IS 490

SPECIAL TOPICS

Computer Graphics

May 6, 1996





Table of Contents

Introduction                                   

          3

How It Was                                   

     3

How It All Began                              

     4

Times Were Changing                              6

Industry''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s First Attempts                         

     7

The Second Wave                                   10

How the Magic is Made                              11

Modeling                                   

          12

Animation                                   

          13

Rendering                                   

          13

Conclusion                                   

          15

Bibliography                                   

          16



Introduction



Hollywood has gone digital, and the old ways of doing things are dying.

Animation and

special effects created with computers have been embraced by television

networks,

advertisers, and movie studios alike. Film editors, who for decades

worked by painstakingly

cutting and gluing film segments together, are now sitting in front of

computer screens.

There, they edit entire features while adding sound that is not only

stored digitally, but

also has been created and manipulated with computers. Viewers are

witnessing the results of

all this in the form of stories and experiences that they never dreamed

of before. Perhaps

the most surprising aspect of all this, however, is that the entire

digital effects and

animation industry is still in its infancy. The future looks bright.

How It Was     



In the beginning, computer graphics were as cumbersome and as hard to

control as dinosaurs

must have been in their own time. Like dinosaurs, the hardware systems,

or muscles, of

early computer graphics were huge and ungainly. The machines often

filled entire buildings.

Also like dinosaurs, the software programs or brains of computer

graphics were hopelessly

underdeveloped. Fortunately for the visual arts, the evolution of both

brains and brawn of

computer graphics did not take eons to develop. It has, instead, taken

only three decades

to move from science fiction to current technological trends. With

computers out of the

stone age, we have moved into the leading edge of the silicon era.

Imagine sitting at a

computer without any visual feedback on a monitor. There would be no

spreadsheets, no word

processors, not even simple games like solitaire. This is what it was

like in the early

days of computers. The only way to interact with a computer at that

time was through toggle

switches, flashing lights, punchcards, and Teletype printouts. How It

All Began



In 1962, all this began to change. In that year, Ivan Sutherland, a

Ph.D. student at (MIT),

created the science of computer graphics. For his dissertation, he

wrote a program called

Sketchpad that allowed him to draw lines of light directly on a cathode

ray tube (CRT). The

results were simple and primitive. They were a cube, a series of lines,

and groups of

geometric shapes. This offered an entirely new vision on how computers

could be used. In

1964, Sutherland teamed up with Dr. David Evans at the University of

Utah to develop the

world''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s first academic computer graphics department. Their goal was to

attract only the most

gifted students from across the country by creating a unique department

that combined hard

science with the creative arts. They new they were starting a brand new

industry and wanted

people who would be able to lead that industry out of its infancy. Out

of this unique mix of

science and art, a basic understanding of computer graphics began to

grow. Algorithms for

the creation of solid objects, their modeling, lighting, and shading

were developed. This

is the roots virtually every aspect of today''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s computer graphics

industry is based on.

Everything from desktop publishing to virtual reality find their

beginnings in the basic

research that came out of the University of Utah in the 60''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s and 70''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s.

During this time,

Evans and Sutherland also founded the first computer graphics company.

Aptly named Evans &

Sutherland (E&S), the company was established in 1968 and rolled out its

first computer

graphics systems in 1969. Up until this time, the only computers

available that could

create pictures were custom-designed for the military and prohibitively

expensive. E&S''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s

computer system could draw wireframe images extremely rapidly, and was

the first commercial

"workstation" created for computer-aided design (CAD). It found its

earliest customers in

both the automotive and aerospace industries. Times Were Changing



Throughout its early years, the University of Utah''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s Computer Science

Department was

generously supported by a series of research grants from the Department

of Defense. The

1970''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s, with its anti-war and anti-military protests, brought increasing

restriction to the

flows of academic grants, which had a direct impact on the Utah

department''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s ability to

carry out research. Fortunately, as the program wound down, Dr.

Alexander Schure, founder

and president of New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), stepped

forward with his dream of

creating computer-animated feature films. To accomplish this task,

Schure hired Edwin

Catmull, a University of Utah Ph.D., to head the NYIT computer graphics

lab and then

equipped the lab with the best computer graphics hardware available at

that time. When

completed, the lab boasted over $2 million worth of equipment. Many of

the staff came from

the University of Utah and were given free reign to develop both two-

and three-dimensional

computer graphics tools. Their goal was to soon produce a full -length

computer animated

feature film. The effort, which began in 1973, produced dozens of

research papers and

hundreds of new discoveries, but in the end, it was far too early for

such a complex

undertaking. The computers of that time were simply too expensive and

too under powered, and

the software not nearly developed enough. In fact, the first full

length computer generated

feature film was not to be completed until recently in 1995. By 1978,

Schure could no longer

justify funding such an expensive effort, and the lab''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s funding was cut

back. The ironic

thing is that had the Institute decided to patent many more of its

researcher''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s discoveries

than it did, it would control much of the technology in use today.

Fortunately for the

computer industry as a whole, however, this did not happen. Instead,

research was made

available to whomever could make good use of it, thus accelerating the

technologies

development. Industry''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s First Attempts     



As NYIT''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s influence started to wane, the first wave of commercial

computer graphics studios

began to appear. Film visionary George Lucas (creator of Star Wars and

Indiana Jones

trilogies) hired Catmull from NYIT in 1978 to start the Lucasfilm

Computer Development

Division, and a group of over half-dozen computer graphics studios

around the country opened

for business. While Lucas''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s computer division began researching how to

apply digital

technology to filmmaking, the other studios began creating flying logos

and broadcast

graphics for various corporations including TRW, Gillette, the National

Football League, and

television programs, such as "The NBC Nightly News" and "ABC World News

Tonight." Although

it was a dream of these initial computer graphics companies to make

movies with their

computers, virtually all the early commercial computer graphics were

created for television.

It was and still is easier and far more profitable to create graphics

for television

commercials than for film. A typical frame of film requires many more

computer calculations

than a similar image created for television, while the per-second film

budget is perhaps

about one-third as much income. The actual wake-up call to the

entertainment industry was

not to come until much later in 1982 with the release of Star-Trek II:

The Wrath of Kahn.

That movie contained a monumental sixty seconds of the most exciting

full-color computer

graphics yet seen. Called the "Genesis Effect," the sequence starts out

with a view of a

dead planet hanging lifeless in space. The camera follows a missiles

trail into the planet

that is hit with the Genesis Torpedo. Flames arc outwards and race

across the surface of

the planet. The camera zooms in and follows the planets transformation

from molten lava to

cool blues of oceans and mountains shooting out of the ground. The

final scene spirals the

camera back out into space, revealing the cloud-covered newly born

planet. These sixty

seconds may sound uneventful in light of current digital effects, but

this remarkable scene

represents many firsts. It required the development of several

radically new computer

graphics algorithms, including one for creating convincing computer fire

and another to

produce realistic mountains and shorelines from fractal equations. This

was all created by

the team at Lucasfilm''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s Computer Division. In addition, this sequence

was the first time

computer graphics were used as the center of attention, instead of being

used merely as a

prop to support other action. No one in the entertainment industry had

seen anything like

it, and it unleashed a flood of queries from Hollywood directors seeking

to find out both

how it was done and whether an entire film could be created in this

fashion. Unfortunately,

with the release of TRON later that same year and The Last Starfighter

in 1984, the answer

was still a decided no.

Both of these films were touted as a technological tour-de-force,

which, in fact, they

were. The films'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' graphics were extremely well executed, the best seen

up to that point, but

they could not save the film from a weak script. Unfortunately, the

technology was greatly

oversold during the film''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s promotion and so in the end it was

technology that was blamed

for the film''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s failure. With the 1980s came the age of personal

computers and dedicated

workstations. Workstations are minicomputers that were cheap enough to

buy for one person.

Smaller was better, aster, an much, much cheaper. Advances in silicon

chip technologies

brought massive and very rapid increases in power to smaller computers

along with drastic

price reductions. The costs of commercial graphics plunged to match,

to the point where

the major studios suddenly could no longer cover the mountains of debt

coming due on their

overpriced centralized mainframe hardware.

With their expenses mounting, and without the extra capital to upgrade

to the newer cheaper

computers, virtually every independent computer graphics studio went out

of business by

1987. All of them, that is, except PDI, which went on to become the

largest commercial

computer graphics house in the business and to serve as a model for the

next wave of

studios. The Second Wave



Burned twice by TRON and The Last Starfighter, and frightened by the

financial failure of

virtually the entire industry, Hollywood steered clear of computer

graphics for several

years. Behind the scenes, however, it was building back and waiting for

the next big break.

The break materialized in the form of a watery creation for the James

Cameron 1989 film,

The Abyss. For this film, the group at George Lucas'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Industrial Light

and Magic (ILM)

created the first completely computer-generated entirely organic

looking and thoroughly

believable creature to be realistically integrated with live action

footage and characters.

This was the watery pseudopod that snaked its way into the underwater

research lab to get a

closer look at its human inhabitants. In this stunning effect, ILM

overcame two very

difficult problems: producing a soft-edged, bulgy, and irregular shaped

object, and

convincingly anchoring that object in a live-action sequence. Just as

the 1982 Genesis

sequence served as a wake-up call for early film computer graphics,

this sequence for The

Abyss was the announcement that computer graphics had finally come of

age. A massive

outpouring of computer-generated film graphics has since ensued with

studios from across

the entire spectrum participating in the action. From that point on,

digital technology

spread so rapidly that the movies using digital effects have become too

numerous to list in

entirety. However they include the likes of Total Recall, Toys,

Terminator 2: Judgment

Day, The Babe, In the Line of Fire, Death Becomes Her, and of course,

Jurassic Park.

How the Magic is Made



Creating computer graphics is essentially about three things: Modeling,

Animation, and

Rendering. Modeling is the process by which 3-dimensional objects are

built inside the

computer; animation is about making those objects come to life with

movement, and rendering

is about giving them their ultimate appearance and looks.

Hardware is the brains and brawn of computer graphics, but it is

powerless without the

right software. It is the software that allows the modeler to build a

computer graphic

object, that helps the animator bring this object to life, and that, in

the end, gives the

image its final look. Sophisticated computer graphics software for

commercial studios is

either purchased for $30,000 to $50,000, or developed in-house by

computer programmers.

Most studios use a combination of both, developing new software to meet

new project needs.



Modeling



Modeling is the first step in creating any 3D computer graphics.

Modeling in computer

graphics is a little like sculpting, a little like building models with

wood, plastic and

glue, and a lot like CAD. Its flexibility and potential are unmatched in

any other art form.

With computer graphics it is possible to build entire worlds and

entire realities. Each

can have its own laws, its own looks, and its own scale of time and

space.

Access to these 3-dimensional computer realities is almost always

through the 2-dimensional

window of a computer monitor. This can lead to the misunderstanding

that 3-D modeling is

merely the production perspective drawings. This is very far from the

truth. All elements

created during any modeling session possess three full dimensions and

at any time can be

rotated, turned upside down, and viewed from any angle or perspective.

In addition, they

may be re-scaled, reshaped, or resized whenever the modeler chooses.

Modeling is the first

step in creating any 3-dimensional computer animation. It requires the

artist''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s ability to

visualize mentally the objects being built, and the craftsperson''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s

painstaking attention to

detail to bring it to completion. To create an object, a modeler starts

with a blank screen

an sets the scale of the computer''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s coordinate system for that element.

The scale can be

anything from microns to light years across in size. It is important

that scale stays

consistent with all elements in a project. A chair built in inches will

be lost in a living

room built in miles. The model is then created by building up layers of

lines and patches

that define the shape of the object.

Animation



While it is the modeler that contains the power of creation, it is the

animator who

provides the illusion of life. The animator uses the tools at his

disposal to make objects

move. Every animation process begins essentially the same way, with a

storyboard.

A storyboard is a series of still images that shows how the elements

will move and interact

with each other. This process is essential so that the animator knows

what movements need

to be assigned to objects in the animation. Using the storyboard, the

animator sets up key

points of movements for each object in the scene. The computer then

produces motion for

each object on a frame by frame basis. The final result when assembled,

gives the form of

fluid movement. Rendering



The modeler gives form, the animator provides motion, but still the

animation process is not

complete. The objects and elements are nothing but empty or hollow

forms without any

surface. They are merely outlines until the rendering process is

applied. Rendering is the

most computational time demanding aspect of the entire animation

process. During the

rendering process, the computer does virtually all the work using

software that has been

purchased or written in-house. It is here that the animation finally

achieves its final

look. Objects are given surfaces that make it look like a solid form.

Any type of look can

be achieved by varying the looks of the surfaces. The objects finally

look concrete. Next,

the objects are lighted. The look of the lighting is affected by the

surfaces of the

objects, the types of lights, and the mathematical models used to

calculate the behavior of

light. Once the lighting is completed, it is now time to create what the

camera will see.

The computer calculates what the camera can see following the designs of

the objects in the

scene. Keep in mind that all the objects have tops, sides, bottoms, and

possibly insides.

Types of camera lens, fog, smoke, and other effects all have to be

calculated. To create

the final 2-D image, the computer scans the resulting 3D world and pulls

out the pixels that

the camera can see. The image is then sent to the monitor, to

videotape, or to a film

recorder for display. The multiple 2D still frames, when all assembled,

produce the final

animation.     



Conclusion



Much has happened in the commercial computer graphics industry since the

decline of the

first wave of studios and the rise of the second. Software and hardware

costs have

plummeted. The number of well-trained animators and programmers has

increased dramatically.

And at last, Hollywood and the advertising community have acknowledged

that the digital age

has finally arrived, this time not to disappear. All these factors have

lead to an explosion

in both the size of existing studios and the number of new enterprises

opening their doors.

As the digital tide continues to rise, only one thing is certain. We

have just begun to see

how computer technology will change the visual arts.



BIBLIOGRAPHY





How Did They Do It? Computer Illusion in Film & TV , Alpha Books 1994;

Christopher W. Baker





Computer Graphics World, Volume 19, Number 3; March 1996;

Evan Hirsch, "Beyond Reality"





Computer Graphics World, Volume 19, Number 4; April 1996;

Evan Marc Hirsch, "A Changing Landscape"





Windows NT Magazine, Issue #7, March 1996;

Joel Sloss, "There''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''s No Business Like Show Business"





Cinescape, Volume 1, Number 5; February 1995;

Beth Laski, "Ocean of Dreams"













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