Animation is a method in which figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In the past, the animators used to draw images one by one to be photographed and exhibited on film or on a device which enabled a rapid succession of images. The figures were drawn in the way that they moved a bit on each successive image, they were shown one by one in quick succession to form the optical illusion of motion pictures. Today, this time-consuming work of creating each image separately is carried out by a computer. Animators draw only the most extreme positions of figures in the images, i. e. key images, all other intermediate ones that make a continuous motion are generated by the computer. This procedure is called computer generated imagery - CGI. With the computer processing, spatial or 3D animation has become extremely precise and today, 2D animation is only rarely used for aesthetic or design reasons, data transmission with low bandwidth or real time fast imaging [1].
In the thesis, I tried to present basic data that we need for understanding animation. What I have in mind is animation in general as well as computer animation, including physical laws, principles of animation as well as various concepts, such as timeline, key images, imaging, etc. These concepts are part of software for computer animation and 3D graphic programmes. The majority of really good programmes in the markets are payable (Maya, Zbrush, Houdini, Cinema4D...), therefore I used Blender, a free and open-source software to explain all these concepts. I presented it and the tools I used for the practical part of my thesis in more details further on.
In the practical part, I made a series of simple computer animations. First, I described the complexity of producing a character (I found a more suitable, already created model on the web for my animations) and creating the whole scene, where a puppet (driver) sits behind the wheel of a simulator and controls it. Then, I created animations showing six different reactions of a driver while driving. These reactions are: control with a steering wheel, pressing brake and gas or, in case of disability, control with a B.D.F. handle.
In the last chapter of the thesis, I dealt with the problems that I had come across during preparation and creation of animations. I described the solutions to the problems that I found on the web, through various tutorials, mentor’s advice and after my own consideration.
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