The Use of the Computer in Animation Production

Metadata

Publisher: SMPTE — White Plains, NY
Doc Type: Conference Paper
Content Type: Original Research
Volume: 1979, No. 12, pp. 83–87
Abstract: NYIT has assembled a team of computer scientists, video technicians and animation artists for the express purpose of generating images and animation of professional broadcast quality. The facilities include many computers, framebuffers, 2-inch videotape machines, sophisticated computer graphics equipment and a post-production video studio. The central piece of equipment is the “frame-buffer,” a memory which stores an entire rgb picture, has a video output port and a port for random access by computer. NYIT has undertaken a considerable software effort to make that hardware useable in a production environment. The programs developed thus far give us the capability to “paint” backgrounds, to color animated figures, create special effects, combine images, change scanned-in images, and digitally synthesize or modify a broad class of images. Our focus has been on 2-d animation. Having made substantial gains in solving problems in that area we are currently adapting the programs for production. The researchers have paid considerable attention to the technical problems of aliasing, color control and image quality. In addition they are now focusing on 3-d animation. The work has not been without difficulties. Digitally synthesized pictures can take from 15 seconds to 2 minutes to create using a general purpose computer. In addition, once a program is developed, it must be moved out of a research environment and into a production one. The NYIT system of hardware and software has been successfully used to make an animated film, some test commercials and animated sequences to demonstrate the power and versatility of the system. We have been able to produce some astonishing results.
Publication Date: 1979-02-01
DOI: 10.5594/M00419
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/M00419
Author(s): Edwin CatmullNew York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York
bio
Edwin Catmull graduated in 1975 with a Ph.D. from the University of Utah. His dissertation was on the computer display of curved surfaces. He is currently director of the Computer Graphics Lab at NYIT.
Alexander SchureNew York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York
bio
Alexander Schure holds the degrees Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Education, from New York University. He received an honora, y Doctor of Engineering Science from Nova University. Prior to assuming the presidency of New York Institute of Technology in 1955, Alexander Schure was president, concurrently, of Crescent Electronics Corporation, New York City, and the New York Technical Institute (1948–1955).
Copyright: © 1979 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Inc.

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<span class="citation">Edwin Catmull and Alexander Schure; <cite>The Use of the Computer in Animation Production</cite>, SMPTE Meetings and Conferences ( February 1979); SMPTE, 1979. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/M00419" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/M00419</a></span>

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Edwin Catmull and Alexander Schure; The Use of the Computer in Animation Production, SMPTE Meetings and Conferences ( February 1979); SMPTE, 1979
doi: 10.5594/M00419
url: https://doi.org/10.5594/M00419

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Edwin Catmull and Alexander Schure; <cite id="bib-10-5594-m00419">The Use of the Computer in Animation Production</cite>, SMPTE Meetings and Conferences ( February 1979); SMPTE, 1979
<span class="doi">10.5594/M00419</span>
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