A highlight of the history of 3D Graphics & a practitioner that inspires me.

Animation has been a part of our lives from as early as 30,000 B.C. Of course it was not in sophisticate slick the form that we know it today, but none the less as a part of our human evolution we have been constantly trying to depict motion, be it the bronze age pottery of the bowl depicting a leaping goat or Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian man drawing showing various angles to depict motion.

The picture below depicts a high level overview of the history of animation right upto the the 1st 3D Film, Toy Story’s release.

history-of-animation

 (History of Animation, 17 January 2016)

I love to draw & I love to create. To bring to life my drawings was something that fascinated me from childhood. Hence, it is safe for me to say that my interest in 2D animation, character designs & illustrations is what has got me to this point. On embarking on this learning journey, I have begun to slowly appreciate the nuances of 3D animation too.

While researching for this blog I came across the new technology introduced by Disney called “Meander”. The idea behind developing meander was to merge the power and flexibility of computer generated imagery with the expressiveness and individuality imparted to characters by an artist’s hand.

Meander

The method uses layering hand drawn images, over characters and backgrounds that are already rendered digitally, so as to give them a kind of 3D quality. The Meander program, allows the 2D hand-drawn artwork to “stick” to the dimensional CG layer underneath. Hence, even thought the image is flat it has a very stylized feel to it.

(Paperman and the Future of 2D Animation, 12 Nov, 2012)

A practitioner that inspires me

Patrick Osborne is an American animator & film director. He has won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2014 for “Feast”. Born in 1981, he graduated from the Ringling college of art & design in 2003. He has worked on a number of animated films such as Big Hero 6 (2014), Wreck-it Ralph (2012), Tangled (2010).

 

Some of his work & sketches can be found here:

http://www.bighappyaccident.com/blog/

His Academy Winning Short Film “FEAST” using the meander technology.

(Feast by Disney – Short Animation, 13 April 2013)

References

  1. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.bighappyaccident.com/blog/
  2. Early waysof showingmotion. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2016, from http://history-of-animation.webflow.io/
  3. History of Animation. (2016, January 17). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://moviescor.hol.es/uncategorized/history-of-animation/
  4. Booker, L. (2013, February 02). Meander, The Technology Behind Paperman, Disney’s Beautiful, Charming Short. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/02/meander-the-technology-behind-paperman-disneys-beautiful-charming-short/
  5. Failes, I. (2013, January 31). The inside story behind Disney’s Paperman. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from https://www.fxguide.com/featured/the-inside-story-behind-disneys-paperman/
  6. Holmes, S. (2015, October 09). The making of Disney’s new animated short: ‘Feast’. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.3dartistonline.com/news/2014/10/the-making-of-disneys-new-animated-short-feast/
  7. Wolfe, J. (2014, November 13). A Chat with Kristina Reed: Creating Winston and Disney’s ‘Feast’ Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.awn.com/animationworld/chat-kristina-reed-creating-winston-and-disney-s-feast
  8. Kaganskiy, J. (2013, March 05). Trying To Woo Animators, Disney Accidentally Invents. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.fastcompany.com/3006276/open-company/trying-woo-animators-disney-accidentally-invents-paperman-method
  9. The Future of 2d Animation Software? (From Disney Of Course…) | 2D Animation Software Guide. (2014, May 23). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.2danimationsoftwareguide.com/the-future-of-2d-animation-software-from-disney-of-course/
  10. Wilson, M. (2013, February 22). Why This Oscar-Winning Disney Short Looks Like Nothing Made Before. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671941/why-this-oscar-nominated-disney-short-looks-like-nothing-made-before
  11. Vary, A. B. (2014, November 9). The Story Behind Disney’s Adorable New Short Film “Feast” Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/disney-feast-animated-short-film-big-hero-6#.br0V8Bmye
  12. Radish, C. (2014, August 20). The Story Behind Disney’s Adorable New Short Film “Feast” Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/disney-feast-animated-short-film-big-hero-6#.br0V8Bmyehttp://collider.com/patrick-osborne-feast-interview/
  13. Pig, S. (2012, November 12). Paperman and the Future of 2D Animation. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZJLtujW6FY
  14. Pourdanandeh, K. (2015, April 13). Feast by Disney – Short Animation. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ARYCDna3E