Animation Programs: Scenarios and Storyboards

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Animation Programs Scenarios and Storyboards

• Alice

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Writing a Program

• Read the Scenario (Problem Statement)
• Description of the story, game or simulation
• Design a storyboard (List of Actions)
• Write the program code (Implement)
• Test (Run the Animation)

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Storyboard

• Create a solution to a problem
• Plan a list of actions to perform a task, as
  specified in the scenario
• Break down large scenarios into scene sketches
  (Pixar and Disney)

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Storyboards 2 Types

• Visual used by professional animators
• Rough sketch of each scene called State
• Sketches are called Snapshots
• Snapshots are numbered and labeled with
  information

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Story Board Template  
 
Scene Number Description Sound Text
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Storyboards 2 Types

• Textual Algorithmic (step-by-step) structure.
• Pseudocode Loose version of code

Do the following steps in order Dragon moves
up Cat says hi Dragon turns to face Cat Do
the following steps together Cat moves toward
Dragon Dragon moves towards Cat
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Evaluate and Revise(Design-Modify-Create Cycle)

• Does the action flow from scene to scene, as the
  story unfolds?
• Do any transitions need to be added to blend one
  scene to the next?
• Did you overlook some essential part of
• the story?
• Is there something about the story that should be
  change?

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Step 1 Read the Scenario

• Decide on the problem to be solved
• Often the problem to be solved is given to you by
  your instructor, team leader, etc.
• Other times, you get to make it up!
• Answer the following questions
• What story is to be told?
• What objects are needed? Lead Secondary
• What actions are to take place?

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Example

• The scenario is
• Several snow-people are outdoors, on a
  snow-covered landscape. A snowman is trying to
  meet a snowwoman who is talking with a group of
  her friends (other snowwomen.) He says "Ahem" and
  blinks his eyes, trying to get her attention.
• The problem is
• How can we create this animation?

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Storyboard - VisualOption 1 SketchesCreate a
solution to a problem
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Create Initial World
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StoryboardOption 2 Screen Shots
Initial scene
Snowman tries to catch snowwomans attention
Snowwoman looks around
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Storyboard Option 3 Text

• Animation Artists sketch their storyboards
• You may not have such expertise, so here is a
  textual form that can be used
• This is like a "to-do" list.
• The Learning to Program in Alice textbook
  puts a textual storyboard in a box.

Do the following actions in order snowman
turns to face snowwoman snowman blinks eyes
and calls out to the snowwoman. snowwoman
turns around.
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Assignment

• Read Chapter 2 section 1

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Lab

• Chapter 2 Lab Lec1