Stretch tasks Animation and rendering

Round 1: Quiz Blitz

1. 72 3 x 24 = 72 frames.
2. 46 Frames 2 to 47 are generated: 46 frames.
3. The software calculating the frames between keyframes The animator sets the key moments; the software fills in the rest.
4. Easing Real objects speed up and slow down gradually.
5. Anticipation A small movement the other way prepares the viewer for the big action.
6. Follow through Loose parts carry on moving after the main body stops.
7. 720 24 x 60 = 1,440 frames, and 1,440 x half an hour = 720 hours: 30 days.
8. True A ball that squashes as it lands looks heavy and real.
9. Films render each frame once, slowly; Films can use millions of polygons The constraint is time, not talent.
10. Hundreds of computers rendering frames together Splitting the frames across many machines turns months of rendering into days.
11. Set a keyframe with the ball on the left → Move to a later frame → Set a keyframe with the ball on the right → Play it back as the software fills in between Two keyframes, and interpolation does the rest.
12. 300 60 x 5 = 300, each drawn in under a sixtieth of a second.

Round 2: Quick Fire

1. • The software calculates the frames in between
   • This saves a huge amount of time, at 24 frames every second
   Model answer

   The animator only sets the important moments, and the software calculates the frames in between. With 24 frames every second, that saves a huge amount of time.

2. • 300
   Model answer

   10 x 30 = 300 frames.

3. • The computer works out how light bounces, with reflections and shadows, for every pixel
   • The scene has millions of polygons and detailed textures and materials
   Model answer

   Rendering means calculating how light bounces around the scene, with reflections and shadows, for every pixel. A film scene has millions of polygons and detailed materials, so the calculations take hours.

4. • Starting and stopping gradually: speeding up and slowing down
   • Real objects do not move at a constant speed
   Model answer

   Easing means starting and stopping gradually, speeding up and slowing down, rather than moving at a constant speed. Real objects have weight and momentum, so they never start or stop instantly.

Round 3: Big Think

1. • Set keyframes at the top and bottom of each bounce
   • The software interpolates the frames in between
   • Easing: slow at the top, fastest near the ground
   • Squash on impact, stretch while falling
   • Each bounce is lower than the last, as energy is lost
   Model answer

   I would set keyframes at the top and the bottom of each bounce, and let the software interpolate the frames in between. Easing would make the ball slow down at the top of each bounce and speed up as it falls, so it is fastest near the ground. The ball would squash as it hits the ground and stretch as it falls, which makes it feel heavy, and each bounce would be lower than the last as it loses energy.

2. • A film renders each frame once, in advance, taking hours per frame
   • Films use render farms of many computers
   • A game must draw each frame in under a sixtieth of a second, in real time
   • A game also has to respond to the player
   • Games use simpler models with fewer polygons
   • Games use textures and approximations to fake detail and lighting
   • Films can afford millions of polygons and realistic lighting
   • The difference is time, not talent
   Model answer

   A film renders each frame once, in advance, and can take hours over a single frame, using render farms of hundreds of computers. That means it can afford millions of polygons and realistic lighting that calculates how light bounces. A game must draw every frame in real time, in under a sixtieth of a second, while also responding to the player's controls. So games use simpler models with fewer polygons, and textures and approximations to fake detail and lighting. The difference comes down to time, not talent.

This or That

1. The software The software calculates the frames in between, which is called interpolation.
2. 48 24 x 2 = 48 frames.
3. The final image from the scene Rendering works out how light bounces and what each surface looks like from the camera.
4. An animated film A film renders each frame once, slowly. A game must render each frame in under a sixtieth of a second.
5. Squash and stretch Squashing and stretching makes the ball feel as if it has weight.
6. Anticipation Anticipation prepares the viewer for the action, like a crouch before a jump.
7. Each frame must render in a split second The limit is time, not talent: a game must draw 60 frames every second while the player plays.
8. 1440 24 x 60 = 1440 frames.

Memory Match

• A 6 Keyframe: A frame set by the animator at an important moment
• B 3 Interpolation: The software filling in the frames between
• C 5 Easing: Starting and stopping gradually
• D 2 Anticipation: A small move the other way before the action
• E 4 Follow through: Parts keep moving after the body stops
• F 1 Rendering: Calculating the final image from the scene