3D Animation

My opinion is that videotape of the actual machine or device in operation is superior to animation. Sometimes the expense or danger involved precludes the use of videotape. In these cases 3D animation can be used to convey an understanding of moving parts and the interplay between the human and the machine.

Care needs to be taken to ensure the 3D animation is of sufficient quality to be convincing. Certainly the animation needs to use solid surface rendering - no stick figures allowed! The animation also needs to use hidden surface removal, which involves calculating which surfaces cannot be seen from a specific viewpoint because other surfaces have moved in front of them. The animation also should be shown in perspective. This means that surfaces that are closer to the viewpoint should be larger and surfaces farther away should be smaller and moving toward a vanishing point. Matrix calculations provide the perspective. The animation should also be shown at 30 frames per second or higher. Anything less than this and the animation will appear jerky.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the animation needs to reflect the actual physics and kinematic constraints behind the motions. The human eye is trained over time what motions obey the laws of physics because that is what it sees every day. Showing an animation that does not properly obey the laws of physics could make a judge or jury more skeptical rather than convinced. Shadows also need to be rendered properly or the animation will seem wrong.

 

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