By Kenneth J. Lopez, J.D.President & CEO Animators
at Law, Inc
"Do I really need all of that?" Asked
daily in automobile repair shops, this question is asked with increasing
frequency in computer animation shops, as well. Like talking to your
mechanic about what repairs your car really needs, if you do not speak
the language of computer animators, you could end up paying for it later.
One's mechanic, though well intentioned, will rarely tell you that the
small hole in your exhaust system that costs $500 to repair could be
completely remedied with a 10¢ piece of exhaust tape.
The same is true with computer animation companies.
Sometimes, if you do not know to ask for the 10¢ tape, the new
exhaust system will surely follow. For example, most litigators do not
know that they can substantially cut their animation costs by requesting
that their animation be 10 frames per second instead of 15 or 30, that
often expensive 3-D animation is unnecessary when inexpensive 2-D animation
will be suitable, and that by making all critical design decisions at
the storyboard level, many thousands of dollars can be saved. In this
article, these intimidating terms and concepts will be explained by
way of an overview of the computer animation process. After learning
just a few terms and money saving concepts, litigators should be left
feeling more in control of their animation projects and their ultimate
costs.
Creating computer animation is a five step process
that involves designing, modeling, animation, rendering and the presentation
of the final product. Each of these stages of the creative process will
be explained below.
The Design Process.
This is the first stage of creating computer animation.
It is the most important but least expensive aspect of creating computer
animation. During the design process, the legal issues to be animated
are identified and various means of illustrating them are discussed.
Most computer animation firms will use a storyboard to visually describe
the final computer animation. A storyboard is a series of hand or computer
drawn still images that each represent a unique portion of the final
animation. An estimate of the time that each image represents of the
final the animation will usually be included next to each image.
Every litigator should insist that their storyboard
be very detailed both in the number of images depicted and in the quality
of these drawings. For most projects, one should expect approximately
ten storyboard images per final minute of animation. Also, the animation
firm should guarantee that the images conform very closely to the appearance
of the final animation. Litigators should actively participate and provide
all criticism of the animation at this stage. If you do not like the
storyboard, you will hate the final animation. Therefore, fix any problems
at this stage at virtually no cost, or you will spend thousands to correct
foreseeable problems later.
The Modeling Process.
The modeling process is the most tedious aspect
of computer animation. It involves the creation of the device, procedure
or scene at issue within the computer. That is, a computer animator
must, using the computer, hand draw all of the objects that are to be
the subject of the animation. For example, the animator may have to
model a patented device, draw a trademark or create the objects that
permit the illustration of a patented process.
The modeling process is the most expensive portion
of the animation process. It requires the synergism of expensive computers,
expensive software and very expensive labor. However, there are short
cuts that can provide the litigator a powerful presentation at a relatively
low cost. One method is to use 2-D animation instead of 3-D animation.
The distinction between these two styles of animations is one of the
most important money saving facts a litigator using computer animation
can know.
This distinction is best illustrated by example.
Assume that your client had a patent dispute involving their new mousetrap
that lent itself to computer animation. A 3-D animation would allow
the viewer to fly around the mousetrap, infinitely zoom in on any portion
of it, and view it from any imaginable angle. While this is useful,
it may not be necessary. Like the 10¢ piece of exhaust tape, 2-D
animation is also an appropriate solution. It would allow for an animated
cross section view of the device and the device could still be viewed
from any angle. The only significant limitation in this example is the
inability to fly around the device to make the viewer more familiar
with it. Very often such limitations are worth the resulting savings.
The Animation Process.
Animation involves manipulating the computer models
to recreate some event. For example, illustrating the triggering device
of the hypothetical mousetrap or animating two automobiles crashing
into one another. The animation process is less time consuming than
the modeling process, however quality animation requires extensive artistic
skill. This is especially true if human movement is to be depicted.
Unlike the movement of the mousetrap, every judge and juror is an expert
in how the human body should move. Therefore, if your case requires
a complicated animation, pay particular attention to the animation abilities
of the company you plan to work with.
The Rendering Process.
Rendering is the process where the computer, standing
alone, draws each frame of the animation. That is, now that the models
have been drawn, these models have been animated, and the lighting and
backgrounds created, the computer must determine what each frame of
the animation looks like. When complete, these frames are played in
rapid succession to achieve the appearance of smooth motion. Most television
programs have 30 frames per second (f.p.s.), most movies are 24 f.p.s.
and computer animations are typically either 10, 15 or 30 f.p.s. Since
even a high speed Silicon Graphics workstation may take five minutes
to render each frame, a three minute animation can take more than two
weeks to render. Because most animation companies charge separately
for rendering time, it is advisable to reduce rendering time as much
as possible.
Unless told to look for it, most litigators will
probably not notice a dramatic quality difference between 30 f.p.s.
and 10 f.p.s. While 10 f.p.s. is a bit more choppy (similar to a amateur
films from the 1960s) than the full motion 30 f.p.s., it is also dramatically
less expensive. A litigator will surely notice that the 10 f.p.s. animation
was created three times as fast yet at only one third the cost of 30
f.p.s. animation.
The Presentation.
The presentation in court, at the arbitration or
at the insurance adjustors office is obviously tremendously important.
What is most important, however, is that it should be no more complicated
than necessary. Unfortunately, the more technology you use to show your
animation, the more likely a last minute technical glitch will occur.
Thus, if all your case demands is a video tape presentation, just use
video tape. When you are more comfortable with the technology or have
some compelling need for it, try CD-ROM and laser disk presentations.
Therefore, while computer animation is an
important tool, treat it like your automobile, do not replace the electrical
system when you only need a jump start. Sometimes it just makes sense
to use 2-D animation, render at 10 f.p.s. and present your animation
on video tape. Doing so can still win your case and may only require
an investment of $1500 instead of $15,000.
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