Developing of procedual animation platform - autoscope

• Main Author: Li, Yi Han
• Other Authors: Vladimir Todorovic
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Computer applications
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/63710
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This project focuses on the development of a software platform named Autoscope that assists animators, illustrators and visual effect artists in the creation of their inspiring and artistic animations. Comparing to traditional animation making software, which seeks creating realistic representation and lifelike movement while animating, this program sets its focus on the generation of much abstract and less figurative work based on pointillist sketches loaded. With an aim of making an experimental animation tool that codes forms, this project examines how digital media exemplified by coding has intertwined with from conceptualization to execution of art making process. The platform could be sectioned into two parts: part 1 Autoscope – the Sktech functions as a canvas for artists to draw on and it showcases pointillist sketch as well as records coordination, pressure and color information of the sketch in text files; part 2 Autoscope – the Animation, with user indicating specific key frames and manipulating different parameters, will generate in between frames accordingly and create animation with playback transitional effect. The preliminary results of experimentation show that computer generated animation has a great potential in becoming more artistic and inspiring. Autoscope is developed in Processing, a programming language that has a simplified syntax of java, to be operated on computers with the software Processing installed. As a project that combines computer programming and artistic creation, the job scope of a software engineer in this case has stretched beyond designing software’s structure, coding and testing. Works require human touch of an artist are infused subtlety and gradually to the whole development process.