I.

Introduction

Computer Animation, creation of the illusion of motion by viewing a succession of computer-generated still images. Prior to the advent of computers, animation was accomplished by filming hand-drawn or painted sequences on plastic or paper, called cels, one frame at a time. Computers were first used to control the movements of the artwork and the camera. Now computers create the artwork and simulate the camera.

Computer animation can be used to create special effects and to simulate images that would be impossible to show with nonanimation techniques, such as a spacecraft flying by the planet Saturn. Computer animation can also produce images from scientific data, and it has been used to visualize large quantities of data in the study of interactions in complex systems, such as fluid dynamics, particle collisions, and the development of severe storms. These mathematically based models use animation to help researchers see relationships that might otherwise be overlooked. Computer animation has also been used in legal cases to reconstruct accidents.