Volume 9–2 (Low Res).pdf

G The "joyboard," strongly resembling a toy piano, was devised by engineers
at NYIT as an auxiliary to the computer keyboard terminal. It gives
operators a speedy, convenient shortcut for selecting frequently used
computer functions such as rotating,dollying,scaling,etc.Instead of typing
out detailed instructions on the computer keyboard, the operator touches
the appropriate key of the "joyboard" to initiate the desired action.
H-1f Elements of drawings rendered in 3-D can be assembled and rearranged
at will The computer can also rotate a drawing to present multiple views
and perspectives.
zations that have purchased CGL programs. While
its main purpose is to develop new systems and
improve on existing ones, CGL also turns out polished
work for commercial use— educational films, news,
television and architectural graphics, TV commercials,
industrial presentations and the like.
One of the areas in which they have formulated a
highly sophisticated program is animated films. To
give you an idea of the dazzling options and economies
possible with computer assistance, we have
only to compare a computer-aided animation procedure
with the same job produced by conventional
means.
In conventional animation the animation artist
draws each character as it should appear in every
fifth or seventh stage of an action. An assistant then
goes to work, sharpens and cleans up those drawings
and interpolates several in-between stages,
deduced from the original drawings. Finally, a third
artist— an in-betweener— draws all the necessary
intermediate positions to provide appropriate
smooth movement for the action. The entire sequence
of drawings must be carefully examined for
accuracy and, finally, each stage of the action of
each character in a sequence must be transferred
to a transparent acetate sheet for painting.
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In the coloring process, every image of every
character must be hand-painted. If a mistake is
made, or a change of color is required, the paint
must be laboriously scraped off every acetate sheet
on which the character appears, and then repainted.
Even without changes or corrections, a skilled
painter may be able to complete a maximum of
35-40 "cels" per day.
For backgrounds, another artist designs and
paints the changing scene for each sequence, carefully
checking and adjusting color schemes to coordinate
with the colors of the characters that appear
in each frame. Animation artists must bear in mind
that no more than 5 levels of acetate may overlay a
background, as the acetate sheets are not entirely
transparent and multiple layering mutes the background
colors.
Finally, all the characters to appear in each frame
must be assembled, registered over the background
and the entire assemblage photographed as a single
unit. In all, it is clear that the production of a single
sequence— say, a character taking ten steps— may
take four or five people many hours, even days, of work.
In computer-assisted animation an animation
artist works on an electronic tablet with an
electronic pen or"wand." Both are wired to monitoring
equipment and to storage or memory banks.
With the electronic pen, the artist draws directly (or
traces from a prepared drawing) on the electronic
tablet. The drawing is digitized—converted to electronic
impulses—on the tablet. While no marks
appear on the tablet itself, the movement of the pen
is transmitted and displayed on the video terminal.
The animator draws only the extreme stages of a
movement— the starting and final positions. The
computer fills in all the "in-betweens." The animation
artist can call up all the drawings and review
the flow of action on the display screen. If a correction
must be made—even on some small detail like
a hand, foot or button— the computer permits the
artist to zoom in on a spot, enlarge it, redraw and
reinsert the detail in the master drawing. The com-
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puter registers the correction on every stage of the
sequence. The finished drawings are then stored in
the computer memory until ready for coloring.
Opaquing or coloring animated character
levels does not require the hand of a skilled artist.
The "scan and paint" program, developed by engineers
at CGL, can be operated by almost anyone.
A palette of colors appears on the display terminal
along with the drawing to be colored. The operator,
following a guide specified by the art director, merely
touches the electronic pen or "wand" to the desired
color and then to the area to be painted. The
computer automatically floods the area with the
indicated hue. Unlike in conventional animation, it is
not necessary to paint every stage of every action.
The operator may choose to color key cels from a
sequence—as few as 10 out of 90— and the computer
will fill in the colors for all remaining cels
as designated. By this program, called "tweep," an
operator can complete as many as 400-500 cels per
day, as compared with the 35-40 possible by conventional
means.
Background artists are now blessed with a vast
assortment of tools and options to work with. Their
color choices run to the billions, since there is a
range of 255 variations for each color family Tex-
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