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Tag: Anigraph 2005

  • Anigraph 2005: Technology – the means, not the end, says 2NZ’ Khurana

    MUMBAI: The successful merchandising of foreign players like Pokemon can be the role model for animators in the Indian market, said 2NZ Animation CEO Kirit Khurana while speaking on Tuesday at Anigraph 2005.

    “There has been a lot of hype about the ‘progress’ we have made in this field, but we have to realise that in spite of the distance we have covered in the past ten years, we are still nowhere on the worldwide animation map,” he lamented, suggesting merchandising was the way forward.

    Khurana brought forth the point that technology is merely a means, not an end. According to him, animation developers in today’s times lay undue importance on technology, and in the process, forget that eventually, animation is merely a medium being used to tell a story.

    He went on to tackle the various components that go into making a successful animated film. “It’s a myth that animated films are different. Successful film-making, whether it is animated or not, deals with the building of identifiable and memorable characters and the weaving of an appealing story around them. So, just like a normal film, an animated series or film too ought to have an identifiable plot, a strong appeal and good design.” He continued, “It’s not enough to create awe-inspiring visuals, you have to stimulate and arrest the mind of the viewer, too.”

    That apart, one aspect which animators must concentrate on, Khurana said, was exaggeration. “This is where animation stands out. Animation is a means to the dish that’s storytelling, but there must be an ample amount of salt and pepper thrown in,” he said.

    Khurana cited the example of the tiger which was successfully used by Sony Max during the 2003 World Cup, and said that exaggeration is a factor that goes a long way in endearing cartoon characters to kids.

    Speaking on the current animation scene, he said that while 3-D animation was on the rise, courtesy films like Toy Story, Shrek and Finding Nemo, it does not signal the end of the road for 2-D animation. He pointed out that there was scope for the survival of both forms, and that animators must decide whether they want to use 2-D, 3-D or stop motion animation, depending on factors like economy, feasibility, comfort, availability of manpower and what suits the storyline.
     

  • Anigraph 2005: UK-based NaturalMotion set to release new 3D animation software

    MUMBAI: UK-based animation company NaturalMotion Ltd. will commercially release next week what it calls the breakthrough 3D animation technology based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) endorphin 2.5. The company is planning an India launch as part of the global release.

    Anigraph is an annual trade exhibition cum seminar on animation and graphics. It covers all fields of animation, graphics and visual effects. The show is supported by Broadcast India and Animation Producers Association of India (APAI).

    The company’s sales director Richard Craig-McFeely announced this at the two-day Anigraph 2005 conference which kicked off today in Mumbai. He also gave a detailed presentation of the software during the session.

    “The release of endorphin 2.5 is scheduled for next week. We will actively sell and market the software in the Indian market as well. Here we have associated with Shaf Broadcast for marketing the software,” he said.

    Anigraph is an annual trade exhibition cum seminar on animation and graphics. It covers all fields of animation, graphics and visual effects. The show is supported by Broadcast India and Animation Producers Association of India (APAI).

    According to Craig-McFeely, endorphin 2.5’s powerful new transitioning, blending and behavior features, combined with enhancements to asset repurposing tools and improved FBX support, allow animators to create realistic, fully interactive 3D character animation faster and easier than traditional keyframe or motion capture techniques.

    Endorphin’s DMS and Adaptive Behavior technology allows animators to experience the sheer speed of simulation without giving up any control. In addition to synthesizing scenes from scratch, endorphin 2.5’s new features allow users to make their existing animations, like walk cycles, interactive.

    The new version, which will be available this month for $12,795, is already being used by leading production and animation companies such as The Mill, Sony Computer Entertainment, Namco and Moving Picture Company. Craig-McFeely said the company was looking at markets such as games, films, post production, broadcast, studios, simulation, education and forensics.

    endorphin 2.5 features include:

    New Transition Event – Enables seamless blending from simulation back into existing animations such as run cycles. Users can create entire animation sequences within endorphin.

    New Active Animation Event – Animation data can drive the muscles of a character. Used in conjunction with endorphin’s new Transition Event, this allows users to create much more dynamic blends than with traditional kinematic blending.

    New Behaviors – New static balancing lets a character stay on its two feet autonomously.

    Enhanced Rig Event – More flexible character rigs for simultaneously mixing animation and simulation, and for advanced dynamic retargeting. Users can choose which degrees of freedom they wish to retarget, and endorphin’s dynamic solver will resolve the rest of the motion.

    Enhanced Collision Mode – Crisper, high-velocity collisions.

    Enhanced Character Edit Mode – Faster custom character and rig set-up.

    Improved FBX Support – Optimized support for the FBX file format for increased integration with today’s leading character animation software packages.