Intro To 3D Animation - Presentation

The first task for the Intro To 3D Animation module was to do short presentations in group, on one of four related topics. The group I was in chose to do Games Animation. I chose to focus my research on Stop Frame animation, both the general principles and the applications within a game.

Here are the notes I used to present my section.

Stop Frame Animation

·        Makes objects appear to move on their own by creating each frame individually with small adjustments made between each shot.

·     -   Most common method is Clay-mation which uses plasticine models.

·     -   Widely used in film and television, rare in video games however there are a few notable examples.

·     -   Clayfighter Series, 1993-1997, fighting games using clay-mation characters.

·     -   Magic and Mayhem, 1998, RTS game with clay-mation creatures and characters.

·     -   Platypus, 2006, shooter featuring clay-mation spaceships and plasticine scenery.

·     -   Klaymen Series. The Neverhood, 1996, and Armikrog, July 2014, point-and-click adventure games and      Skullmonkeys, 1998, platformer. All featuring clay-mation characters, environments and cutscenes.

Stop frame animation is a filmmaking technique which is used to manipulate objects to make it appear as if they are moving on their own. It works by having each frame individually photographed with small adjustments being made to the objects between shots.

Most widely used form is clay-mation which uses plasticine models.

Stop frame animation is rare in video games but there are some notable examples:

• ClayFighter Series by Visual Concepts, 1993, 1994, 1997. Fighting game featuring clay-mation characters in basic computer generated environments.
• Magic and Mayhem by Mythos Games, 1998. Fantasy real time strategy game featuring clay-mation creatures and characters.
• Platypus, 2006. Side scrolling shooter featuring clay-motion spaceships and plasticine scenery.
• Klaymen Series by Doug TenNapel. The first, The Neverhood, 1996, was a point-and-click adventure game. The second Skullmonkeys, 1998, was a Platformer. The third, Armikrog, July 2014, will return to the series point-and-click adventure roots. All three games are created using claymation for characters, creatures and props along with clay-mation cutscenes throughout.