Computer animation is created using various techniques, most frequently involving the manipulation of three-dimensional virtual objects and environments.
While different methods exist, the process often relies heavily on sophisticated mathematics to bring static 3D models to life. This mathematical foundation is crucial for manipulating complex three-dimensional polygons, which are the building blocks of 3D objects.
The Frequent Process
The most common method described involves several key steps:
- Modeling: Creating the 3D objects and characters using points, lines, and the aforementioned polygons. This is essentially sculpting in a virtual space.
- Rigging (often part of manipulation): Setting up a skeletal structure (rig) for characters and objects to allow them to be posed and animated realistically. Sophisticated mathematics is used here to define how the different parts of the model move together.
- Animation: Defining the movement and performance of the models over time. This is where animators keyframe poses or use motion capture data. Mathematics dictates the interpolation between keyframes and simulates physics.
- Applying Textures & Effects: Adding surface details like color, patterns, and material properties ("textures") to the polygon models. This stage also involves setting up lighting to illuminate the scene and adding other visual effects like particles, shadows, and reflections. Again, mathematics is integral to calculating how light interacts with surfaces, how effects behave, etc.
- Rendering: The final step where the computer calculates the final image or sequence of images (frames). The software uses all the data – the models, animation, textures, lighting, camera position, and effects – and performs complex mathematical computations to produce the finished 2D image from the 3D scene.
Key Elements in 3D Computer Animation
Understanding the core components helps clarify the process:
- Polygons: Basic geometric shapes (typically triangles or quadrilaterals) that form the surface of 3D models.
- Mathematics: Used extensively throughout the process for modeling shapes, controlling movement (kinematics), simulating physics, calculating light interaction, and rendering the final image.
- Textures: Image files or procedural patterns applied to the surface of models to give them detail, color, and material properties.
- Lighting: Virtual light sources placed in the 3D scene to illuminate the objects and environment, casting shadows and creating mood.
- Rendering: The computational process of converting the 3D scene data into a 2D image file or video sequence.
This process effectively builds a virtual world, animates the objects within it, applies visual details, and then calculates how that world would look from a specific viewpoint, frame by frame.
A Simple View of the Process
| Stage | Description | Key Components Involved |
|---|---|---|
| Modeling / Rigging | Creating 3D objects and setting up their movement structure. | Polygons, Mathematics |
| Animation | Defining movement over time. | Mathematics, Rigging (if applicable) |
| Texturing & Lighting | Adding surface appearance and illuminating the scene. | Textures, Lighting |
| Rendering | Generating the final images or video from the 3D data. | Polygons, Textures, Lighting, Effects, Mathematics |
While 3D animation using polygons is very common, other techniques like 2D digital animation (vector or raster-based), motion graphics, and procedural animation also fall under the umbrella of computer animation, each with its own specific workflows and tools.
