What is computer animation?
Computer graphics are picture images created and manipulated digitally on computers. Add motion to them and we get computer animation. They can be as simple as a 2-step depiction of a blinking eye, or as long as a condensed version of a planet's life cycle.
Why use animation?
Animations use motion as a powerful tool to provide visual cues and help describe processes. They boost visual interest and can simplify concepts to aid explanations.
Animations are helpful when you need a clear depiction of a process impossible or too difficult to capture on video, such as a DNA replication process, the insides of a gas giant, and an illustration of prehistoric animal life. Use them when you need to exaggerate and highlight certain features to help understanding.
When not to use it?
A major obstacle is that the detailed and extensive animations usually take a long time to create. Check to see if video or graphics can more easily present the same idea.
How to use it?
Animations come in a variety of sizes, details and speeds. They may be created in Photoshop/ImageReady, Flash, Director and 3D Studio Max, and then made available as animated images (.gif), shockwave flash (.swf), shockwave (.dcr), QuickTime (.mov), Windows movie (.avi) and MPEG Animation (.mpg) files. PowerPoint (.ppt) can also be used to create very simple animations, but they may have to be viewed outside a browser with the correct player.
Campus support units such as vuDAT provide help and expertise in creating animation.
MSU Example
Telecommunications professor Robert LaRose uses Flash animations to explain different data transmission concepts like TV signals and mobile phone reception.
MSU Example
Entymology instructor Ryan Kimbirauskas uses 3-D generated animation to illustrate the life cycle of a maggot to be used for forensic investigation.
MSU Example
For Professor Syed Hashsham's MoBEE project, Flash was used to create detailed animations of cellular processes. The animations were used to vividly illustrate how animal cells work and how bacteria harm them.
