I think ive seen the answer to our problems..

this technology currently under development is the exact kind of hybridised use of technologies to create astounding creative & artisitc excellence that i have been looking into since the start of this research project.

using augmented reality as a tool to help test 3D animated film is what I believe the point of technological animated advances to be about. Rather than people seeing these two differing concepts as rivals or seperate from each other, bringing the best attributes from both to help each other really opens up possibilities.

being able to preview wireframe character movement in front of an artisitcally trained set of eyes that knows the anatomical sepcifics of movement will massively change the dynamic of animation. the closer technology gets to replicating the basic artisitc skills which make up the original theory on which animation is based, the better animation we produce. Pressure sensitive graphic tablets & cintiqs have revolutionised 2D graphic art & animation & a 3D application like this would bring back the 3d modelling to where it originates from - sculpture.

attaching magnetic keypoints on a wooden modellers dummy, whuich transmit back to a reciever creates a 3D keyframe wire model, which through the viewfinder of augmented reality goggles can be manipulated as a 3D rendered character. The user can use their hands to move the dummy & record keyframe movements which the 3D rendered model will repeat.

3D worlds -animation outside of traditional formats

Although often seen as being between two markets or artforms - motion comics or animated Ebooks have gained increasing respect & popularity in the last two to three years. Moving tales has took advantage of the soon to be crowded market of tablet computers by creating an unique mix of 3D interactive animation, traditional audiobook narration & written word. I remember in my childhood a popular book present was to have your name & friends/ families names written into a set story framework for you to read. Moving tales seems to have harnessed this idea for a different emerging technological age of childhood. The core team is the same as most Animated films - a writer, lead animator, producer and marketer; however they have created a very different artform. I would like to see how much this could be blended with user interactivity & AR, if children could appear & interact with these animated characters, with old fashioned voice or text narration, & maybe click links to items form the story to learn more I think this could be the new form of learning reading & writing skills even.

Dexter : "Tonight's The Night" - Motion Comic in 3D from M2 on Vimeo.

As for a more adult context for these alternate forms of animation in a 3D enviroment, I tend to think about more abstract or non-fiction uses for this kind of animation. Researching through the most current apps, books, animations I came across operation AJAX once again an Ipad app that is similar in premise to moving tales' app. However this is a serious graphic novel enlightening the reader into the false flag operation by the USA in Iran which placed the Shah in power, taking the ideology of Joe saccos graphic novels & the visual cues from waltz with bashir, this looks to be an interesting & informative alternate use for interactive animation.

These apps or books although creating suspicions of sounds too good to be true are actually given the technical level of a proffesional animation, they are created using Flash, after effects, Maya autodesk & cinema 3ds max before being ported to Ipad settings. they follow characters & a narrative, a timeline, have voice work, sound effects & offer the interactivity or thirst for knowledge that an animated non fiction film such as waltz with bashir creates. By setting animated tales during real world historical events, unfamiliar audiences can automatically look for reference & historicla information regarding the backdrop of the animated media directly.



http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/comics-ipad-operation-ajax-takes-stage-interview