Description
Dranimate (pronounced Dranimate or Dr. Animate) is an interactive animation system that allows users to rapidly and intuitively rig and control animations based on a still image or drawing, using hand gestures. Dranimate combines two complementary methods of shape manipulation: bone-joint-based physics simulation, and the as-rigid-as-possible deformation algorithm. Dranimate also introduces a number of designed interactions that focus the users attention on the animated content, as opposed to computer keyboard or mouse.
Dranimate can make improvements to production workflows employed by motion graphics producers and animators by replacing time-consuming frame-by-frame processes with intuitive gestural control. Draniamte is also well suited for making animation processes accessibly to non-expert users including untarined adults and children. Dranimate is suited for simplistic, non-perspectival, 2d animations, as opposed to high-quality rendered 3d animations.
Dranimate has been tested experimentally with expert and novice animators at CMU. Playtesting for Dranimate at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is in planning.
Dranimate is currently being developed in ArtFab by Zach Rispoli and Ali Momeni.
Keywords: Animation, Gesture, Gestural Control, Real-time Graphics
