Animation Software Research Articles

A framework for variation visualization and understanding in complex manufacturing systems

This paper provides a framework that allows industrial practitioners to visualize the most significant variation patterns within their process using three-dimensional animation software. In essence, this framework complements Phase I statistical monitoring methods by enabling users to: (1) acquire detailed understanding of common-cause variability (especially in complex manufacturing systems); (2) quickly and easily visualize the effects of common-cause variability in a process with respect to the final product; and (3) utilize the new insights regarding the process variability to identify opportunities for process improvement. The framework is illustrated through a case study using actual dimensional data from a US automotive assembly plant.

Liking Violence and Action: An Examination of Gender Differences in Children's Processing of Animated Content

It is widely assumed that children like violence in cartoons, but this assumption has not been supported in existing studies that show nonviolent programs are liked just as much or more than violent programs. The present experiment extended enjoyment of media violence research by testing whether violence and action (independently manipulated) influenced children's liking of slapstick cartoons. We also proposed a path model to test potential indirect effects of violence and action on liking. Using animation software, four versions of a slapstick cartoon were created that varied in terms of violence (present, absent) and action (high, low). A total of 128 elementary school children watched one of the four versions of the program. Violence had no direct effect on the liking of the cartoon, but did indirectly decrease liking for males by decreasing boys' wishful identification with the anthropomorphized characters. Action increased liking for males but not for females.

EPMV Embeds Molecular Modeling into Professional Animation Software Environments

Increasingly complex research has made it more difficult to prepare data for publication, education, and outreach. Many scientists must also wade through black-box code to interface computational algorithms from diverse sources to supplement their bench work. To reduce these barriers we have developed an open-source plug-in, embedded Python Molecular Viewer (ePMV), that runs molecular modeling software directly inside of professional 3D animation applications (hosts) to provide simultaneous access to the capabilities of these newly connected systems. Uniting host and scientific algorithms into a single interface allows users from varied backgrounds to assemble professional quality visuals and to perform computational experiments with relative ease. By enabling easy exchange of algorithms, ePMV can facilitate interdisciplinary research, smooth communication between broadly diverse specialties, and provide a common platform to frame and visualize the increasingly detailed intersection(s) of cellular and molecular biology.

Simulation and Measurement of Dynamic On-Body Communication Channels

A study is presented of wireless on-body communication links, with the body in motion. This paper compares simulations and measurements of the path gain (PG) on moving male and female bodies. Simulations using avatars derived from an animation software have been performed at 2.45 GHz. Male and female avatars walking and a male rising from a chair have been simulated and the results are compared with measurements carried out in an anechoic chamber. The results show that good agreement between simulation and measurement of slow fading features can be achieved for a reasonable computational effort.

E_motions in process

This research project maps virtual emotions. Rauch uses 3D-surface capturing devices to scan facial expressions in (stuffed) animals and humans, which she then sculpts with the Phantom Arm/ SensAble FreeForm device in 3D virtual space. The results are rapidform printed objects and 3D animations of morphing faces and gestures. Building on her research into consciousness studies and emotions, she has developed a new artwork to reveal characteristic aspects of human emotions (i.e. laughing, crying, frowning, sneering, etc.), which utilises new technology, in particular digital scanning devices and special effects animation software. The proposal is to use a 3D high-resolution laser scanner to capture animal faces and, using the data of these faces, animate and then combine them with human emotional facial expressions. The morphing of the human and animal facial data are not merely layers of the different scans but by applying an algorithmic programme to the data, crucial landmarks in the animal face are merged in order to match with those of the human. The results are morphings of the physical characteristics of animals with the emotional characteristics of the human face in 3D. The focus of this interdisciplinary research project is a collaborative practice that brings together researchers from UCL in London and researchers at OCAD University’s data and information visualization lab. Rauch uses Darwin’s metatheory of the continuity of species and other theories on evolution and internal physiology (Ekman et al) in order to re-examine previous and new theories with the use of new technologies, including the SensAble FreeForm Device, which, as an interface, allows for haptic feedback from digital data.<strong></strong>

Safety education for chemical engineering students in Hong Kong: Development of HAZOP Study teaching module

An animated software teaching module was developed to teach a process safety technique to chemical engineering students in Hong Kong. In order to stimulate students’ interest, the module was designed to actively engage them through decision making based on a visualized process. The development consisted of three phases, with each phase extending the module based on evaluations by local and international peers and student users through iterative action research cycles. The process involved close collaboration between an academic department and a central educational development unit. Several evaluations were carried out including a software usability test, peer evaluation using both academic and industrialist feedback, a number of student evaluations from around the world, including Hong Kong, Australia, France and Northern Ireland. Results of these evaluations suggested that the module could be used as an effective learning tool in different contexts.

理科学習用アニメーション作成支援ソフトウェア『Galop』を活用した 小学生による概念学習 ―「水のゆくえ」の学習を通して―

理科学習用アニメーション作成支援ソフトウェア『Galop』を活用した 小学生による概念学習 ―「水のゆくえ」の学習を通して―

Video Game Design Method for Novice

This paper shows how college students without prior experience in video game design can create an interesting video game. Video game creation is a task that requires weeks if not months of dedication and perseverance to complete. However, with Alice, a group of three sophomore students who never designed a game can create a full-fledged video game from given specifications. Alice is 3D graphics interactive animation software, which is well-tried and proven to be an enjoyable learning environment. At the start of this project, students are given guidelines that describe expected outcomes. With minimum supervision, in three days, a working program that matches the guidelines is accomplished. In additional two days, students enhance the quality with better graphics design and music. With this experience, 3D graphics interactive animation software, like Alice, is demonstrated to be a useful teaching tool in education for academic courses of game development and design. This paper not just discusses how the video game was created, but also speaks of the difficulties the team overcomes easily with Alice.

Stable stylized wireframe rendering

AbstractStylized wireframe rendering of 3D model is widely used in animation software in order to depict the configuration of deformable model in comprehensible ways. However, since some inherent flaws in traditional depth test based rendering technology, shape of lines can not been preserved as continuous movement or deformation of models. There often exists severe aliasing like flickering artifact when objects rendered in line form animate, especially rendered with thick or dashed line. To cover this artifact, unlike traditional approach, we propose a novel fast line drawing method with high visual fidelity for wireframe depiction which only depends on intrinsic topology of primitives without any preprocessing step or extra adjacent information pre‐stored. In contrast to previous widely‐used solutions, our method is advantageous in highly accurate visibility, clear and stable line appearance without flickering even for thick and dashed lines with uniform width and steady configuration as model moves or animates, so that it is strongly suitable for animation system. In addition, our approach can be easily implemented and controlled without any additional preestimate parameters supplied by users. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Comparative effects of isoflavones and exercise on bone in Hamsters

The purpose of this study was to examine whether hamsters are responsive to exercise and/or isoflavones in terms of bone. Thirty LVG Golden Syrian hamsters were housed in an environmentally controlled room and assigned to three treatment groups: control, control + Genistein, and control + exercise regimen. Animals were allowed ad libitum access to a semi‐purified diet and deionized water for six‐months. Genistein was given mixed in the diet (1 g/kg diet). Exercise was in the form of free wheel running and the control condition was considered sedentary because the animals had no access to a running wheel or any other environmental enrichment. Whole body bone mineral density (BMD), whole body bone mineral content (BMC), and whole body bone area were measured using dual x‐ray absorptiometry equipped with small animal software. The initial findings of this study indicate that exercise regimen significantly increases BMC due to increased bone area without affecting BMD. Below is a summary of the findings: BMD (g/cm2) BMC (g) Bone Area (cm2) Control 0.119±0.013 3.81±0.24 31.70±1.18 Control+ Genistein 0.123±0.007 4.09±0.14 32.92±0.70 Control+ Exercise 0.127±0.010 4.52±0.21* 35.38±0.80* In each column, asterisk denotes significant difference from other groups (P&lt;0.05)

Software for math and science education for the deaf

In this article, we describe the development of two novel approaches to teaching math and science concepts to deaf children using 3D animated interactive software. One approach, Mathsigner™, is non-immersive and the other, SMILE™, is a virtual reality immersive environment. The content is curriculum-based, and the animated signing characters are constructed with state-of-the art technology and design. We report preliminary development findings of usability and appeal based on programme features (e.g. 2D/3D, immersiveness, interaction type, avatar and interface design) and subject features (hearing status, gender and age). Programme features of 2D/3D, immersiveness and interaction type were very much affected by subject features. Among subject features, we find significant effects of hearing status (deaf children take longer time and make more mistakes than hearing children) and gender (girls take longer than boys; girls prefer immersive environments rather than desktop presentation; girls are more interested in content than technology compared to boys). For avatar type, we found a preference for seamless, deformable characters over segmented ones. For interface comparisons, there were no subject effects, but an animated interface resulted in reduced time to task completion compared to static interfaces with and without sound and highlighting. These findings identify numerous features that affect software design and appeal and suggest that designers must be careful in their assumptions during programme development.

Scientific rotoscoping: a morphology‐based method of 3‐D motion analysis and visualization

Three-dimensional skeletal movement is often impossible to accurately quantify from external markers. X-ray imaging more directly visualizes moving bones, but extracting 3-D kinematic data is notoriously difficult from a single perspective. Stereophotogrammetry is extremely powerful if bi-planar fluoroscopy is available, yet implantation of three radio-opaque markers in each segment of interest may be impractical. Herein we introduce scientific rotoscoping (SR), a new method of motion analysis that uses articulated bone models to simultaneously animate and quantify moving skeletons without markers. The three-step process is described using examples from our work on pigeon flight and alligator walking. First, the experimental scene is reconstructed in 3-D using commercial animation software so that frames of undistorted fluoroscopic and standard video can be viewed in their correct spatial context through calibrated virtual cameras. Second, polygonal models of relevant bones are created from CT or laser scans and rearticulated into a hierarchical marionette controlled by virtual joints. Third, the marionette is registered to video images by adjusting each of its degrees of freedom over a sequence of frames. SR outputs high-resolution 3-D kinematic data for multiple, unmarked bones and anatomically accurate animations that can be rendered from any perspective. Rather than generating moving stick figures abstracted from the coordinates of independent surface points, SR is a morphology-based method of motion analysis deeply rooted in osteological and arthrological data.

FASH and MASH: female and male adult human phantoms based on polygon mesh surfaces: II. Dosimetric calculations

Female and male adult human phantoms, called FASH (Female Adult meSH) and MASH (Male Adult meSH), have been developed in the first part of this study using 3D animation software and anatomical atlases to replace the image-based FAX06 and the MAX06 voxel phantoms. 3D modelling methods allow for phantom development independent from medical images of patients, volunteers or cadavers. The second part of this study investigates the dosimetric implications for organ and tissue equivalent doses due to the anatomical differences between the new and the old phantoms. These differences are mainly caused by the supine position of human bodies during scanning in order to acquire digital images for voxel phantom development. Compared to an upright standing person, in image-based voxel phantoms organs are often coronally shifted towards the head and sometimes the sagittal diameter of the trunk is reduced by a gravitational change of the fat distribution. In addition, volumes of adipose and muscle tissue shielding internal organs are sometimes too small, because adaptation of organ volumes to ICRP-based organ masses often occurs at the expense of general soft tissues, such as adipose, muscle or unspecified soft tissue. These effects have dosimetric consequences, especially for partial body exposure, such as in x-ray diagnosis, but also for whole body external exposure and for internal exposure. Using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code, internal and external exposure to photons and electrons has been simulated with both pairs of phantoms. The results show differences between organ and tissue equivalent doses for the upright standing FASH/MASH and the image-based supine FAX06/MAX06 phantoms of up to 80% for external exposure and up to 100% for internal exposure. Similar differences were found for external exposure between FASH/MASH and REGINA/REX, the reference voxel phantoms of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Comparison of effective doses for external photon exposure showed good agreement between FASH/MASH and REGINA/REX, but large differences between FASH/MASH and the mesh-based RPI_AM and the RPI_AF phantoms, developed at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

Usefulness ofVideo Game Experience for Students Learning and Creating Digital 3-D

Abstract This essay reports on findings from doctoral research that investigated learning outcomes from one public high-school digital art class using three-dimensional (3-D) modeling and animation software to produce original short animations. The study’s findings are organized into two areas: examination of how students use knowledge constructed outside of the classroom in animation production, and how that knowledge is used for the task of learning professional-grade software within collaborative working groups. Findings indicate that a situated learning classroom environment allows students to use knowledge about visual culture gained primarily thorough playing video games. Results from the study demonstrate that everyday participant experiences with video games informed, motivated, and guided creative efforts in 3-D computer animation.

Use of animal/plant freeware for calculating likelihood ratio for paternity and kinship in complicated human pedigrees

According to survey of International Paternity Testing Workshop (IPTW) 2009, none of the laboratories referred the use of plant and/or animal software for parentage and kinship calculation though laws of genetics are universal. The aim of this project is to test whether non-commercial software primarily written for plant and/or animal geneticists is suitable for kinship analysis of human autosomal microsatellite data in complex cases. Software familias 1.81 applied to DNA profiles of Romanov royal family executed by communists in 1918 was used as golden standard for software applicability assessment. Out of many freeware programs available from Internet, only Cervus 3, FaMoz, and Kingroup v2 were chosen for evaluation. Similarities and differences from familias 1.81 and results derived from using distinct non-human genetics versus forensic genetics approaches are presented.

Teaching Note—An Animated Demonstration of the Uncapacitated Network Simplex Algorithm

Operations Research (OR) instructors use visualizations to help teach graph algorithms and data structures. Algorithm visualization is an illustration of abstract concepts included in computer algorithms, making use of either static or dynamic (animated) computer graphics. In this paper we present new software that includes an animated demonstration of the uncapacitated primal network simplex algorithm. The aim of the animation software is twofold. First, it aims to help OR students understand the algorithm. The algorithm is difficult to grasp for many students because it generates a sequence of rooted trees. Second, it aims to enable OR instructors to explain each iteration of the algorithm visually with minimal effort. The software can be used in combinatorial optimization, graph theory, and similar courses. The software has been implemented as a Java applet, is freely available and highly interactive, and can be accessed through the Web. The software shows the solution process through textual information and depicts the relevant steps in pseudo code using multiple views.

A Matter of Animation

Education Students of chemistry often have trouble making the connection between macroscopic phenomena they can see and the underlying molecular events operating on a scale too small to visualize directly. Chang et al. investigated whether seventh-grade students' understanding of the molecular structure of matter could improve with the help of computer animation software to portray molecular events in familiar processes such as boiling. Specifically, the authors sought to assess the relative efficacies of three approaches: design and interpretation by individual students of animations illustrating chemical phenomena; self-design of animations followed by interactive critiquing sessions with peers in the class; and examination by students of purely teacher-generated animations. Assessments were based on comparative test performance before and after the animation project. Data from 178 students supported significantly greater gains in understanding among students who participated in peer evaluation than among those who simply prepared animations alone. Thus, including an interactive evaluation component may take more time, but it appears to be time well spent. There was no significant difference in test outcome between the students in the peer-evaluation group and those in the teacher-generated animation group, though the former students did perform slightly better in an assessment of their ability to interpret molecular animations in class. Sci. Educ. 93 , 10.1002/sce.20352 (2009).

Soft Body Dynamics After 9/11

Endowing buildings with the capacity for movement and transformation, animated architecture represents the expansion of animation from cinematic and televisual space to real-space environments. A key example of animation in architecture is Oosterhuis.nl's proposal for a new World Trade Center. In line with similar work by fellow Dutch firm NOX, Oosterhuis.nl's Ground Zero embraces animation through references to mobility, liveliness and metamorphosis. It points to the prominence of animated form in contemporary design practice and the ubiquitous use of animation software in the process of architectural design. At the same time, Ground Zero reveals post-9/11 anxieties surrounding the soft and tender flesh of the object world. The author's analysis of Ground Zero's discursive production of life maps crucial changes in our spatial imagination and the politics of form.

Focus on software

Focus on software

A Digital Incorporation of Ergonomics into Architectural Design

A project that is particularly designed for digital studio settings is described. Facilitated by multiple computer modeling and animation software, the project incorporates concepts and applications of ergonomics and kinetics as two ingredients and concept generators with problem-based learning techniques into architectural designing. Reflections about the project and its outcomes are reported and discussed. The results indicate that considerations of ergonomics, flexibility, mobility and responsiveness in dynamic structures and their interactions with users can enrich and optimize generated designs. Similarly, the application of problem-based designing approach seems to foster critical thinking of participants and improve their involvement in collaborative design processing.