Visual Effects
2D Animation is most familliar in the form of animated feature films and cartoons
such as Disney's Little Mermaid. This sort of animation has traditionally been done
by hand, and continues to be for the most part. There are however digital tools that
are moving into this arena that do everything from automated painting of scanned hand
drawn cells to simulating 2D animation from complex 3D models.
An excellent example of the 3D for 2D effect is seen in Disney's Hercules. In this
feature the Hydra is modeled in 3D and rendered to composite flawlessly with other 2D elements.
High quality cell animation such as Disney's is penned at 24 frames per second (fps). Exactly
the rate of standard motion picture film. This is one of the reasons that high quality
animation can be distingushed from others such as old Hannah Barbara cartoons which typically
used only 12 fps.
Though not often animated footage is sometimes composited with live action footage as
in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
More to come in this section!
Back to the Visual Effects area.
Feedback is always welcome drop a line to:
mrehrer@csua.berkeley.edu.
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