Kingdom of Saudi ‫ملكة العربية السعودية‬/‫ا‬

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Arabia ‫وزارة التعليم‬ p
Ministry of education
‫جامعة القصيم‬ pl
Qassim University
Applied College
‫الكلية التطبيقية‬ ie
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Course Title: Animation Fundamentals le
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Course Code: AHBD 107
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Course Identification

Credit hours 3 (2 + 1)

Contact hours 3

Program Graphics and multimedia

Applied College – Qassim Un
Course Level 3

In this course, students learn the basic skills for producing traditional animation and
knowledge of animation principles that will be applied in subsequent courses. Students
Course Description
can also apply the skills learned in this course to other areas including animation, stop-
motion, and computer-generated animation..

Tools for practical Adobe animate

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2
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AHBD 107
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Assessment Tasks for Students p
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Percentage of Total ie
# Assessment task* Week Due
Assessment Score
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1 First Term Theoretical Exam 6-7 20% C
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2 Second Term Practical Exam 12-13 20%
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3
Quiz, Homework, Written test, Oral Throughout 10% g
test, Oral presentation, Essay, etc. Semester e
Assignments, Class Participation Throughout 10% –
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Semester Q
Group Projects * Throughout 10% as
5
Semester si
6 Total Term Exam
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70%
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7 Final Exam End of Semester

AHBD 107 30% ni

Course Content

Contact weeks
No List of Topics
Hours

1 Introduction to Animation 2 1st Week

2 Techniques behind Animation and Animation Principles 4 2nd College

3rd, Week
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3 Advanced animation techniques 2 4th Weeks

4 Classification of Animation 4 5th, 6th Weeks

5 Animation and File Formats 4 7th, 8th Weeks

6 Video Compression &Frame Rate 2 9th, Weeks

7 Animation Types 2 10th Weeks

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4
Video Content, Applications
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References p
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• Multimedia and Animation, Karnataka state open university, 2016 C
Textbooks • The Fundamentals of Animation , paul well and samantha Moor, ol
Fairchild book An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2017
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Multimedia and Animation
Electronic Materials e
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Other Learning Materials adobe animate Q
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Kingdom of Saudi ‫ملكة العربية السعودية‬/‫ا‬

Arabia ‫وزارة التعليم‬
Ministry of education ‫جامعة القصيم‬
Qassim University
‫الكلية التطبيقية‬
Applied College

Applied College – Qassim Un

Chapter 1 : Introduction to Animation

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AHBD 107
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Learning Objectives: pl
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After studying this unit, you will be able to d
• Know about computer animation C
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• Explain about the concepts of animation le
• Elucidate about history of animation g
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Introduction:
Computer animation is the use of computers to create animations. Animation is the illusion of continuous
movement of objects or camera viewpoint created by a series of still images. Each still image is called a
frame. Most people perceive motion as smooth (continuous) when presented by a sequence of images at a
rate of at least 10 frames per second. Animation is a beautiful way to create films. Also, it is eye-catching
and expressive. Animation is nothing but moving pictures. Now, the moving picture can be anything. It
can be a leaf falling on the ground, or it can a full feature movie like Shrek. There are various objects
(medium) that can be used to make an animation. Hence, any medium can make a type of 220 College
Applied animation. – Qassim Un
For example, some people make beautiful animated films using just sand. While some movies are made
using complex software. An animated movie can be made in minutes or can take years, it all depends upon
the project. There are many types of animation, as the medium can be anything. It can be pencil drawings,
can be computer drawings, can be computer models or can be ordinary objects like clay, sand, coins,
buttons, etc. However, all different types of animation fall basically under three main categories, and so
these three categories can be called the basic animation types. They are stop-motion, 2D animation and 3D
animation. ‹#›
Why Animation?
A
Why choose animation instead of live action? There are many possible answers to this - p
question, but the following points may serve to summarise some of the key perspectives:
pl
- Animation offers a different vocabulary of expression to live action and enables greater
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creative freedoms.
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- Animation gives a greater degree of control over the construction and outcome of the
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work.
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- Animation may be usefully related to and operate within the physical and material
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world of live action.
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- Animation can offer a different representation of ‘reality’ or create worlds governed by
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their own codes and conventions that radically differ from the ‘real world’.
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- Animation can achieve anything that can be imagined and create an ‘art of the
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impossible’.
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Stop-Motion
So, what is stop-motion? First let us have a mental picture about this
animation, and then let us discuss it. Have you seen Pingu the Penguin
animation? No? Then spend a minute watching a video of Pingu
online. Okay, now that you have seen it, let us discuss stop-motion
animation. Stop-motion is basically a type of animationAppliedinCollege
which– Qassim Un
inanimate objects are used. Inanimate objects are moved and captured
(a photo is taken). Then they are moved a bit and a shot is taken, this
goes on till a motion is complete. Then all the photos are played in a
sequence and we see an animation, an illusion of life.

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 Now, the inanimate object can be anything. So, there is claymation, A
which is a popular type of stop-motion. There are animated stop- p
pl
motion films made with many many inanimate things. There is sand-
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animation, button-animation, paper cut-out animation, pencil-
d
animation, etc. Now, the difference between capturing a video and C
stop-motion is that the filmmaker can move the objects according to ol
their will and convenience, as opposed to live-action videos. Some le
examples of stop-motion movies are The Adventures of Prince g
Achmed, The Corpse Bride and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer e
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2DAnimation 2D animation can be basically divided into two main

categories. One is cell animation, which is classical animation. This is the
way all old 2D movies were made, but due to the advent of computer
technology the other category of 2D animation which is computer generated
has become very popular. Cell animation is done by drawing frame-by-
frame. This means on paper, 221 drawings are created and then these
drawings are captured by a camera. An animation clip Applied
is created using
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photos of these drawings

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The computer generated 2D animation is basically created by drawing and A
painting sketches on the computer using a software, without any actual p
paper sketches involved. One of the most popular animation software used pl
to create computer 2D animation is Adobe Flash. However, there is a third ie
category of 2D animation which synthesizes both the above types of 2D d
C
animation. In this animation type half animation is computer drawn, while ol
half is done using a software. For example, pencil drawings scanned in le
computer and then colored using a software. Some examples of classical g
cell animation are Disney's Steamboat Willie, Aladdin and Pinocchio. e
Some of the computer generated animation series are The Powerpuff Girls, –
Dexter's Laboratory and The Jetsons. Q
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3DAnimation Today 3D animation is dominating when it comes to full-

length feature films. 3D animation is basically created using a software
which allows to create models and animate them in a 3D environment,
on three axis X, Y, and Z, while for 2D animation there are only two
Appliedangles
axis. In 2D animation you cannot look at a character in various Collegeby
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rotating it, but in 3D animation this is possible.

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3D animation is completely done using software. Maya
A
and 3D Max are two of the most popular 3D animation p
software. There is also Blender which is easier to pl
understand. Blender is simple software and easy to ie
grasp, while to comprehend Maya and Max you will d
need a lot of practice. There is also another type of C
animation which is called motion capture. However, ol
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motion capture is actually not a type of animation but a
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mix medium of live action and 3D animation. In this e
medium basically a motion is captured and then –
rendered using a software, to give an effect of an Q
animation clip. as
Some examples of popular 3D animation are Shrek, Ice si
Age and Finding Nemo. m
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Other Types of Animation:

• Real time animation: An animation is real time if a computer is
computing and displaying the animation at the same speed as it is
designed to be seen at. Typically only simple animations can be displayed
in real time.
• Keyframe animation: A technique for producing animations whereby
important positions, sizes and orientations of objects at particular points
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in time are identified and everything else in-between is filled in by
interpolation.

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• Character animation: Animation focussed on
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the display of expressions, emotions and pl
behaviours normally associated with intelligent ie
life forms. d
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• Motion path animation: A technique where objects or cameras move along
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a path. e
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• Hierarchical animation: Animation of hierarchical objects.

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Shape animation: There are various forms but the most well known is
morphing where one shape changes into another shape.

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• Procedural animation: Animations typically require considerable data
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in their production. Procedural animation aims to compute animation p
data rather than have an animator specify it. pl
• Simulation: May be characterised as scientific animation. Typically ie
simulations will be using data computed from the laws of physics. d
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• Camera animation: Typified by
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architectural walkthroughs. In its pure g
form the only thing which moves is the e
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Definition:
Animation is the process of creating a continuous motion and shape
change illusion by means of the rapid display of a sequence of
static images that minimally differ from each other. The illusion as
in motion pictures in general is thought to rely on the phi
phenomenon. Animators are artists who specialize in the creation of
animation. Animations can be recorded on either analogue media,
such as a flip book, motion picture film, video tape, or on digital
Applied College – Qassim Un
media, including formats such as animated GIF, Flash animation or
digital video. To display it, a digital camera, computer, or projector
are used. Animation creation methods include the traditional
animation creation method and those involving stop motion
animation of two and three-dimensional objects, such as paper
cutouts, puppets and clay figures. Images are displayed in a rapid
succession, usually 24, 25, 30, or 60 frames per second. ‹#›
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p
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Animation has certainly come a long way in the decades since
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its debut in the early 1900s. The techniques used by animators to d
bring characters and stories to life have improved immeasurably C
over the years, yet there remains only three primary types of ol
animation: traditional, stop-motion, and computer. le
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The differences between the three major forms of animation are significant,
and covered in the following article:

Traditional Animation: Arriving on the scene at roughly the same time as its
live-action counterparts, traditionally animated films have certainly come a
long way since the early days of crude drawings and experimental
narratives. Traditional animation made its debut in 1906 with a short film
featuring different facial expressions. The genre allows forApplied College of
the illusion – Qassim Un
animated movement due to the frame-by-frame manipulation of drawings
and illustrations. Although computer technology has assisted animators in
their efforts over the years, the basic means by which an animated film
comes to life has essentially remained the same.

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 The popularization of the cel-animation process in the early ‗20s proved A
instrumental in the genre‘s meteoric rise to infamy, with the technique p
ensuring that animators no longer had to draw the same image over and pl
over again – as see-through ―celsǁ containing a character or object in ie
motion could be laid on top of a stationary background. The release of d
C
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 marked the first time that
ol
traditionally animated films began to be taken seriously by the le
Hollywood community and audiences alike. g
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In the years since, traditionally animated films have

remained popular at cinemas the world over – with the
wild success of the genre affording filmmakers the
opportunity to break out of the mold from time to time (ie
1972‘s Fritz the Cat became the first animated feature to
land an ―Xǁ rating). Disney‘s domination over the 2D
animated realm has ensured that their name has become
synonymous with animated films, although it‘s certainly
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worth noting that some of the most popular cartoons from
the last couple of decades have come from other studios
(including The Rugrats Movie, Beavis and Butt-head Do
America, and the Land Before Time series).

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Stop-Motion Animation: A
Far less prevalent, on the other hand, is stop-motion animation. Stop-motion p
actually predates traditional, hand-drawn animation: The first attempt, The pl
Humpty Dumpty Circus, was released in 1898. ie
But stop-motion animated features have never quite managed to garner the d
acclaim and widespread appeal of their 2D counterparts. There‘s little doubt C
that the biggest hindrance to stop-motion animation‘s success is its time ol
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consuming nature, as animators must move an object one frame at a time to
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mimic movement. Considering movies generally contain 24 frames per second, e
it can take hours to capture just a few seconds worth of footage –
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Although the first full-length stop-motion cartoon was released in 1926

(Germany‘s The Adventures of Prince Achmed), the genre‘s widest
exposure came in the 1950s with the release 227 of the Gumby television
series. After that point, stop-motion animation started to be seen less as a
gimmicky fad and more as a viable alternative to hand-drawn animation
– with 1965‘s Willy McBean and his Magic Machine, produced by
legendary stop-motion duo Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, the first full-
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length stop-motion film to be produced within the United States.

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The prominence of Rankin/Bass Christmas specials in the
A
‗60s and ‗70s only added to stop-motion animation‘s p
growing popularity, yet it was the increased use of stop- pl
motion within special effects field that cemented its place as ie
an invaluable resource – with George Lucas‘ pioneering d
work in both the Star Wars films and in his effects company C
Industrial Light and Magic setting a standard that the rest of ol
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the industry struggled to match. Stop-motion has, as of late,
g
lost a lot of its luster in the wake of computer animation‘s e
meteoric rise, yet the genre has seen something of a –
resurgence in the past few years – with the popularity of Q
movies like Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox ensuring that as
stop-motion will likely continue to endure in the years to si
come. m
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Computer Animation:
Before it became a pervasive, all-encompassing force within the
cinematic community, computer animation was primarily used as a
tool by filmmakers to enhance their traditional lyconceived special
effects work. As such, computer-generated imagery was used
sparingly in the ‗70s and ‗80s – with 1982‘s Tron marking the first
time it was used on an extensive basis within a full-length Applied
feature.College – Qassim Un

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Computer animation received a substantial boost in 1986 with the release A
of Pixar‘s first short, Luxo Jr. – which went on to receive a nomination p
for Best Animated Short Film and proved that computers could provide pl
ie
more than just behind-the-scenes special effects support. The increased
d
sophistication of both hardware and software was reflected in the C
progressively 228 eye-popping nature of computer-generated imagery, ol
with 1991‘s Terminator 2: Judgment Day and 1993‘s Jurassic Park le
standing as landmark examples of what computers were capable of. g
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It wasn‘t until Pixar released the world‘s first computer-animated

feature in 1995, Toy Story, that audiences and executives alike
first began to see the possibilities offered by the technology, and
it wasn‘t long before other studios began clamoring to get into
the CGI game. The three dimensional appearance of computer-
generated cartoons instantly assured their success over their 2-D
counterparts, as viewers found themselves transfixed by the
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novelty of the lifelike images and jaw-dropping visuals.

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And although Pixar remains the undisputed p
champion of the computer-generated landscape, pl
ie
there have certainly been plenty of equally
d
successful examples of the genre in recent years C
– with, for instance, the Shrek series raking in ol
well over two billion dollars worldwide. It's also le
impossible to downplay the significance of g
Avatar's incredible, chart-topping success. The e
movie - which boasts some of the most –
Q
impressive computer-animated visuals to date -
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will likely set a new standard that future CGI- si
heavy films will struggle to match. m
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Applications of animation:
• Films
• TV programs
• Computer games
• Web contents Applied College – Qassim Un

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The History of Animation: A
Computer animation began in the 1960s, with abstract color designs in p
motion. This technology has advanced so much that artists draw and pl
modify pictures using computer imagery. 229 Using computer ie
programs to change backgrounds and choose colors, the finished d
product is visualized on a television monitor, and saved on computer C
ol
disc. Multimedia computer systems integrate materials from a variety
le
of formats. Film animation applies techniques of cinematography to g
the graphic and plastic arts in order to give the illusion of life and e
movement to cartoons, drawings, paintings, puppets, and three- –
dimensional objects. Q
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Animated graphics have served to delineate the web as an artist's medium.

However, old-style cell animation is the mainstay of professional artists in
creating characters, and computers are only used to move the objects and
backgrounds within a scene. Below are articles with information on computer
animation, animated graphics and special effects. The advent of computer aided
design (CAD) programs has propelled many educational and commercial
endeavors to the next level of study, production, and efficiency. Medical
students, for example, can perform complex "virtual surgeries"Applied College
with the –use
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such systems. In addition, flight simulators, which also use such programs, aid in
the training of astronauts and pilots. The video game industry has grown
enormously as games become increasingly realistic and interactive through 3-D
imaging. A modern form of 3D vision is virtual reality.

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Early examples of attempts to capture the phenomenon of motion into a stillA
drawing can be found in paleolithic cave paintings, where animals are oftenp
depicted with multiple legs in superimposed positions, clearly attempting topl
convey the perception of motion. An earthen goblet discovered at the site of theie
5,200-year-old Burnt City in southeastern Iran, depicts what could possibly bed
the world‘s oldest example of animation. The artifact bears five sequentialC
images depicting a Persian Desert Ibex jumping up to eat the leaves of a tree.ol
Ancient Chinese records contain several mentions of devices that were said tole
g
"give an impression of movement" to human or animal figures, but thesee
accounts are unclear and may only refer to the actual movement of the figures–
through space. Q
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In the 19th century, the phenakistoscope (1832), zoetrope (1834)

and praxinoscope (1877), as well as the common flip book, were
early animation devices that produced an illusion of movement
from a series of sequential drawings, but animation did not develop
further until the advent of motion picture film and cinematography
Applied College – Qassim Un
in the 1890s.

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The cinématographe was a projector, printer, and camera in one A
machine that allowed moving pictures to be shown successfully on a p
screen which was invented by history's earliest film makers, Auguste pl
and Louis Lumière, in 1894. The first animated projection (screening) ie
was 230 created in France, by Charles-Émile Reynaud, who was a d
French science teacher. Reynaud created the Praxinoscope in 1877 and C
the Théâtre Optique in December 1888. On 28 October 1892, he ol
le
projected the first animation in public, Pauvre Pierrot, at the Musée
g
Grévin in Paris. This film is also notable as the first known instance of e
film perforations being used. His films were not photographed, but –
drawn directly onto the transparent strip. In 1900, more than 500,000 Q
people had attended these screenings. as
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Computer animation has become popular since Toy Story (1995), the first
feature-length animated film completely made using this technique. In
2008, the animation market was worth US$68.4 billion. Animation as an
art and industry continues to thrive as of the mid-2010s, because well-
made animated projects can find audiences across borders and in all four
quadrants. Animated feature-length films returned the highest gross
margins (around 52%) of all film genres in the 2004-2013 timeframe.
Applied College – Qassim Un

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Line Art and Animation: A
Line art or line drawing is any image that consists of distinct straight p
and curved lines placed against a (usually plain) background, without pl
gradations in shade (darkness) or hue (color) to represent two- ie
dimensional or three-dimensional objects. Line art can use lines of d
different colors, although line art is usually monochromatic. Line art C
emphasizes form and outline, over color, shading, and texture. ol
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However, areas of solid pigment and dots can also be used in addition
g
to lines. The lines in a piece of line art may be all of a constant width e
(as in some pencil drawings), of several (few) constant widths (as in –
technical illustrations), or of freely varying widths(as in brush work or Q
engraving) as
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Line art may tend towards realism (as in much of Gustave

Doré's work), or it may be a caricature, cartoon,
ideograph, or glyph. Before the development of
photography and of halftones, line art was the standard
format for illustrations to be used in print publications,
using black ink on white paper. Using either stippling or
hatching, shades of gray could also be simulated. One of
the most fundamental elements of art is the line. An Applied College – Qassim Un
important feature of a line is that it indicates the edge of a
two-dimensional (flat) shape or a three-dimensional form.
A shape can be indicated by means of an outline and a
three-dimensional form can be indicated by contour lines.

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p
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Exercise:
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1) What is animation? Discuss the d
applications of animation. C
2) 2) List and explain the basic types ol
of animation. le
3) 3) Explain the history behind g
animation. e
4) 4) Write short note on lineart. –
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