Maya
Maya’s scripting commands come in the module package maya.cmds.
import maya.cmds
People usually use the shorthand
import maya.cmds as cmds
Or
import maya.cmds as mc
You will notice that if you type in help(cmds), you do not get anything useful besides a list of function
names. This is because Autodesk converted all of their MEL commands to Python procedurally. To get
help with Maya’s Python commands, you will need to refer to the Maya documentation.
Figure 11 ‐ Maya Python Command Documentation
There are so many commands that there is no reason to memorize them all. You will come to memorize
many of the commands simply by using them a lot. How do you get started learning commands? Do what
you are trying to accomplish with Maya’s interface and look at the script editor. Most the actions you do
with the Maya interface output what commands were called in the script editor. The only caveat is that the
output is in MEL so we’ll have to do a little bit of translating. Since all of the commands and arguments
are the same between the MEL and Python commands, translating between the two is pretty easy.
The Maya Python Command Documentation
In this section, we will go over how to learn Maya’s Python commands by studying the MEL output
in the script editor when interacting with Maya. We will then decipher the MEL output and
reconstruct the command using the Maya Python documentation.
Creating a polygon sphere outputs the following MEL command into the script editor:
polySphere -r 1 -sx 20 -sy 20 -ax 0 1 0 -cuv 2 -ch 1;
MEL commands usually consist of the command name followed by several flags. In the above code,
polySphere is the command, and each group of letters following a “-“ is a flag. The numbers after each
flag are arguments of their corresponding flag. For example, “-r” is a flag with an argument of 1, “-sx” is
a flag with an argument of 20, “-ax” is a flag with 3 arguments: 0, 1, 0. Using this information, we can
look up the command in the Maya Python command documentation and write its Python equivalent. Like
I said earlier, commands in MEL and Python have the exact same name, look up “polySphere” in the
Python documentation. It looks like this:
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