Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics) [Hardcover]

Rick Parent (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1558605797 | ISBN-13: 978-1558605794 | Publication Date: August 27, 2001 | Edition: 1

Whether you're a programmer developing new animation functionality or an animator trying to get the most out of your current animation software, Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques will help work more efficiently and achieve better results. For programmers, this book provides a solid theoretical orientation and extensive practical instruction-information you can put to work in any development or customization project. For animators, it provides crystal-clear guidance on determining which of your concepts can be realized using commercially available products, which demand custom programming, and what development strategies are likely to bring you the greatest success.

* Expert instruction from a pace-setting computer graphics researcher.
* Provides in-depth coverage of established and emerging animation algorithms.
* For readers who lack a strong scientific background, introduces the necessary concepts from mathematics and physics.
* Illustrates advanced programming techniques with highly detailed working examples.
* Via the companion Web site, provides lecture notes from the author's course for professors, example animations based on the programs covered in the book, Java applets, and links to relevant Web sites.
* Special contributions from Dave S. Ebert on Natural Phenomena in Chapter 5
* Special contributions from Scott King, Meg Geroch, Doug Roble, and Matt Lewis on Articulated Figures in Chapter 6.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What many digital animators fail to realize is that someone needs to make the software that's used to bring images to life. Without the tools, the ideas can never be materialized. In Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques, the concepts and formulas used behind the scenes and under the hood of contemporary animation software are clearly explained for the programmer and the technical director.

Hardbound, liberally illustrated, and with an eight-page color gallery, there are six chapters and three appendices. The book starts with an overview of animation and works through some technical background information, and then delves into interpolation and basic techniques for representing 3-D motion and space on a 2-D display. Later chapters walk through advanced algorithms (kinematics, rigid body simulation, constraints) and then a discussion of ways to represent natural phenomena. There's also a focus on modeling and animating articulated figures. It's important to note that these chapters are not about which buttons to push in a given software package, but rather about the use and explanation of formulas for representing a specific simulation.

Perhaps the best feature of the book is the information and samples available on a companion Web site. Rather than include a CD-ROM, which raises the cost of the book and whose information can grow stale, the reader can find sample animations and ready-to-use code snippets, as well as links to other relevant Web sites.

There are any number of books available on computer animation software packages, but precious few on how they do what they do. Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques is an invaluable resource, a textbook for anyone interested in computer animation programming or for anyone who simply wants to get under the hood of their favorite animation application. --Mike Caputo

Review

"This book is hands-down my recommendation on the technical aspects of computer animation techniques. It's both a broad overview of the field, as well as a handy reference. I expect it to be a common sight on the bookshelves of students, teachers, graphics researchers, and practitioners in the field." -Larry Gritz, Exluna/Nvidia

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 552 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 1 edition (August 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558605797
• ISBN-13: 978-1558605794
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book on the math and algorithms of computer animation, February 25, 2006

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics) (Hardcover)

This book is not about how to accomplish animation using prepackaged software nor is it about art design for animation. Instead, it is aimed at computer science students who wish to write programs that perform animation and want to understand the algorithmic and mathematical issues behind that task.
Chapter one is a broad history of computer animation, and it would be misleading to think that this is a typical chapter in this book. Chapter 2 is a broad overview of computer graphics topics. It mentions quaternions, transformation matrices, the rendering pipeline, and I think it is meant to be a quick review more than an instructive chapter. If you are not already familiar with the material in chapter 2 this book will be over your head.
Chapters 3 through 6 are the meat of the book for those interested in computer animation algorithms. Chapter 3 presents low level details on interpolation and not only shows the math but also shows code fragments in C on how to accomplish some of the tasks mentioned. Chapter four presents more advanced algorithms such as camera control, kinematic modeling, rigid body simulation, flocking behavior, and collision detection. Again in this chapter mathematics of the algorithms is presented along side of C code to accomplish the tasks.
Chapter 5 changes topics from the discussion of object motion and the underlying physics to the topic of natural phenomena. The author does a good job of laying out clearly the basics of the mathematics behind these effects. However, he does seem to gloss over details more than he did in previous chapters. The same is true of Chapter 6 on the modeling and animation of articulated figures. The basics are all there, but there just wasn't enough detail to satisfy me.
As for the companion website, it is working at the time I am writing this review. However, the problem I have with books that have companion sites in place of an accompanying CD is that over time these websites are usually neglected and at worst, disconnected. However, an accompanying CD is always shipped with a new book.
Overall, this book is the best compromise I've found between accessible and comprehensive on this subject, and I would recommend it to anyone thinking about writing their own computer animation code.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deft Introduction to Animation, September 28, 2004

By 

Ethan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics) (Hardcover)

I'll tip my hand--I'm also a student of the author.

That said, there are some objectively excellent qualities to this book. For starters, the book is undeniably thorough. It includes a brief history of the genre of computer animation (a welcome touch) and a chapter on background information usually covered in any introductory graphics course.

The math used in the book is considerable, and some students will probably find themselves overwhelmed with calculus and linear algebra. (If so, graphics may not be the field for you!) As a courtesy, Dr Parent included appendices with background mathematics and physics which will help fill in the gaps and calm some of the more distraught readers. Code is also provided inline as an assist to the student, which may clarify some of the math involved. (A trifling complaint is that the code is not object-oriented.)

Readers who do not have a math background needn't worry if they are not planning on implementing any of the algorithms described in the book. The math is provided as necessary for implementation purposes. Students who do plan on implementing the algorithms would do well to have taken a numerical methods course; some knowledge of linear algebra and calculus is necessary as well.

On the whole, this book is an excellent introduction to many animation techniques and algorithms. Many of them are complex and will require a lot of effort to understand and implement, so students should be prepared to spend a bit of time going through it. They'll be happy to find that the book is laid out well and very readable.

And references are provided at the end of every chapter--there's plenty of material for students who are looking for more detailed information about any of the topics.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and Clear, November 19, 2010

By 

Sunny (Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Computer Animation, Second Edition: Algorithms and Techniques (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics) (Hardcover)

Prof. Parent's textbook is complete in that it covers every major component of animation and with a clear writing style. The mathematics is there, supporting references and illustrations are there, and supplementary info is included in several well-thoughtout appendices. As other reviewers have pointed out, this is a serious work for students who want to see the math and theory behind the principles. It is not an introductory textbook on this subject. A student should come to it with a background in calculus and linear algebra, for starters. A bit of elementary physics wouldn't hurt either. Although there are no exercises (I don't know what content I would sacrifice to make room for them), a clever instructor should have no trouble coming up with case studies. I have used this textbook as a resource for my own work, including Mathematics for Computer Graphics Applications and 3D Modeling, Animation, and Rendering: An Illustrated Lexicon, Color Edition.