information tech in sports and overall

8/3/2019 Information Tech in Sports and Overall

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This article will address the topic of information technology for sports management and will attempt

to provide an overview of how information technology (called IT) is changing the nature of

management practices in sport. The discussion of IT applications in the profession can be done in a

few broad areas:

1st How the tools of today's "technological revolution" can be applied to the administration of sport.

2nd How developments such as the Internet and world wide web help in specific management

functions such as training and marketing

3rd How e-commerce can make participation in sports more available through lower priced

equipment and lastly,

4th The digital divide: and underlying condition that keeps some from participating fully in the

benefits in the IT revolution.

The Technological Revolution

We are living in the midst of one of those very unusual occurrences that come along once every few

generations: a society wide paradigm shift. Introduction: The close of the last millennium has

seen a fundamental change that is moving society the age of industry to the age of

information. The currency in this new society that is being formed is information and

the medium of exchange is called IT (and sometimes computer technology - CT). IT is simply the

tools and methods used for the identification, organization and manipulation of facts that we call data.

IT has become the engine that is driving all sectors of today's economy be it industry, government,

education or indeed, sports.

The most important piece of equipment that lies at the heart of the whole IT process is the computer.The computer and the software that it runs is an essential element in the new societal paradigm and it

is a key to success for the modern sports manager. It is THE piece of equipment that allows the sports

administrator to maximize the return on scarce resources whether this is people, facilities and

equipment or finances. In turn, it is also perhaps the single most important tool to the sports

administrator to extend the reach of sport and recreational programming to as many potential

participants as possible.

Just as money has been the currency and a source of power in the old paradigm,

information is the currency and a source of power in the new paradigm . No where is the

old saying "that knowledge is power" more true than in a society where information or data is the

force that drives the new economy. The secret to managing knowledge and information is in thedevelopment and maintenance of computer databases.

A database is nothing more than an organized collection of common records that can be searched,

accessed and modified. Database software is very widespread as most standard office computer

software packages will typically have a simple database program in addition to word processing,

spreadsheet and presentation applications.

There is, however, a far more powerful and useful kind of database for sport managers than the one

that comes in the standard software suite: the relational database. A relational database is a data

management system that stores information in a series of tables consisting of rows and columns of

data. When the operator conducts a search, a relational database allows the individual to match data

from one table with data from a second to produce a third table or a report.


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An illustrative example is that of an individual charged with overseeing a complex sports competition,

the details of which have been entered into a relational database. The time for a scheduled event can

be pulled from one table, a roster that has the names of qualified referees who can officiate the event

from another table, their availability from a third table resulting in a report that lists all of the

personnel who can undertake the officiating task at the appointed place at the appointed time. This

task which could take hours of manual manipulation from paper records can be done in a fraction ofthe time from digital records. Similar event management software can assist the sports manager with

a myriad of other tasks associated with the competition ranging from facility scheduling, equipment

set up and knock-down, or even ordering soft drinks for the concession stand.

From the foregoing the value of using IT tools can be readily seen for the organization of a

competition. These tools are even more important for the day-to-day operation of the sport

organization as can be seen by the kinds of sport program information that can be contained within

these databases:

First are athlete specific information such as team rosters that include biographic information

including name, sex, age, contact information and even clothing sizes for team uniforms. The samedatabase may also contain details on medical conditions, performance history, or other participation

characteristics of the athletes.

Another common use is the development of rosters of program support personnel such as officials,

timekeepers, drivers, or medical staff. Aside from details such as their addresses, a database of this

type might also contain information about availability and reliability. For example, do they actually

show up when they volunteer?

Money is always an issue for today's sport management professional. Databases are particularly useful

for tracking donors or potential donors whether and they contribute money or in-kind services. In

addition to the expected biographic information will be other keys to successful fund rasing such asthe source of their motivation or affiliation and the frequency with which they give.

Databases are also essential for other types of administrative information. Examples include

accounting and business records, employee files, equipment inventories or facility maintenance

records. The organizational marketing information system (MIS) is also typically a database program

in which are tracked information such as season ticket sales, gate receipts or merchandising sales. It is

particularly useful if different software applications interface with each other seamlessly which is to

say, "do the programs talk to each other?" Can, for example, the data entered in the MIS resulting

from ticket sales be imported directly to the accounting program?

To be effective, databases can and should be regularly updated to record changes. Bear in mind thatthe passage of time presents a more comprehensive picture of most activities and the ability to record

change and make sense of it is essential for long term survival. Further, there is nothing so constant as

change, particularly in sports organizations, and a well thought out and maintained database is a great

way to develop and maintain an "institutional memory"; a record of those changes and the impact

they have had on the organization.

As great as databases are for effective sport program management, the real power of information

technology comes when individual computers are tied together through the medium of a network.

This is truly a case where there are synergies created as in 2 + 2 = 6. A computer network simply is the

hardware and software required to connect two or more machines together so to allow the sharing of

data and other resources. Most larger enterprises, use computer networks to link together theiroperatives in a common computing environment. All of the permeations and configurations available


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to the sports administrator are clearly beyond the scope of this presentation except to note that the

most common configuration of these kinds of networks are of the client - server variety. This type of

network is has a main server that houses most of the information and database files. The individual

operatives access the server through their desktop terminals or workstations which are called clients.

Aside from sharing data, a network can share other resources as well. For example, a network canhave any number of computers sharing a very good quality printer instead of a using a number of

mediocre workstation printers. A powerful server can substantially increase computing speed and

effectiveness throughout an organization. So what are the key issues to be addressed when considering

the acquisition and implementation of an organizational IT system?

First and foremost, once the decision is made to introduce IT systems to the organization, the table of

organization and staffing patterns will need to change. The new IT system cannot simply be "layered

on" to the existing structure; it must be imbedded into the organizational processes. The adoption of a

IT strategy and associated changes in procedures usually means extensive training for the staff.

The next consideration is that of hardware. What is the computer system configuration andcomputing capacity that the organization will need? Capacity should not be underestimated as a

relational database can consume huge amounts of memory. So do other strategies that enhance

organizational effectiveness such as moving data files off the hard drives of individual work stations

and onto a file server on a computer network.

Another crucial decision revolves around operating software. Standard vendor prepared software

packages are usually developed on the basis of the lowest common denominator for a group of

potential clients. It is not uncommon that only about 80% of an organization's needs are met by an

off-the-shelf product. So the sport administrator is left with the choice of writing their own software

programs or adapting organizational operating procedures to some degree around the software

package. The former can be hugely time consuming, very expensive and the end result is not alwaysassured. Generally, the more extensive the modification required for a software product, the more

expensive the product becomes and the more difficult it will be to accommodate software upgrades

from the vendor.

The Internet

It is important to note that computer networks need not be limited to a single site or facility. Wide

Area Networks (WANs) can link together sports administrators located throughout a country. For

example, all of the regional offices of a national sports governing body such as the National Football

Association can be linked together regardless of their geographic location. All of the operatives so

linked can share administrative and programming information and communicate with each othercheaply and efficiently through the medium of e-mail.

The computer network with which the public is most familiar is the Internet and the World - Wide -

Web, known simply as "the Web", is what most people think of when we say the "the Internet". While

the Internet has been around for decades going all the way back to ARPAnet in the 1960s, the Web is a

comparatively new innovation first introduced in the mid 1990s. It is a digital medium which presents

information in text, audio and graphics in a simple hyper-text computer language readable by a

browser. This medium has simply exploded and today there are more than 15 million web addresses

called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), many with hundreds of individual pages on their sites.

Thousands or applications for new URLs are received every week.


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The ways that the Web has changed society are almost too numerous to mention. Suffice to say it has

become an extremely important medium of communication, education and commerce and its

importance in these areas will only continue to grow in the future. In terms of communication, for

example, USA Today which is the closest thing a national newspaper in America, gets more than three

million visits per day. Some 60% of these visits are to its sports pages. In terms of education, the

concept of "distributed learning" or "distance education" gains more adherents with every passingday. Through the U.S. Sports Academy, for example, one can do the entire course of study for an

accredited Master of Sport Science degree through the Web without leaving their home. The same

possibilities exist at the undergraduate level through the International Sports Academy.

But most significant at this juncture is the marketing and commerce applications of the web. There are

virtually no professional sports teams in the United States that do not have a Website and most are

linked together through networks of Websites coordinated through the various league offices. Just

how tight these linkages are is driven in part by agreements between the league teams on activities

such as revenue sharing for media broadcasting rights and merchandise sales.

The Web is currently used by professional sports teams in ways that the developers of this technologynever envisioned. For example, there are no English language radio broadcasts in Montreal for the

Montreal Expos professional baseball team. Fans wanting hear the play-by-play in English can only do

so by calling up the team's Website and listen to it coming across as an audio feed. Another example of

how deeply the Internet has penetrated professional sports is how some pro hockey teams now require

their players to have e-mail addresses as a means to interact with both the team administration and

their fans.

These examples lie at the heart of how the Internet will affect sports in the future: through the

changing of the way that the sports fan will consume the sport product. Where in its infancy sport

marketing did not extend much beyond putting out a sign on the side walk saying "Game Today", now

sports teams have well developed and extensive Websites to more effectively market to theircustomers. The trend in this regard is also clear. What will emerge is networks of teams and users

bound together by a common interest and driven in part by advances in information technology.

These developments are not limited to the upper end of the sports hierarchy. Compared to the

extremely high cost of traditional television broadcast, the comparatively low cost of "webcasting" will

bring to sports fans events that could never before be seen on traditional broadcast media. A simple

example of how this can occur is an annual sailboat race from Mobile to Tampico across the Gulf of

Mexico. Last summer the skipper of a local boat participating in the event took photos every four

hours with a digital camera of the race activities and uplinked them by a satellite phone to his own

website. Thus his friends in the community, or anyone else in the world who stumbled onto the

website, could participate in this event as they never could before. Sports events of a distinctly localflavor without the mass appeal that make them economical for television broadcast can so be

distributed through the web to anyone with an interest. The web is not constrained by the limited

availability of broadcast channels and high production costs. And while bandwidth is currently an

issue for the web, this will resolve itself in the near future with the introduction of broadband

technologies.

E-Commerce

It is also appropriate to briefly examine how the web will change the sale and distribution of sporting

goods which is central to running sport programs. The relative cost for sports equipment can be an

issue for the profession, particularly in terms of trying to broaden the appeal of sport to the greatest

number of participants. E-commerce through the Internet holds the potential for containing costs forsports equipment as illustrated by the following example.


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A good example:

In the traditional model of manufacture and distribution through a sporting goods

store, it is not uncommon for a tennis racquet which cost $40 to manufacture to be

marked up as much as 300 to 400% to as much as $160 as it moves through various

wholesalers and retailers in the distribution chain to a tennis player. With an e-commerce arrangement whereby the manufacturer can reach the player directly

without going through middlemen, the mark-up in distribution can be reduced to as

little as 50% of the traditional retail price resulting in a sale price to the end user of

about $80. Very simply, the more middle men in a distribution chain, the greater the

benefit derived to the end user from using e-commerce distribution.

E-commerce is well on its way to becoming a force in the world economy as it serves to

remove barriers both natural and artificial. The barriers that will vanish include those

of time and space as well as national borders both physical and ideological . That this will

occur is underscored by the fact that this year e-commerce will employ more than 2 million

people and create a turnover in excess of $500 billion. By next year, the turn over isexpected to pass $1 trillion.

The Digital Divide{disadvantage}

In closing I would be remiss if I didn't call attention to one important problem: technological tools

can be expensive, which has resulted in what we call in the United States the "Digital Divide". In the

U.S., approximately 60% of American adults are connected to the Internet and are on-line. These

users are largely from the upper and middle class and have the financial wherewithal to purchase

computers and Internet services. It is a matter of great concern that the very people who stand to

benefit the most from economies to be realized through information technology as outlined earlier in

my discussion on e-commerce are the ones least able to afford it. It is the economically disadvantagedthat are currently being left out of the IT revolution.

This Digital Divide also transcends national borders. While 60% of American adults are

connected to the Internet, only about 5% of the global population can make that claim .

Some areas, Africa for example, are almost totally disconnected and can only be

considered disadvantaged as a result. Herein lies the challenge for the future.

IT applications in sports management is dramatically changing the way that we do business. Thinking

through how we can use this kind of equipment and these tools greatly enhances outcomes. The

bottom line is that these IT tools are rapidly becoming a necessity for the sports

administrator at whatever level in the sports hierarchy they are working.


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Further information:AnimationandComputer-generated imagery

An example of computer animation which is produced in the "motion capture" technique

Computer animation is the process used for generatinganimated imagesby usingcomputergraphics. The more general termcomputer generated imageryencompasses both static scenesand dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images produced byexploiting thepersistence of visionto make a series of images look animated. Given thatimages last for about one twenty-fifth of a second on theretinafast image replacementcreates the illusion of movement.

Modern computer animation usually uses3D computer graphics, although 2D computergraphicsare still used for stylistic, low bandwidth, and faster real-time renderings.Sometimes the target of the animation is the computer itself, but sometimes the target isanothermedium, such asfilm.

Computer animation is essentially a digital successor to the art ofstop motionanimation of3D models and frame-by-frame animation of 2D illustrations. Computer generatedanimations are more controllable than other more physically based processes, such asconstructingminiaturesfor effects shots or hiringextrasfor crowd scenes, and because itallows the creation of images that would not be feasible using any other technology. It canalso allow a single graphic artist to produce such content without the use of actors, expensiveset pieces, or props.

To create the illusion of movement, an image is displayed on thecomputer screenandrepeatedly replaced by a new image that is similar to the previous image, but advancedslightly in the time domain (usually at a rate of 24 or 30 frames/second). This technique isidentical to how the illusion of movement is achieved withtelevisionandmotion pictures.

For 3D animations, objects (models) are built on the computer monitor (modeled) and 3Dfigures are rigged with a virtual skeleton. For 2D figure animations, separate objects(illustrations) and separate transparent layers are used, with or without a virtual skeleton.

Then the limbs, eyes, mouth, clothes, etc. of the figure are moved by the animator on keyframes. The differences in appearance between key frames are automatically calculated by
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_capturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_capturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_of_visionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_of_visionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_of_visionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2D_computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2D_computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2D_computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_mediumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_mediumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_mediumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_motionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_motionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_motionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra_(drama)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra_(drama)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra_(drama)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_displayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_displayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_displayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televisionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televisionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televisionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_framehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_framehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_framehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_framehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Activemarker2.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Activemarker2.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Activemarker2.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Activemarker2.PNGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_framehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_framehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televisionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_displayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra_(drama)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_motionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_mediumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2D_computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2D_computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_of_visionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_capturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animation


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the computer in a process known astweeningormorphing. Finally, the animation isrendered.

For 3D animations, all frames must be rendered after modeling is complete. For 2D vectoranimations, the rendering process is the key frame illustration process, while tweened frames

are rendered as needed. For pre-recorded presentations, the rendered frames are transferred toa different format or medium such as film or digital video. The frames may also be renderedin real time as they are presented to the end-user audience. Low bandwidth animationstransmitted via the internet (e.g.2D Flash,X3D) often use software on the end-userscomputer to render in real time as an alternative tostreamingor pre-loaded high bandwidthanimations.

Contents

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1 A simple example 2 Explanation 3 History 4 Methods of animating virtual characters 5 Creating characters and objects on a computer 6 Computer animation development equipment 7 The future 8 Detailed examples and pseudocode 9 Movies 10 Amateur animation 11 Film studios 12 See also

o 12.1 Animated images in Wikipedia 13 References 14 External links

[edit] A simple example

Computer animation example

The screen is blanked to a background color, such as black. Then a goat is drawn on the rightof the screen. Next the screen is blanked, but the goat is re-drawn or duplicated slightly to theleft of its original position. This process is repeated, each time moving the goat a bit to theleft. If this process is repeated fast enough the goat will appear to move smoothly to the left.

This basic procedure is used for all moving pictures in films and television.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeninghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeninghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweeninghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(computer_graphics)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(computer_graphics)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Flashhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Flashhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Flashhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X3Dhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X3Dhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X3Dhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_mediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_mediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_mediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#A_simple_examplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#A_simple_examplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Explanationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Explanationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Methods_of_animating_virtual_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Methods_of_animating_virtual_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Creating_characters_and_objects_on_a_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Creating_characters_and_objects_on_a_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Computer_animation_development_equipmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Computer_animation_development_equipmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#The_futurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#The_futurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Detailed_examples_and_pseudocodehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Detailed_examples_and_pseudocodehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Movieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Movieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Amateur_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Amateur_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Film_studioshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Film_studioshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Animated_images_in_Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Animated_images_in_Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_animation&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_animation&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CompAnimationExample.gifhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_animation&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Animated_images_in_Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Film_studioshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Amateur_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Movieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Detailed_examples_and_pseudocodehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#The_futurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Computer_animation_development_equipmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Creating_characters_and_objects_on_a_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Methods_of_animating_virtual_charactershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#Explanationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation#A_simple_examplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_mediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X3Dhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Flashhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(computer_graphics)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweening


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The moving goat is an example of shifting the location of an object. More complextransformations of object properties such as size, shape, lighting effects often requirecalculations andcomputer renderinginstead of simple re-drawing or duplication.

[edit] Explanation

To trick theeyeandbraininto thinking they are seeing a smoothly moving object, thepictures should be drawn at around 12frames per second(frame/s) or faster (aframeis onecomplete image). With rates above 70 frames/s no improvement in realism or smoothness isperceivable due to the way the eye and brain process images. At rates below 12 frame/s mostpeople can detectjerkinessassociated with the drawing of new images which detracts fromthe illusion of realistic movement. Conventional hand-drawn cartoon animation often uses 15frames/s in order to save on the number of drawings needed, but this is usually acceptedbecause of the stylized nature of cartoons. Because it produces more realistic imagerycomputer animation demands higher frame rates to reinforce this realism.

The reason no jerkiness is seen at higher speeds is due to persistence of vision. Frommoment to moment, the eye and brain working together actually store whatever one looks atfor a fraction of a second, and automatically "smooth out" minor jumps. Movie film seen intheaters in the United States runs at 24 frames per second, which is sufficient to create thisillusion of continuous movement.

[edit] History

See also:Timeline of computer animation in film and television

CGI was first used inmoviesin 1973'sWestworld, a science-fiction film about a society inwhich robots live and work among humans, though the first use of 3D Wireframe imagerywas in its sequel,Futureworld(1976), which featured a computer-generated hand and facecreated by thenUniversity of Utahgraduate studentsEdwin CatmullandFred Parke. Thethird movie to use this technology wasStar Wars(1977) for the scenes with the wireframeDeath Star plans and the targeting computers in theX-wingsand theMillennium Falcon.The

Black Hole(1979) used rasterwire-frame modelrendering to depict a black hole. The sciencefiction-horror filmAlienof that same year also used a rasterwire-frame model, in this case torender the image of navigation monitors in the sequence where a spaceship follows a beaconto a land on an unfamiliar planet.

In 1978, graduate students at theNew York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Labbegan work on what would have been the first full-length CGI film,The Works, and a trailerfor it was shown atSIGGRAPH1982, but the film was never completed.Star Trek II: TheWrath of Khanpremiered a short CGI sequence called The Genesis Wave in June 1982. Thefirst two films to make heavy investments in Solid 3D CGI,Tron(1982) andThe LastStarfighter(1984), were commercial failures, causing most directors to relegate CGI toimages that were supposed to look like they were created by a computer.

Another Star Trek movie - 1986'sStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home- features a little-knownuse of CGI that would prove to be a major stepping stone for the technology in years to come.

The dream-like sequence where Kirk and his crew (in a commandeered Klingon starship)travel back in time features computer-generated images of the crew's faces "morphing" into
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one another. Although the images look like clay sculptures, they represent the antecedents ofthe photo-realistic morphing that would become popular in the early 90s, and the ILM teamresponsible would be sought out by James Cameron three years later (see below).

The first movie to feature photo-realistic CGI integrated seamlessly into scenes wasThe

Abyss(1989). A five minute sequence featuring an animated water tentacle or "pseudopod"was created using groundbreaking new algorithms design by ILM, and supervised by DenisMuren for James Cameron's underwater action movie. It featured reflection, refraction and ashort "morphing" sequence, taking on the facial forms of actors Ed Harris and MaryElizabeth Mastrantonio. Although Cameron's subsequent movie,Terminator 2: Judgment

Day, would be the one that brought CGI to the attention of the masses, it was The Abyss thatrepresented the true technological milestone, and the foundation upon which the modern CGIindustry would be built.

1991 could be considered the breakout year for the new CGI technology. Two huge hits,Terminator 2: Judgment DayandBeauty and the Beast, both made heavy use of CGI. These

successes marked Hollywoods transition fromstop-motion animationand conventionaloptical effects to digital techniques.Beauty and the Beastbecame the first animated film tobe nominated for Best Picture, andTerminator 2: Judgment Daywon the Oscar for BestVisual Effects.

In 1993, another affirmation of CGI came fromJurassic Parkwhere CGI dinosaurs wereintegrated into hydraulically-controlled life-sized puppets shot on-set. The palette of toolsavailable from CGI was becoming larger. In 1994, CGI was used to create the special effectsforForrest Gump. The most noteworthy effects shots were those that featured the digitalremoval of actorGary Sinise's legs. Other effects included anapalmstrike, the fast-movingPing-Pongballs, and the digital insertion ofTom Hanksinto several scenes of historicalfootage.

In 1993,Babylon 5andSeaQuestbecame the first television series to use CGI as the primarymethod for their visual effects (rather than using hand-built models). It also marked the firstTV use of virtual sets. That same year,Insektorsbecame the first full-length completelycomputer animated TV series[1]. Soon after, in 1994, the hit Canadian CGI showReBootaired.

In 1995, the first fully computer-generated feature film,Disney-Pixar'sToy Story, was aresounding commercial success. Additional digital animation studios such asBlue Sky

Studios(20th Century Fox),DNA Productions(Paramount PicturesandWarner Bros.),Omation Studios(Paramount Pictures),Sony Pictures Animation(Columbia Pictures),Vanguard Animation(Walt Disney Pictures,Lions Gate Entertainmentand20th CenturyFox),Big Idea Productions(Universal PicturesandFHE Pictures),Animal Logic(WarnerBros.) andPacific Data Images(Dreamworks SKG) went into production, and existinganimation companies, such as The Walt Disney Company, began to make a transition fromtraditional animation to CGI. Between 1995 and 2005 the average effectsbudgetfor a wide-releasefeature filmskyrocketed from $5 million to $40 million. According to one studioexecutive, as of 2005, more than half of feature films have significant effects. However, CGIhas made up for the expenditures by grossing over 20% more than their real-lifecounterparts.[2]
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In the early 2000s, computer-generated imagery became the dominant form of special effects.The technology progressed to the point that it became possible to include virtual stuntdoubles.Camera trackingsoftware was refined to allow increasingly complex visual effectsdevelopments that were previously impossible. Computer-generated extras also became usedextensively in crowd scenes with advancedflockingand crowd simulation software. Virtual

sets, in which part or all of the background of a shot is digitally generated, also becamecommonplace. Thetimeline of CGI in film and televisionshows a detailed list of pioneeringuses of computer-generated imagery in film and television.

CGI for films is usually rendered at about 1.46megapixels.[citation needed]Toy Story, forexample, was rendered at 1536 922 (1.42MP). The time to render one frame is typicallyaround 23 hours, with ten times that for the most complex scenes. This time has not changedmuch in the last decade, as image quality has progressed at the same rate as improvements inhardware, since with faster machines, more and more complexity becomes feasible.Exponential increases inGPUsprocessing power, as well as massive increases in parallelCPU power, storage and memory speed and size have greatly increased CGI's potential.

In 2001,Square Picturescreated the CGI filmFinal Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which madeheadlines for attempting to create photo-realistic human actors. The film was not a box-officesuccess. Some commentators have suggested this may be partly because the lead CGIcharacters had facial features which fell into theuncanny valley. Square Pictures producedonly two more films using a similar visual styleFinal Flight of the Osiris, a short film whichserved as a prologue toThe Matrix ReloadedandFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children, basedon their extremely popular video game series.

Developments in CGI technologies are reported each year atSIGGRAPH, an annualconference on computer graphics and interactive techniques, attended each year by tens ofthousands of computer professionals. Developers of computer games and 3D video cardsstrive to achieve the same visual quality on personal computers in real-time as is possible forCGI films and animation. With the rapid advancement of real-time rendering quality, artistsbegan to usegame enginesto render non-interactive movies. This art form is calledmachinima.

[edit] Methods of animating virtual characters

In this.gifof a 2DFlashanimation, each 'stick' of thefigureiskeyframedover time to createmotion.

In most 3D computer animation systems, an animator creates a simplified representation of acharacter's anatomy, analogous to askeletonorstick figure. The position of each segment ofthe skeletal model is defined by animation variables, orAvars. In human and animalcharacters, many parts of the skeletal model correspond to actual bones, butskeletalanimationis also used to animate other things, such as facial features (though other methodsforfacial animationexist). The character "Woody" inToy Story, for example, uses 700

Avars, including 100 Avars in the face. The computer does not usuallyrenderthe skeletalmodel directly (it is invisible), but uses the skeletal model to compute the exact position and
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Computer animation can be created with a computer and animation software. Someimpressive animation can be achieved even with basic programs; however therenderingcantake a lot of time on an ordinary home computer. Because of this, video gameanimators tendto use low resolution, low polygon count renders, such that the graphics can be rendered inreal time on a home computer. Photorealistic animation would be impractical in this context.

Professional animators of movies, television, and video sequences on computer games makephotorealistic animation with high detail. This level of quality for movie animation wouldtake tens to hundreds of years to create on a home computer. Many powerfulworkstationcomputers are used instead. Graphics workstation computers use two to four processors, andthus are a lot more powerful than a home computer, and are specialized forrendering. A largenumber of workstations (known as arender farm) are networked together to effectively act asa giant computer. The result is a computer-animated movie that can be completed in aboutone to five years (this process is not comprised solely of rendering, however). A workstationtypically costs $2,000 to $16,000, with the more expensive stations being able to render muchfaster, due to the more technologically advanced hardware that they contain. Pixar's

Rendermanis rendering software which is widely used as the movie animation industrystandard, in competition withMental Ray. It can be bought at the official Pixar website forabout $3,500. It will work onLinux,Mac OS X, andMicrosoft Windowsbased graphicsworkstations along with an animation program such asMayaand Softimage XSI.Professionals also use digitalmovie cameras,motion captureorperformance capture,bluescreens,film editing software,props, and other tools for movie animation.

[edit] The future

One open challenge in computer animation is a photorealistic animation of humans.Currently, most computer-animated movies show animal characters (A Bug's Life,Finding

Nemo,Ratatouille,Ice Age,Over the Hedge), fantasy characters (Monsters Inc.,Shrek,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4,Monsters vs. Aliens),anthropomorphicmachines (Cars,WALL-E,Robots) or cartoon-like humans (The Incredibles,Despicable Me,Up). The movieFinal Fantasy: The Spirits Withinis often cited as the first computer-generated movie toattempt to show realistic-looking humans. However, due to the enormous complexity of thehuman body, human motion, and human biomechanics, realistic simulation of humansremains largely an open problem. Another problem is the distasteful psychological responseto viewing nearly perfect animation of humans, known as "theuncanny valley." It is one ofthe "holy grails" of computer animation. Eventually, the goal is to create software where theanimator can generate a movie sequence showing a photorealistic human character,

undergoing physically-plausible motion, together with clothes, photorealistic hair, acomplicated natural background, and possibly interacting with other simulated human
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characters. This could be done in a way that the viewer is no longer able to tell if a particularmovie sequence is computer-generated, or created using real actors in front of moviecameras. Complete human realism is not likely to happen very soon,[citation needed] but when itdoes it may have major repercussions for the film industry.[citation needed]

For the moment it looks like three dimensional computer animation can be divided into twomain directions; photorealistic and non-photorealistic rendering. Photorealistic computeranimation can itself be divided into two subcategories; real photorealism (whereperformancecaptureis used in the creation of the virtual human characters) and stylized photorealism.Real photorealism is what Final Fantasy tried to achieve and will in the future most likelyhave the ability to give us live action fantasy features asThe Dark Crystalwithout having touse advanced puppetry and animatronics, whileAntzis an example on stylistic photorealism(in the future stylized photorealism will be able to replace traditional stop motion animationas inCorpse Bride). None of these mentioned are perfected as of yet, but the progresscontinues.

The non-photorealistic/cartoonish direction is more like an extension of traditional animation,an attempt to make the animation look like a three dimensional version of a cartoon, stillusing and perfecting the main principles of animation articulated by theNine Old Men, suchas squash and stretch.

While a single frame from a photorealistic computer-animated feature will look like a photoif done right, a single frame vector from a cartoonish computer-animated feature will looklike a painting (not to be confused withcel shading, which produces an even simpler look).

[edit] Detailed examples and pseudocode

In 2D computer animation, moving objects are often referred to as sprites. A sprite is animage that has a location associated with it. The location of the sprite is changed slightly,between each displayed frame, to make the sprite appear to move. The followingpseudocodemakes a sprite move from left to right:

varint x := 0, y := screenHeight / 2;

while x < screenWidth

drawBackground()

drawSpriteAtXY (x, y) // draw on top of the background

x := x + 5 // move to the right

Computer animation uses different techniques to produce animations. Most frequently,sophisticatedmathematicsis used to manipulate complex three dimensionalpolygons, applytextures, lighting and other effects to the polygons and finallyrenderingthe completeimage. A sophisticatedgraphical user interfacemay be used to create the animation andarrange its choreography. Another technique calledconstructive solid geometrydefinesobjects by conducting boolean operations on regular shapes, and has the advantage thatanimations may be accurately produced at any resolution.

Let's step through the rendering of a simple image of a room with flat wood walls with a greypyramid in the center of the room. The pyramid will have a spotlight shining on it. Each wall,

the floor and the ceiling is a simple polygon, in this case, a rectangle. Each corner of therectangles is defined by three values referred to as X, Y and Z. X is how far left and right the
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point is. Y is how far up and down the point is, and Z is far in and out of the screen the pointis. The wall nearest us would be defined by four points: (in the order x, y, z). Below is arepresentation of how the wall is defined

(0, 10, 0) (10, 10, 0)

(0,0,0) (10, 0, 0)

The far wall would be:

(0, 10, 20) (10, 10, 20)

(0, 0, 20) (10, 0, 20)

The pyramid is made up of five polygons: the rectangular base, and four triangular sides. Todraw this image the computer uses math to calculate how to project this image, defined bythree dimensional data, onto a two dimensional computer screen.

First we must also define where our view point is, that is, from what vantage point will thescene be drawn. Our view point is inside the room a bit above the floor, directly in front ofthe pyramid. First the computer will calculate which polygons are visible. The near wall willnot be displayed at all, as it is behind our view point. The far side of the pyramid will also notbe drawn as it is hidden by the front of the pyramid.

Next each point is perspective projected onto the screen. The portions of the walls furthestfrom the view point will appear to be shorter than the nearer areas due to perspective. Tomake the walls look like wood, a wood pattern, called a texture, will be drawn on them. Toaccomplish this, a technique called texture mapping is often used. A small drawing ofwood that can be repeatedly drawn in a matching tiled pattern (likewallpaper) is stretchedand drawn onto the walls' final shape. The pyramid is solid grey so its surfaces can just berendered as grey. But we also have a spotlight. Where its light falls we lighten colors, whereobjects blocks the light we darken colors.

Next we render the complete scene on the computer screen. If the numbers describing theposition of the pyramid were changed and this process repeated, the pyramid would appear tomove.

[edit] Movies

CGI short films have been produced asindependent animationsince 1976, though thepopularity of computer animation (especially in the field ofspecial effects) skyrocketedduring themodern era of U.S. animation. The first completely computer-generated televisionseries wasReBoot, in 1994, and the first completely computer-generated animated movie wasToy Story(1995). SeeList of computer-animated filmsfor more.

[edit] Amateur animation

The popularity of sites such asNewgrounds, which allows members to upload their own

movies for others to view, has created a growing community of what are often consideredamateurcomputer animators. With many free utilities available and programs such as
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texture_mappinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texture_mappinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texture_mappinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallpaperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallpaperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallpaperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_animation&action=edit&section=9http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_animation&action=edit&section=9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_animation_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_animation_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_animation_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReBoothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReBoothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReBoothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Storyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Storyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_computer-animated_filmshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_computer-animated_filmshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_computer-animated_filmshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_animation&action=edit&section=10http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_animation&action=edit&section=10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgroundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgroundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgroundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgroundshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_animation&action=edit&section=10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_computer-animated_filmshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Storyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReBoothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_animation_in_the_United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_animationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_animation&action=edit&section=9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallpaperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texture_mapping


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Windows Movie MakeroriMovie, which are included in theoperating system, anyone withthe tools and a creative mind can have their animation viewed by thousands. Many high endanimation software options are also available on a trial basis, allowing for educational andnon-commercial development with certain restrictions. Severalfree and open sourceanimation software applications exist as well,Blenderas an example. One way to create

amateur animation is using theGIFformat, which can be uploaded and seen on the webeasily.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Movie_Makerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Movie_Makerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMoviehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMoviehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMoviehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open_source_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open_source_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open_source_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blender_(software)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blender_(software)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blender_(software)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIFhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIFhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIFhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIFhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blender_(software)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open_source_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMoviehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Movie_Maker

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