Hybrid Animation

Integrating 2d and 3d Assets

Tina O'Hailey

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781136136450
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Digital Media
• Index: Computer Science

Artist imaginations continue to grow and stretch the boundaries of traditional animation. Successful animators adept and highly skilled in traditional animation mediums are branching out beyond traditional animation workflows and will often use multiple forms of animation in a single project. With the knowledge of 3D and 2D assets and the integration of multiple animation mediums into a single project, animators have a wealth of creative resources available for a project that is not limited to a specific animation medium, software package or workflow processs. Enhance a poignant scene by choosing to animate the scenic background in 2D while the main character is brought to life with 3D techniques. Balance the budget demands of a project by choosing to integrate a 2D or 3D asset to save time and expense. Choose which medium Hybrid Animation, learn the systematic development of the 2D and 3D assets and the issues surrounding choices made during the creative process.

PART ONE
AN OVERVIEW FOR STUDENTS

The first two chapters are an overview of topics used in my classroom. Students will want to read these chapters to become familiar with the workings of storyboarding and previsualization of 2D/3D animation. Those in the industry may want to skim the following chapters, as a few of the ideas presented may be new to you. From techniques that I learned in the industry and have honed in the classroom, I have put forth a few ideas to help streamline a 2D/3D animation process. You can add these thoughts into your own pipelines.

The chapters are a short read and even include homework. I hope you brought your pencil and paper to class.

1
HYBRID ANIMATION: THE MAIN PROBLEMS

SUMMARY

What is 2D/3D animation? Why use one medium over another? What is the main problem of combining media, and how does one judge the success of this integration? This chapter addresses all of these topics.

To begin your journey toward creating 2D/3D animation, the hands-on exercise section of this chapter will have you create a short storyboard sequence using a given visual style, visual storytelling rules, and storybeats/beads. A short overview of using these three concepts is presented for those unfamiliar with the terms. Then, looking at the outcome of your exercise, we will contemplate what media might be used to execute the story.

FIGURE 1.1

FIGURE 1.2

FIGURE 1.3 Hybrid or 2D/3D animation examples can be found in many films, such as Iron Giant, Triplets of Belleville, and Treasure Planet. The Iron Giant © Warner Bros., a division of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L. P. All Rights Reserved. Treasure Planet © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

WHAT IS HYBRID ANIMATION?

Hybrid animation is the combination of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) animation media. 2D and 3D animation media can be used, and are used, independently of one another. Pixar’s The Incredibles is an entirely 3D animated film. Disney’s Dumbo is an entirely 2D animated film.

Yet ever since the first appearance of a 3D glowing bauble in a 2D animated film, Disney’s The Black Cauldron, artists have been finding inventive ways to combine the animation media. The use of 2D/3D at Disney predates The Black Cauldron and can be seen in a short test done by John Lassiter titled Where the Wild Things Are (1983).

FIGURE 1.4 The bauble from Disney’s The Black Cauldron was one of the first 3D elements to be combined with 2D animation. © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Trench Note

Most attribute the first 3D element in a 2D animated film to the clock gears in Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective. The first experiments with combining 3D with 2D in a feature animated film is the bauble in The Black Cauldron, animated by Barry Cook.

There have been many combinations of media. Some of the earlier examples can be found in the Academy Award–nominated short Technological Threat in 1998 and also in a wonderful short film produced at Disney’s Florida studio called Off His Rockers. Both of these shorts can be found on YouTube. In feature animated films, probably one of the most memorable combinations of media is found in Warner Brother’s Iron Giant where a young boy befriends an alien robot, the robot being 3D in a 2D animated film. However, characters themselves do not need to be completely rendered in one medium or another, as was the case with the character John Silver in Disney’s Treasure Planet or the bicyclists in The Triplets of Belleville, as shown in Figures 1.1 through 1.3. In those films, 2D characters were drawn with 3D appendages rendered to match the 2D portions. Lastly, the most common use of combining media is for noncharacter animation assets or elements. This combination of 3D elements into 2D animation is seen in everything from Disney’s Mulan to The Simpsons Movie.

To begin with, let’s clarify exactly what 2D and 3D animation assets are and how they are created. You might be proficient with a few of these creation methods. The hope is that during the course of this book, you will find yourself experimenting with other methods. A large, looming goal of this book is to show you the path to fearlessness and flexibility with software.

2D animation assets are images that exist only in two dimensions during creation. There is nothing earth-shattering in that statement. How the 2D images are created is the interesting part. These images can be created in the birth tradition of animation using pencil and paper. In Figure 1.5, you see two artists’ work. One artist animated the character in red pencil on traditional paper. Then another artist drew a cleaned-up graphite version on a separate piece of paper. Both images are shown composited together in Figure 1.5. Also, traditional animation artists have had great success in creating their images digitally using software such as Photoshop, Flash, or Animo, to name a few. The character depicted in Figure 1.6 is a 2D character drawn and animated directly in Flash. Other ways of creating 2D animation images include painting on glass, drawing in sand, scratching on film, or using other flat methods of creation. All of these methods fall under the 2D animation category.

Take Note

I found these terms for 2D and 3D art: “flaties” and “clumpies.” I have not heard these terms used in the United States; perhaps they are used in the United Kingdom? Keep your ear out for these expressions. [Taylor p. 22]

3D animation assets exist in three dimensions during the creation process. Perhaps this is another not-so-earth-shattering statement, but look at the key phrase: during the creation process. Live-action film would come under this category, if we were not limiting ourselves to animation assets. 3D animation assets include digital and stop-motion animation. Digital animation can be created in 3D software packages such as XSI, Maya, Max, or a multitude of others. See the example of a 3D model in Figure 1.7. Stop motion is the process of animating tangible items in front of a camera; usually pose-able puppets made of clay, latex, or other materials. Figure 1.8 presents an example of a stop-motion character created by M.T. Maloney for his stop-motion short film King Rust.

FIGURE 1.5 2D Traditional Character “M.E.” Animation (red) by Tina O’Hailey. Cleanup by John O’Hailey.

FIGURE 1.6 Image from How to Throw a Jellyfish Party, drawn and animated in Flash by Dan Murdock, 2008, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Digital Cel I course.

Because we are focusing on animation and not live action, combining film or video with 2D or 3D animation is beyond the scope of this book. However, the same problem-solving concepts and compositing techniques covered in this book can be applied to combining live action and animation.

WHY USE ONE MEDIUM OVER THE OTHER?

Artists’ imaginations continue to grow and stretch the boundaries of animation to tell stories. It can become difficult to decide which medium is best to tell the story. Sometimes, fad decisions are made based on the newness of a medium.

To take an objective look at the decision, consider the following five issues to determine why one medium might be preferred over another:

1. Visual target, not subject matter
2. Line mileage
3. Complexity
4. Team skills versus production schedule
5. Physical assets and budget

FIGURE 1.7 3D character modeled by Loraine Howard III, 2008, SCAD alum.

FIGURE 1.8 Character from the stop-motion animated film King Rust by M.T. Maloney.

Visual Target Not Subject Matter

The visual target or visual style of a film is a large factor in deciding which type of medium will be chosen. It is no longer the subject matter that is the deciding factor. The division between what medium is best for what subject matter has become so blurred as to be nonexistent. 3D software techniques have advanced so that humans, furry animals, and other warm-looking creatures are no longer out of their grasp. The question is, which medium will lend itself best to the artist’s final vision? This question will be answered with strong art direction and experimenting during preproduction.

Let’s look at an example of a visual style. Figure 1.9 is an example of a painterly visual style. It is easiest matched in 2D. Pixar ingeniously incorporated many visual styles, including the UPA style, into its short Your Friend the Rat (2007), included on the Ratatouille DVD release.

In Chapter 2 we will discuss experimenting with different media to find which best accomplishes your visual style and supports the emotion your story is trying to convey.

FIGURE 1.9 Visual style and frame of final 2D/3D animation by Claire Almon, 2007, SCAD.

Line Mileage

“Line mileage” is a term that means how much line you have to draw. If you were to take a traditional drawing and stretch out the lines end to end, you would see what your line mileage is. Every millimeter more of pencil or digital line takes more time to draw. Intricate character designs may look good as still images, but the reality of animating such a character is time consuming. A long, curly headed character wearing a wrinkly overcoat, multiple ammo straps over his shoulders, and a striped shirt has extra line mileage. It is difficult to keep so many lines moving well without them seeming to crawl, pop, or distract from the animation.

FIGURE 1.10 Line mileage refers to how much line must be drawn, shown here by stretching out the dra...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction and an Apology
• The Page of Thanks
• About the Author
• Part One: An Overview for Students
• Part Two: Techniques
• Appendix: Student Contributors