Animation

2007-11-16T03:55:00.000-08:00

Marketing With Computer Animation - 10 Quick Case Studies
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mike_Efford]Mike Efford

If 3D animation is new territory for your company, take a few minutes to scan these 10 brief marketing case studies. They validate the use of this medium through sheer variety. If a group of companies this diverse has had major success using computer animation to market their products, then your company can score with this medium too.

Case Study #1:

Alcatel, a multinational technology firm, won a massive $650 million dollar contract with the London Underground Subway Lines to re - signal their subway tracks. A series of 3D animations demonstrated how Alcatel's systems would operate, showing each piece of gear operating at the right moment in a well - coordinated sequence of action. Executives from the London Underground quickly understood the essence of the technology, and awarded them the contract.

Case Study #2:

3M demonstrated their new Aldara skin cream to thousands of physicians across North America, with a CD-ROM featuring several 3D animations. They showed how this compound actually empowered the bodys immune system to target and destroy skin cancer lesions. Doctors and patients who might be skeptical or fearful were reassured. Animation can literally be a life - saver.

Case Study #3:

Insta-Clean used 3D animation to zoom in to the micro - pore structure of a sponge made of a new, high tech material. Even photography through a microscope could not effectively demonstrate the significance of this structure, and why it was different from an ordinary sponge. Animation made it possible to show customers the key competitive strength of this deceptively simple - looking product.

Case Study #4:

MediFlow used 3D animation to reveal the features inside their innovative water - filled medical pillows and took the lead in North American sales in that product category. After two years the company was so successful they used their cash position to acquire a competitor. Once again, computer animation was able to help customers see exactly why a companys product was better.

Case Study #5:

Chalmers Truck Suspensions solved a difficult marketing problem with 3D animation, overcoming resistance to change in the conservative trucking industry. Their premier suspension system was innovative and unconventional. They produced a sales video with 3D animations that showed how all the moving parts of their system worked together, and became one of the most popular of all suspensions with truckers and fleets across North America.

Case Study #6:

Jaguar used animation to showcase the inner workings of their V-12 engine, in a prominent television ad. The chrome hood ornament morphed into a floating engine, with all its cogs, gears and moving parts. The "fantasy" appeal of the ad made it impossible to ignore. All the car companies use animation to tell their technology stories. Jaguar was just a little more stylish at it. Good recall generated from a concept that only computer animation could accomplish.

Case Study #7:

Pickering Nuclear Reactor, just outside Toronto, Canada used animation to take visitors on a tour of the plant, and to explain how nuclear reactors work. Showing a range of viewpoints, from 2000 feet above the entire complex, down to an extreme zoom into the subatomic level, the animation's camera moves were impossible with conventional real - world camera gear.

Case Study #8:

Ashton - Potter, a printing systems manufacturer and printer of premium quality stamps, currencies and security - protected documents used 3D animation to propose an innovative solution to the U.S. Postal Service's request for a proposal. It had developed an integrated system for printing, numbering, perforating, slitting and packaging, all in one continuous sequence, a new type of peel - off stamp. Animation demonstrated the whole sequence in a cohesive flow, actually "flying" through the entire press. It proved to be a crucial component in the boardroom presentation that landed them a 112 million dollar contract.

Case Study #9:

Sarafinchin Geo - Engineering used animation to help save a piece of the southern shore of Barbados! They presented, using computer animation sequences, a simulation of what would happen if the government of Barbados chose to ignore the dangerous erosion underneath scenic shoreline cliffs. Restaurants, hotels and tourist's lives were at risk. The companys animated presentation led to their expertly engineered solution being adopted by the government.

Case Study #10:

The H2O vacuum was successfully marketed in infomercials across North America using computer animation to demonstrate how dirt, hair and even airborne bacteria are filtered and neutralized by this innovative appliance. 3D animation can make even dirt appear fascinating!

That's the 10 - minute success tour. If these companies can succeed with this medium, you can too!

(c) Copyright - Mike Efford. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Mike Efford turns the magic of computer animation into marketing power for his clients. Since 1994 his 3D animation studio, Mike Efford Motion Design, has delivered high quality technical animation and motion graphics to clients across North America. He has worked with a long list of major corporations such as Royal Bank, General Motors, 3M, Thane Marketing, Cognos, Manulife Insurance, and over 50 innovative small businesses, broadcasters and design professionals.

Visit http://www.mike-efford-motion-design.com and discover how YOUR company can use this dynamic marketing medium to your strategic advantage.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Efford http://EzineArticles.com/?Marketing-With-Computer-Animation---10-Quick-Case-Studies&id=788904

Posted By: Illusion Technologies
http://www.illusiontechnologies.com

Animation

2007-11-15T02:49:00.000-08:00

Age of 3D Animation
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Deep_Raj]Deep Raj

The art of creating and moving images with the use of computer is generally termed as 3D Animation. The era of 3D animation can be dated back to the early nineties when the first 3D animation film "Toy Story" was created. With the passage of time there was tremendous transformation in 3D animation and many more movies were created. The power and effectiveness of 3D animation became apparent when "Jurassic Park" hit the cinema screen in 1993. It really was wonder created with the help of 3D Animation. The most powerful animal, "the dinosaur" was brought to life. The movie stands as testimony to the powers of 3D Animation.

The Age of 3D animation has certainly brought about a revolution. There is hardly any area where 3D Animation is not playing a pivotal role. The popularity of computer animation has skyrocketed in this age of 3D Animation. The superiority of 3D Animation has several reasons. A few important ones are spelled out in the para to a follow.

In the age of 3D Animation crystal clear images can be revealed in a very short period of time and the impact created is just unimaginable. It is true to say that concepts and ideas which are not easy to be expressed in words or even through illustrations can not only be created easily but also analyzed from different perspectives. The dimensional feature of 3D Animation is where its true power lies and its ability to portray movement is exceptional. A huge amount of scientific data of movements is combined and presented in a simplistic manner. An advantaged tagged to this attribute of 3D animation is that it creates a long lasting impact on the memory and the viewer tends to retain the image for a much longer time and that too with accuracy.

Age of 3D animation brings to light limitless possibilities. It is a fine communicating tool which offers more information at a faster rate, presents complex concepts in a simplified manner and also helps turn an idea or even a hint into reality. Recreation of any event, expensive or dangerous to reproduce, is possible in this age of 3D Animation. Fine examples of this would be an air crash, demolition of buildings and /or creation of colonies. In the age of 3D Animation photo-realistic effects are possible by using virtual light sources from different angles with a fine blend of reflection, transparency and shadowing. One big area where 3D Animation is brining about a huge and fast transformation is Architecture. The 3-dimensional models are more accurate and make it easier to see and study the possible relationship of the buildings with the environment.

In the age of 3D animation there is no limit in so far as the software packages are concerned. You can find several packages in the market but the main and only problem that there are far too many and there re endless companies who have created their own 3D animation packages on the pretext that the ones available don't suit their purpose. However, there are still a few standardized ones. The first and the most familiar one that comes to mind is 'Alias Maya'. It is a software which allows you to create models, texture and animate, tight them and lots more. Another package which stands a rival to 'Alias Maya' is '3DS max', it is a package with almost the same facilities that one would find in 'Alias Maya' its advantage is that it allows you to from 'Maya' to '3DS max' and vice-versa. A few other software packages are Cinema 4D, Bodyshop, Light ware 3D and many more.

The future of 3D Animation is far reaching there are going to be more and more, different areas where 3D Animation is going to bring about a radical change. However, one area of challenge for 3D Animation is a photorealistic animation of humans. As of now animal characters, fantasy characters, robots or cartoon like humans are shown but time is not far off when you will certainly see 3D Animation succeeded in this area. [http://www.icreonglobal.com]3D Animation

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deep_Raj http://EzineArticles.com/?Age-of-3D-Animation&id=796088

Posted By: Illusion Technologies
http://www.illusiontechnologies.com

Animation

2007-11-14T01:32:00.000-08:00

Considering a 3D Animation Career? Some Things You Should Know
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Serpico]Joseph Serpico

What skills do you need to be a 3D animator? First of all, you must be able to draw. Additionally, you should be familiar with the process of creating a storyline and know a little about acting. Added skills that would help greatly would be sculpting experience and a knowledge of anatomy. Even though animators use computers to create animations, the ability to draw is one skill they absolutely must have. Due to the number of employment applications received by the big Hollywood animation studios, If you aren't fantastic at drawing, you can forget about ever getting hired by one. So where do all the animators who can draw good but not great work? Well, making films is not the only job animators can get. They also work in industrial design, architecture, interior design, on the Internet, producing media such as CD-ROMs, creating computer games, and many other fields.

Additionally, an animator position is not the only job available in the animation field. Animators are supported by storyboard artists, graphic designers, layout artists, animator's assistants, background artists, in-betweeners, and many others.

Regardless of where you work, you're probably not going to start at the top rung of the ladder. Most people who aspire to eventually work as animators start their animation career as an in-betweener. This job can help you to learn the basics of professional animation and get paid for it. The in-betweener's job is to help the animator's assistants to fill in the movement between key drawings. These in-between drawings are called transition drawings.

On the other hand, people who are more interested in the technical aspects of animation might get their start as a storyboard artist's assistant. The storyboard is the outline of the film that the animators work from, and the storyboard artist creates it from the script. An assistant usually starts their career by doing clean up and revisions, with the aim to eventually prepare portions of the storyboard with instruction and assistance from the artist.

Most likely the biggest future advances in animation will occur in 3D animation, so if you want to be on the cutting edge, that's what you want to learn. New techniques are being developed all the time, while many old ones are continually being updated to keep pace with all the technological advancements that are occuring in the field. Nary a week passes without news of some improvement in either the hardware or software used for 3D animation. If you intend to work in the field, be prepared to continually re-educate yourself. The good news is that many employers will either provide the training or foot the bill.

If you want to read more about beginning a [http://www.animationschoolguide.com/3d-animation-career.html ]3D animation career, head on over to The Animation School Guide at http://www.animationschoolguide.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Serpico http://EzineArticles.com/?Considering-a-3D-Animation-Career?-Some-Things-You-Should-Know&id=781125

Animation

2007-11-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

Computer Animation - The Manufacturing World's Secret Marketing Weapon
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mike_Efford]Mike Efford

Computer animation is the secret weapon of a select group of smart manufacturers and engineering firms who use it to win major contracts for their companies against tough international competitors.

If your company is still relying on the same old conventional sales support materials to make sales presentations, ignoring the potential of technologies like computer animation, get on board or get left behind.

Industrial manufacturing in the western world is under siege for a variety of reasons, ranging from cheap labour to currency fluctuations to political interference. Therefore it is more important than ever to make full use of technologies like 3D computer animation to market products, designs, and systems. Any marketing strategy used to compete with Asia needs to build on natural advantages that North Americans possess. One of those advantages, overlooked by many industrial manufacturers, is the robust development of computer animation.

3D computer animation was pioneered here, and grew exponentially with huge demand for Hollywood special effects and video games. It acquired a high profile through those applications, which stimulated demand for more, and attracted development capital and talent. An upward spiral resulted, and drove the medium of computer animation to dizzying heights of accomplishment and prominence. And the outward spread of the medium's influence has expanded into the world of industrial manufacturing.

3D animation's CAD (Computer Aided Design) drafting roots make it a natural tool for an industrial company. Yet many companies, including those who actually use CAD software in - house, don't even scratch the surface of the medium's true marketing potential. That is unfortunate. Because while they are well aware of what 3D computer graphics can do for the technical development of a design, they ignore the previously mentioned animation expertise developed in Hollywood and video game applications to communicate a vision. And no other visual medium is quite like 3D animation.

There are many advantages to exploiting the capabilities of this medium that most industrial manufacturers are not aware of.

Just for a moment, think what it would mean for your companys bottom line if you had a powerful, easy - to - use computer animation to do the following for you at your next major sales presentation:

-- Justify a premium price for your product or engineered system

-- Demonstrate quickly and easily how a complex group of components works

-- Reveal your product's inner workings, and inner value

-- Enhance the perceived value of a deceptively simple - looking product

-- Show the importance of a small part in a large, complex system

-- Show a wide range of your company's products within an assembly

-- Demonstrate how liquid flows through a hydraulic system

-- Zoom into a microscopic detail of a component or product

-- Show each stage of a massive development project, in sequence

-- Show how a complex assembly of articulated mechanical parts operates

-- Show how an engineered structure will interface in an environmentally friendly way with the earth

-- Explain and dramatize almost any kind of data

-- Create a high - energy, "cutting - edge technology" impression

Those are just a minute fraction of what computer animation can accomplish in a marketing role. And the list merely describes what animation can do, not how it does it.

A big mistake industrial companies make is to regard 3D animation as just "entertainment", and not as a robust marketing medium, capable of demonstrating the benefits of their technologies to clients, and influencing buyers. But for industrial manufacturers who fully make use of all of its capabilities, 3D computer animation represents the best of both worlds. It is a marketing medium that accurately describes technical concepts with great precision, yet uses the visualization powers perfected in Hollywood to illustrate a technical vision with flair and imagination.

In a world as competitive as today's, it's good to know industrial manufacturers are in a great position to tap into a well developed North American strategic advantage: 3D computer animation.

(c) Copyright - Mike Efford. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Mike Efford turns the magic of computer animation into marketing power for his clients. Since 1994 his 3D animation studio, Mike Efford Motion Design, has delivered high quality technical animation and motion graphics to clients across North America. He has worked with a long list of major corporations such as Royal Bank, General Motors, 3M, Thane Marketing, Cognos, Manulife Insurance, and over 50 innovative small businesses, broadcasters and design professionals.

Visit http://www.mike-efford-motion-design.com and discover how YOUR company can use this dynamic marketing medium to your strategic advantage.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Efford http://EzineArticles.com/?Computer-Animation---The-Manufacturing-Worlds-Secret-Marketing-Weapon&id=788854

Posted By: Illusion Technologies
http://www.illusiontechnologies.com

Animation

2007-10-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

Animation

2007-10-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

Simply speaking, animation is the process of making films, movies, videos or computer games in which drawings or models of people and animals seem to move. The illusion, in fact, is created by the consecutive display of images of static elements. In the case of film and video production, it refers to techniques by which each frame of a film or a movie is produced individually. There are various methods of generating these frames. It can be done with the help of computers, by photographing a drawn or painted image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model unit, and then photographing the result with a special animation camera. When the film is viewed after stringing the frames together, "persistence of vision" creates an illusion of continuous movement.

Animation

2007-10-27T02:09:00.000-07:00

Branding, Concept, Communication and Focus Testing
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Rick_Vidallon]Rick Vidallon

I’ve seen it all. The good, the bad and the ugly of Web site design. And the more I analyze what’s on the Web, the sadder I get, because the Web has become open game for Web site designers with bad taste and no plan.

On the other hand, there are many talented Web designers to choose from. But talent will only take one so far.
A designer has to understand and master the essence of design: Design with purpose, Create with purpose, and Implement with purpose.

As with the world of print, TV, and radio, a designer must design with four specific goals in mind:

Branding
Good branding makes the cash register ring. Take Fox News as a case in point. Unlike CNN or MSNBC, Fox strives to be a bit more edgy and bold -- and they lead the pack. Their logo animation, bumper graphics, and over-the-shoulder graphics are bright primary colors. Even their music is a bit edgier with guitar riffs versus the subdued music tones of the other stations.

Concept
A great concept on a shoe-string budget will blow away a weak concept on a multi-million dollar budget any day. For example, how many truck or SUV commercials have you seen with guys careening through mud or snow-covered mountain passes as the words scream out “Chevy Tough” or “Ford, Built to Last.” I can’t believe executives at these car companies spend millions each year on poorly conceived advertising campaigns.

Now, see if you remember this one. A mother is about to drop her child off at school, and asks if he’d rather get dropped off at the curb instead of directly in-front of the school. The child says, “nah, that’s okay mom.” He steps down from the Hummer and strolls up to the school entrance while an older student, with his eyes glued to the Hummer, says “cool.” This is a “concept;” a very well executed concept. It strongly conveys an attitude. Even Hummer’s theme music has attitude. The branding and concept raises the Hummer’s image above the rest.

Your Web site or your client’s Web site should convey this type of branding and concept. Think outside the box. Look at other well executed designs for inspiration. Don’t look at the industry, look at the design. Just because you’re building a Web site for a golf course doesn’t mean you should only Google golf courses in your research. Look beyond. Here are some great Web site resources for creative inspiration. http://www.commarts.com
CA-
Communication Arts, the online counterpart of Communication Arts magazine. http://www.designinteract.com
Design Interact, The premier source of information and inspiration for the field of interactive media. http://www.coolhomepages.com
Cool Home Pages, Great resource for designer's block.

Communication
During my career in broadcast graphics we would churn out graphics for the evening news. Many of them were “over-the-shoulder” graphics which appeared behind the anchor as they delivered the story. The main philosophy
I constantly ingrained into my design team was:“If it doesn’t read – it doesn’t work.” In other words, if the volume of the TV is turned off, the viewer should know what the story is about without the presence of text or title.

Your Web site should project that same philosophy. Ask yourself, does it immediately communicate my message? In television your message is “one click” away from the next channel. On the World Wide Web, you’re one mouse click away from a potential customer moving on.

If you own an e-commerce site, do you expend Web real estate endlessly talking about yourself, or do you get right down to business by featuring your products?
If you own an industry or business site, do you have fancy animation with glitzy music, or does your site convey a serious professional business image?

Make sure your Web designer is communicating well with the public. Solid thinking translated into clear messages works every time.

Focus Test
Want good feedback? Want good direction? Try a grassroots focus test.

Late one evening after some finger breaking work on some all important Flash animation, the cleaning crew entered my office. I asked, “What do you guys think?” They replied, “What is it?”

I was taken back. Ouch!!! I had fallen into the old trap of not being able to see the forest for the trees. This is an all too common problem among creative types. Design work tends to be a labor of love, and you can get too close to your project without seeing the big picture.

Get feedback, it’s the breakfast of champions. Ask your team, neighbor, spouse, significant other -- ask anyone but yourself. And once you step out on the ledge, make sure you’re ready for negative feedback. Learn to embrace it and use it to develop into a better professional. Growing some thick skin will also be helpful.

To see what I mean, visit [http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/]www.webpagesthatsuck.com.

About the Author http://www.visionefx.net - Visionefx President Ricardo Vidallon has been in the creative business of advertising, cable broadcast, animation and the World Wide Web for more than two decades. His work has been featured on
the Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., Fox News and NBC Entertainment. His career track in Web consultancy includes the global companies of Reynolds and Reynolds, CMGI Solutions, and Automark, Inc.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Vidallon http://EzineArticles.com/?Branding,-Concept,-Communication-and-Focus-Testing&id=99651

Animation

2007-10-24T02:18:00.000-07:00

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-10-22T05:26:00.001-07:00

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-10-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

Forensic Animation
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Freeland]Sarah Freeland

Forensic animation is a newer legal tool used in just about every type of legal suit imaginable. In murder cases forensic animation can be used to recreate a forensic crime scene. In car accident cases this legal video tool can be used to recreate the accident and to determine who was at fault. However, while this technology is very effective, before it can be used as evidence it needs to be evaluated by the court for its admissibility.

The admissibility of forensic animation depends on several factors. First of all the court is going to look at how objective the animation is. They are going to look for significant biasing of the animated footage, which can give one side an unjust advantage. Next the court is going to look at the data used in creating the animation. The data used must be verifiable and it must be supported by witness testimony or authoritative facts. Finally, the forensic animation must be easy to understand and be relevant to the case at hand.

Forensic animation, while intriguing and helpful, is not right for every type of case. It is expensive and it takes time to generate. For most average forensic animation presentations under 3 minute, you should expect a turn around time of between 1 and 3 months. You should also expect to pay $6,000 plus for a piece of forensic animation. The actual cost that you will incur is going to depend on how long the piece needs to be, the complexity of the animation used, how soon you need the piece by and what forensic animation company you use.

The cost of forensic animation mostly goes towards the labor costs. In fact, labor is going to make up about three quarters of the total cost of your animation presentation. Some of the labor costs that your project will incur include: consulting, model generation, camera animation and actor animation. Again the actual costs that you will be charged are going to depend greatly on the complexity of the animation that needs to be generated and the company that you work with.

A [http://www.legalvideographer.info/what_is_legal_videographer.html]legal videographer is a video production specialist who is skilled at producing video evidence for legal cases. The services offered by this type of video specialist is in high demand and it pays a very generous salary. Being a [http://www.legalvideographer.info/digital_videographer.html]professional digital videographer takes more than just knowledge of how to use a digital camcorder. It takes expertise in a variety of business, creative and technical subjects. There are a lot of [http://www.legalvideographer.info/videography_tools_accessories.html]videography equipment that videographers need including: cameras, tripods, editing software, video monitors, cases, lenses and mixing devices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Freeland http://EzineArticles.com/?Forensic-Animation&id=702656

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-10-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-09-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Upsurging Flash Animations
By

[http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Rakhee_Chowdhary]Rakhee Chowdhary

Flash animations are protruding because of their myriad
characteristics in this coeval age. Flash is splashing all
around and the timeless saying “A picture is worth a
thousand words” aptly describes how large amount of data
can be absorbed quickly, imbibe our mind.

Flash animation is created using Adobe flash animation
software and is distributed in .swf (Shockwave Flash)
format, other formats are .as (ActionScript), .flv (Flash
Video). Flash animations have nowadays become best way
to showcase overview of an enterprise. Web flash
animations are often created in series and well known by
different names; bitmaps, raster-based art, vector based
drawings, videos can be easily incorporated with these flash
animations for more clear graphics. You can find numerous
flash generator, image manipulator, menu creator on the
web. You tube,
We find Macromedia Flash is a pioneering vector
technology for designing high-end-high-impact,
low-bandwidth websites that for enticing and retention of
visitors; providing a richer, more compelling web
experience. You don’t need to install or download player,
just drag the file to your browser and it runs, these flash
animations are very attractive and interactive and help a lot
in website brand campaigning.

Adobe Flex, is the latest upsurging flash animation; it is an
IDE and SDK that supports development and deployment
of cross platform for technologies based on proprietary
Macromedia Flash platform. Flex Data Services 2 provides
Enterprise-oriented services through data synchronization,
data push, publish-subscribe and automated testing. Adobe
Flex 3 is the beta version that supports Adobe Application
Runtime and includes Creative Suite products and Flex
Builder IDE.

There is good news for SEO executives working over flash
websites!! Previously it was almost impossible to get flash
websites indexed in the search engines, but now as adobe
as incorporated Adobe SDK capable of converting .swf to
html making the site fully search engine friendly, it is helping
SEO’s to gain rankings for the same with much more ease.
Presently google has also deployed a new fix over its
algorithm via which its crawler (googlebot) is capable of
indexing partly content of flash driven websites.

[http://www.icreon.com/]Icreon offers

[http://www.icreon.com/multimedia_flashwebsite.shtml]Multimedia presentation India Interactive multimedia, flash

website design and development.

Rakhi, is a experienced SEO content writer at Icreon

Communications Pvt. Ltd.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rakhee_Chowdhary

http://EzineArticles.com/?Upsurging-Flash-Animations&id=672823

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-09-14T03:08:00.000-07:00

Website Decisions IV - Animations
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dustin_Schwerman]Dustin Schwerman

From Flash to animated gifs to javascript, there are a variety of ways to add animations to a website. Moving graphics can be a helpful addition, but should be used with a degree of care. As with all options, used properly, animations can improve the visitor’s experience and augment your message. Used improperly, however, and animations can distract, annoy, and delay the viewer.

The first rule for using animation is to make sure it doesn’t hinder the user. Having balloons float around the web page might look cool and provide a festive feel, but it also threatens to get in the way as the user tries to read your page’s content. Big flashing changing images can attract the eye, but can also distract it from the point you are trying to make.

Introductory animations are especially prone this sort of problem. Although these openings may be attention-grabbers the first time someone visits, they quickly grow boring, even annoying, after a few replays. Bypassing links can be useful for minimizing this effect, but the problems with such introductions do not end there. People are impatient; when they come to your site from the search engine, they want to be provided instantly with the information they are searching for. These sorts of introductions, thus, are excellent for sites whose primary function is to entertain. Informative sites, which may very well include sites that exist to inform about products, receive limited benefit from these additions.

You should also consider your SEO when considering animations. A web page that only contains a Flash intro has no content, which greatly limits SEO. If it is the main page to your site, the search engines will see that your main page has no keywords. Better optimized pages will rank higher, and at that point, the introduction isn’t useful at all.

This is not to say that animation is a bad thing to add to a site. However, it is a tool, one of many tools available to a skilled web designer. As with any option, using it solely for the sake of using it is never a viable option.

So how do you use animations? Ideally, you want to utilize them where they can be entertaining and attractive without drawing attention away from main content. Button links, of course, are classic places. Although these animations are subtle, they can improve the user’s experience by augmenting the appearance of interactivity. If there are circumstances where your website is loading other content, a brief animation can distract the user from the delay. A scrolling set of links can allow you to display more options in a limited amount of space. And, naturally, you can use animation to attract attention to sections of the page that you want the viewer to notice.

What it comes down to is that movement draws attention. The goal is to draw attention towards key parts of your website. Used in that manner, and animations can help direct the user to the places and pages you want them to view. If you simply animate things to see them move, you will only draw the eyes away from the more important parts of your site.

Copyright © 2007 Dustin Schwerman.

Dustin Schwerman is the primary web designer at [http://www.trulyuniqueweb.com]Truly Unique--Affordable Custom Website Design. Truly Unique specializes in impressive, custom sites designed to capture the essence of the businesses they represent, as well as creating useful web-based programs to improve and simplify some of the tasks of running a business. Their goal is to provide these services at affordable, pragmatic rates based on effort involved, rather than arbitrary costs based on number of pages or hours.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dustin_Schwerman http://EzineArticles.com/?Website-Decisions-IV---Animations&id=704593

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-09-13T01:57:00.000-07:00

The Favicon, an Untapped Image Promotion Trick -

Animated Favicons?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrei_Smith]Andrei

Smith

A favicon is that little image that most browsers display on
the address line and in the favorites (bookmarks) menu.
Tabbed browsers like Firefox and Opera extend the
functionality of favicons, adding them to their tabs. The
name was coined based on Internet Explorer (the first
browser to support it) and derives from "Favorites Icon".
Each web browser has a unique user interface, and as a
result uses the favicon in different ways. The favicon allows
a company to further promote its identity and image by
displaying a logo, a graphical message, etc. Often, the
favicon reflects the look and feel of the web site or the
organization's logo.

A traditional favicon is actually a Microsoft Windows ICO
file. An ICO file is actually a repository of bitmap like
images. They are used because in some locations a 16x16
pixel image is desired, and sometimes a 32x32 image may
be needed. Sometimes a 16 color image is desired, and
sometimes a 256 color icon is desired.

You probably already knew all of the above.
But did you know that Firefox can display animated
favicons? If you don't believe me, open Firefox and go to
my site, bsleek.com (there should be a link at the bottom of
the article). if you don't have Firefox, download it, it's a
"must have" and you will quickly fall in love with the
simplicity and convenience of tabbed browsing. Even if you
are not a designer but just a site owner, in today's
environment you absolutely must know how your site looks
in all browsers. You would think that all websites should
look the same, but as browsers become more diverse and
more sophisticated, standards are not respected and things
can get messy. For example, I just discovered that a few
pages on my site don't look as expected in the latest version
of Opera and need to be adjusted.

Ok, I hope by now you saw my animated favicon in Firefox
and came back to the article to learn more about it...
The main reason why you can see animated favicons in
Firefox is because Firefox abolished the proprietary ICO
format in favor of the ability to display any supported image
format in the favicon location, including BMP, JPG, GIF,
PNG and... animated GIFs.

So now you know the big secret, the animated favicon is
nothing but a tiny animated GIF.
Here's a very neat trick, that can actually be used to
visualize how any image looks like as a 16x16 pixel icon -
once you start designing one of those, you will realize that it
is extremely hard to produce a legible image on a 16 square
pixels canvas:

Find any page with any graphic that you are interested in.
Right click the image and chose "View Image" from the
dialog. A blank page should display with your chosen image
and surprise: you can see a miniature 16x16 copy of the
image as a favicon! Uhh... do I have to mention again that
we are doing all this in Firefox?
A hacker's mind will immediately think of how great it
would be to use this feature as a conversion tool.

Unfortunately, unlike Internet Explorer and Opera, Firefox
doesn't store FavIcons in .ico files, the icons are stored in
an encoded format directly in the bookmark file.
You can apply the same principle to animated GIFs and you
will notice that a miniature version of the animation also
plays in the address bar and on the tabs.

Perhaps one of the main reasons why you don't see that
many sites using animations is browser compatibility.
Animated favicons are not treated at all by Internet
Explorer. A static image will not be extracted from the
animation either. Instead, the default .htm icon (as defined in
Windows' filetypes) will be placed under one's Favorites -
once added, that is. The animations are not supported by

Netscape, Opera, Konqueror, Safari; at least so it seems at
the time of this writing. The Firefox family seems to be the
only friend to animations, yet as browsers evolve, broader
support for animation will probably come along (or, the
concept will die).

So, why not take advantage of this *now* and 'beat the
rush'?

Basically, this is how it's done:

1. You make a 16x16 animated GIF.

2. You upload the animated GIF to the "root" of your site,

or to any other location.

3. You hardcode in your page the location where Firefox

should look for the animation.

That's really it, "big picture" wise.

If you don't feel too creative or just don't have time and/or
patience, a reputable professional design firm (such as
Bsleek) should be able to make a nice animated favicon for
you. Another option - I don't endorse it, as your goal should
be to excel through unique content and push your own
image out there - is to find one of the many galleries online
and either download a ready made animated favicon or take
a large animated GIF and resize it and/or edit it in one of the
many available tools. There also are sites that offer online
animated favicon creation from a standard image (check out
chami.com, find "FavIcon from pics", they have a simple but
neat scrolling text feature).

If you are however a fellow do-it-yourselfer, then let's
elaborate and look at some techniques and useful tips:
As far as tools go: If you are a lucky owner of Adobe's
excellent Photoshop, then you also have a companion
application called ImageReady. Linux users have Gimp, an
incredibly powerful and free graphics application that can
easily handle animated GIF creation. What many people
don't know is that Gimp is also available for free for
Windows and the Mac. There is also GIMPShop in the
wild, which is a nifty GIMP version for the
photoshop-inclined audience (did I mention free?). There
are also many specialized GIF animation makers, some
freeware, some not.

Things to remember when designing animated favicons:
You have control over the number of times your animation
will play. Any decent animated GIF editor will ask you
whether you want your animation to play once, several
times (you specify a number) or forever. It is also important
to know that after the animation cycled the predetermined
amount of time, it will remain still on the last frame (not the
first one!), so make sure that frame contains the image you
want displayed at the end of the cycle.

If you really need to, you can set it to loop continuously.

However, out of curtsey to those paranoid about their
computer resources being eaten alive by your animation and
to those who find animated things in general terribly
annoying, I always recommend that you set up a finite
number of times your GIF will cycle through the animated
sequence. 6 sounds like a good, conservative number, 12 is
on the medium side.

By limiting the number of times your GIF plays, you might
even set a cool viral marketing effect, where visitors will just

click through your pages to see the animation start over. I
clearly remember when I first saw an animated favicon
years ago (on the first iterations of the Mozilla browser), the
animation was set up to cycle once, and I found myself
refreshing the pages over and over, and even clicking

through the site just to see it again and again. I don't care
what anyone says, people are attracted to eye candy.

So you made your animation and are very proud of it. Now
it is time to upload it to your web server. You can put it
anywhere you want, in any folder you desire. The old
school webmasters who follow Microsoft's teachings will be
very much appalled by this statement. They will tell you that
if you don't name your icon favicon.ico and if you don't put
in the very root of your site, it will not work. With Firefox
and animated favicons things are very liberal, you can name
your animation anything you want (.gif) and place it
anywhere you want. You just have to place a special tag on
every page that points to the gif.

Here is the big problem: All this works fine in Firefox, but
what about the rest of the browsers?
Well, for maximum compatibility you'll have to make a
regular favicon.ico and upload it to the root of your website
(that's where your very first index.xxx home page is, where
xxx is htm, html, php, cfm, etc..). Then we'll add the
following two lines of code to every page that you want to
pull and display the animation.

Please remember to replace the "{" and "}" brackets with
the standard HTML ones, "". I had to use the curly ones
here in order not to confuse article sites. The code has to be
placed between the {HEAD} tag and the {TITLE} tags. It
might possibly work otherwise, but your HTML code will
not be fully W3C compliant:

{LINK REL="SHORTCUT ICON"

HREF="http://www.mydomain.com/favicon.ico"}
{LINK REL="icon"

HREF="http://www.mydomain.com/favicon.gif"

TYPE="image/gif"}

Of course, replace "mydomain.com" with your own domain,
favicon.ico is a standard favicon, favicon.gif is your newly
created animated GIF. Again, it can as well be
mydomain.com/somefolder/somename.gif.
Always hardcode the location, use absolute addresses (as in

the example) and not relative ones ("../favicon.gif").
The first line of code is a standard, a-la Microsoft command
that tells the majority of browsers to load a standard
favicon.ico.

The second line of code is for Firefox only, instructing the
browser to load the animated version.
As a side note, if you forgot to add the two lines of code to
a page, that page should pick the default favicon.ico, but
only if you already loaded it via one page that had the code
in it, or if the page was bookmarked. Additionally,
sometimes, Internet Explorer will just refuse to show a
favicon...

If the above sounds strange (if it doesn't, what are you
doing reading my articles??), I talk about how to create a
favicon.ico and about some of the favicon's stranger
behaviors in my other related articles. Just Google for "The
Favicon, an untapped image promotion trick" (with quotes).

One last thing: I feel that this article will not be complete if I
don't support those folks who look at the animated favicons
the same way the world looks at the text blink "feature"
from the early nineties and would like to forever wipe it of
the face of the web.

You can disable favicons - animated or not & site icons in
Firefox. Here's how:

Open a Firefox window. Type "about:config", without the
quotes, in the address bar. Hit enter or click Go. Scroll
down slightly to "browser.chrome.favicons" and double
click it to change it to "false". This gets rid of the favicons. If
you also want to stop seeing site icons, then look right
below for "browser.chrome.site_icons", double click it to
change it to "false". Close all Firefox windows. When you
reopen Firefox, the pesky little icons should be gone.
---
Andrei co-owns [http://www.bsleek.com/promo]Bsleek - a
company that specializes in web design, hosting,
promotional items, printing, tradeshow displays, logos, CD
presentations, SEO and more. Andrei has amassed an
extensive technical knowledge and experience through his
career as the CIO for a major travel management company
and through his past careers in military research, data
acquisition and airspace engineering. He also consults for
[http:/www.trinityinvestigations.com]Trinity Investigations, a
New York based PI firm.

--- [http://www.bsleek.com/websites/]Bsleek Web Design

- If we build it, they will come.

Article Source:

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Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-09-12T00:21:00.000-07:00

Forensic Animation
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Freeland]Sarah Freeland

Forensic animation is a newer legal tool used in just about every type of legal suit imaginable. In murder cases forensic animation can be used to recreate a forensic crime scene. In car accident cases this legal video tool can be used to recreate the accident and to determine who was at fault. However, while this technology is very effective, before it can be used as evidence it needs to be evaluated by the court for its admissibility.

The admissibility of forensic animation depends on several factors. First of all the court is going to look at how objective the animation is. They are going to look for significant biasing of the animated footage, which can give one side an unjust advantage. Next the court is going to look at the data used in creating the animation. The data used must be verifiable and it must be supported by witness testimony or authoritative facts. Finally, the forensic animation must be easy to understand and be relevant to the case at hand.

Forensic animation, while intriguing and helpful, is not right for every type of case. It is expensive and it takes time to generate. For most average forensic animation presentations under 3 minute, you should expect a turn around time of between 1 and 3 months. You should also expect to pay $6,000 plus for a piece of forensic animation. The actual cost that you will incur is going to depend on how long the piece needs to be, the complexity of the animation used, how soon you need the piece by and what forensic animation company you use.

The cost of forensic animation mostly goes towards the labor costs. In fact, labor is going to make up about three quarters of the total cost of your animation presentation. Some of the labor costs that your project will incur include: consulting, model generation, camera animation and actor animation. Again the actual costs that you will be charged are going to depend greatly on the complexity of the animation that needs to be generated and the company that you work with.

A [http://www.legalvideographer.info/what_is_legal_videographer.html]legal videographer is a video production specialist who is skilled at producing video evidence for legal cases. The services offered by this type of video specialist is in high demand and it pays a very generous salary. Being a [http://www.legalvideographer.info/digital_videographer.html]professional digital videographer takes more than just knowledge of how to use a digital camcorder. It takes expertise in a variety of business, creative and technical subjects. There are a lot of [http://www.legalvideographer.info/videography_tools_accessories.html]videography equipment that videographers need including: cameras, tripods, editing software, video monitors, cases, lenses and mixing devices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Freeland http://EzineArticles.com/?Forensic-Animation&id=702656

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-09-04T02:15:00.000-07:00

Tips for Creating an Effective Banner Ad Campaign
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Matt_Bacak]Matt Bacak

Just how true a saying is that? Whether in the wheat fields of Georgia or at home on the Internet, a good idea will generate good income. Such is true of banner advertising.

To begin, you will want to define goals for your campaign. Ask yourself the following questions: What do I wish to accomplish using this campaign? What step do I want online users to take when they first see my ad? Once you have defined your answers, it is time to develop your advertising message.

Here are some proven ideas that you can adopt to create an effective banner ad campaign:

1) Study some of the best online. Refer back to some of the best banner ads that you have seen previously. Take a look at MSN.com and look at the various banner ads. Identify at least three banner ads that catch your attention best. What is the common ground in the three ads? This will enable you to identify what techniques are most effective, as well as what design style attracts you best.

2) Send a clear message in graphic design. Your main goal is to have people take a particular action after viewing your ad. You want to present a strong, clear message to capture interest. Present your primary message as the strongest visual element in your ad.

3) Use seven words or less. This works best for a small visual space. Use fewer words and make the font size bigger. This delivers better impact. Remember that less is more in this case.

4) Think power words. Words like free, outstanding, secret, awesome, affordable and endearing - these all deliver a terrific message. You want to grab attention as quickly as possible.

5) Go easy on animation. You want the animation to draw the eye without offending the viewer in any way. Be subtle when in doubt. For the animation speed, look for something that changes at a slow to moderate pace. Consider setting your animations so that they stop after three cycles; some sites may insist on this.

As you create your design, remember that you will make a stronger impact with less cluttered messages. Go light on the number of elements, the colors, fonts, graphics and words that you use in your ad. You want to bring across a strong primary message.

You will make a favorable impression with your banner advertising if you pay careful attention to detail. Less is more, be subtle in animation and use clever wording for best impact. Prospects will act quickly and be impressed with your creatively designed banner advertising.

Matt Bacak, Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz radio show host became a "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours and the co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to Retire From Your Job This Year and Still Make More Money Than the Average Medical Doctor... You Can Do It
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Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-09-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

Website Decisions IV - Animations
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dustin_Schwerman]Dustin Schwerman

From Flash to animated gifs to javascript, there are a variety of ways to add animations to a website. Moving graphics can be a helpful addition, but should be used with a degree of care. As with all options, used properly, animations can improve the visitor’s experience and augment your message. Used improperly, however, and animations can distract, annoy, and delay the viewer.

The first rule for using animation is to make sure it doesn’t hinder the user. Having balloons float around the web page might look cool and provide a festive feel, but it also threatens to get in the way as the user tries to read your page’s content. Big flashing changing images can attract the eye, but can also distract it from the point you are trying to make.

Introductory animations are especially prone this sort of problem. Although these openings may be attention-grabbers the first time someone visits, they quickly grow boring, even annoying, after a few replays. Bypassing links can be useful for minimizing this effect, but the problems with such introductions do not end there. People are impatient; when they come to your site from the search engine, they want to be provided instantly with the information they are searching for. These sorts of introductions, thus, are excellent for sites whose primary function is to entertain. Informative sites, which may very well include sites that exist to inform about products, receive limited benefit from these additions.

You should also consider your SEO when considering animations. A web page that only contains a Flash intro has no content, which greatly limits SEO. If it is the main page to your site, the search engines will see that your main page has no keywords. Better optimized pages will rank higher, and at that point, the introduction isn’t useful at all.

This is not to say that animation is a bad thing to add to a site. However, it is a tool, one of many tools available to a skilled web designer. As with any option, using it solely for the sake of using it is never a viable option.

So how do you use animations? Ideally, you want to utilize them where they can be entertaining and attractive without drawing attention away from main content. Button links, of course, are classic places. Although these animations are subtle, they can improve the user’s experience by augmenting the appearance of interactivity. If there are circumstances where your website is loading other content, a brief animation can distract the user from the delay. A scrolling set of links can allow you to display more options in a limited amount of space. And, naturally, you can use animation to attract attention to sections of the page that you want the viewer to notice.

What it comes down to is that movement draws attention. The goal is to draw attention towards key parts of your website. Used in that manner, and animations can help direct the user to the places and pages you want them to view. If you simply animate things to see them move, you will only draw the eyes away from the more important parts of your site.

Copyright © 2007 Dustin Schwerman.

Dustin Schwerman is the primary web designer at [http://www.trulyuniqueweb.com]Truly Unique Website Design. Truly Unique specializes in impressive, custom sites designed to capture the essence of the businesses they represent, as well as creating useful web-based programs to improve and simplify some of the tasks of running a business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dustin_Schwerman http://EzineArticles.com/?Website-Decisions-IV---Animations&id=704593

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-09-01T03:14:00.000-07:00

Attack of the Animated Web Page Ads
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Aidan_Maconachy]Aidan Maconachy

Annoying animated ads have been taking over cyber space lately.

How are you supposed to read a column when a moving pen keeps drawing a disco dancing silhouette on someone's arm over and over - a silhouette that does a frenetic John Travolta type dance in the corner of your eye. As if we aren't visually overloaded enough these days!

You can just imagine a bunch of advertising nerds sitting around trying to devise better ways to grab our attention. One says "yeah let's have the chipmunk race up and down the tree. Even if they try and read through one end of a rolled newspaper they won't be able to escape the blur".

Advertisers sometimes get it badly wrong. It's not only about animation, or concept originality or design flair. They need to consider what type of reaction the ad induces in the viewer. In a lot of cases animated ads on a page of text induce resentment, if only because people like to be bale to focus when they're reading.

A blogger I was reading on this topic said he scrolls rapidly on a page he visits to block out a hyperactive squirrel and an aerobic blond on eternal repeat.

One Daily Telegraph page I was on had a firing canon, that kept recoiling as it blasted again ... and again ... while some other frenetic behavior was going on in a box further up the page. It was like trying to read in the middle of the Battle of Waterloo.

Why don't advertisers understand the basic truth that a lot of people who are visually assaulted will make a point of NOT clicking on the ad. Some people even develop a prejudice against the product. Have advertisers ever speculated how much they may have lost as a result of turning off potential consumers? Might make for an eye opening survey.

But maybe there is a sizable demographic out there that becomes hypnotized by repetitive motion. Their eyes glaze over as someone's head gets tattooed forty times in a row and they simply cannot resist the urge to click on the cranium.

The sites hosting these ads, need to think of their visitors' eye health. If I go blind after a site has upped the number of animated ads to four while I'm struggling from sentence to sentence in a page that is like an ant colony, I have no doubt there is a Florida lawyer who will be very happy to hear from me.

Aidan Maconachy is a freelance writer and artist based in Ontario. You can visit his blog at http://aidanmaconachyblog.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aidan_Maconachy
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Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-30T02:15:00.000-07:00

Basics Of Ecommerce Web Design
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ray_Yee]Ray Yee

Design And Layout

Before we cover the basics of designing an ecommerce website, let me ask you a simple question: Which do you think is more likely to succeed? A website with a clear, simple and professional design, which is well targeted at the niche market? Or a website with flashy animation, graphics or audio that detracts from its primary purpose – to convert visitors to customers?

Obviously, a clear and professional design is better able to convert online visitors to paying customers. When designing your website, pay attention to the following:

Since the online community is generally impatient, your homepage must be able to capture the visitors’ attention within the first few seconds, or they are likely to lose interest quickly and leave your website. In general, you should aim to capture the visitors’ interest within the first ten seconds of their visit and persuade them to continue browsing your site. Thus, your headlines and sub-headlines should be well written to catch the visitors’ attention and get them to continue reading.
Your salescopy are the words that capture your visitors’ attention and compel them to make purchases. A good balance between salescopy and graphics on your website enables you to present the value of your products effectively. Do not focus solely on either aspect – a good balance of both gives you a sales process with the highest chance of sales.
Navigation must be consistent. Your navigation links must be named clearly, and your navigation menu should be placed consistently on a specific location of your web pages, like horizontally across the top or vertically on the left. As a rule of thumb, your visitor should be able to access any information they’re looking for with a maximum of 3 additional clicks.
The opt-in offer is a web form that you can use to collect the visitors’ email addresses. Apart from getting visitors to buy from you, the secondary purpose of your site should be to collect the visitors’ email addresses, allowing you to send product promotions to them in future. Hence, your opt-in offer must be placed at a prominent spot on your website, e.g. on the top-left corner of your homepage, to yield the highest visitor opt-in rate.

When designing your website, there is one crucial point you need to keep in mind – your website serves as a platform to display your catalogue of products to your customers. The aim of your website is then to convert the visitors of your website into buyers.

Remember to focus on leading the visitor through the sales process step-by-step. Produce clear instructions and directions to tell the visitor what to do, and not leave the visitor to figure out how to make a purchase. This is an extremely important factor influencing the conversion rate of your website.

Images

The images you display on your site should mainly comprise of photographs of your products. Do not include fanciful ‘cartoon’ graphics or animation – these make your site appear unprofessional, and drive your visitors away in a hurry!

With regards to the image file formats, all your photograph files should be in the JPG format. This is the best format to display your pictures with excellent quality and low file size at the same time. Don’t forget – the time it takes for your webpage to load should be capped at a minimum.

On the other hand, images like your business logo and navigation buttons should be in GIF format. These pictures do not require resolution as high as your photographs – and the GIF format offers the lowest size for such files.

Keywords And Search Terms

Your business keywords and search terms are also critical considerations when designing your website. Deciding on your keywords beforehand optimizes your website for the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN. Given below are the steps to take for proper search engine optimization.

Before writing your content and salescopy, first brainstorm a list of keywords related to your business. The Keyword Suggestion Tool from Yahoo! Search Marketing is very useful for producing a list of keywords. The exact number of keywords depends on the range of products you have.

When designing your website, include these keywords in the page titles, meta tags and heading tags. Doing so will definitely improve your search engine rankings for those particular keywords. Additionally, you should also sprinkle your keywords uniformly throughout the page when writing the page content.

Browser Compatibility

Apart from Internet Explorer, the online community also uses other internet browsers like Netscape Navigator. When designing your website, you need to ensure that it is compatible with other internet browsers, or your website will appear with a messy layout. Ensure that visitors using other browsers like Netscape can also view your product catalogue with ease.

Things To Avoid

Overuse of banners, graphics and color. Too many pictures or banners only distract the visitors from their purpose – to browse through your products and make a purchase. To reiterate, your website should have a simple, professional design that serves one purpose only – to get your visitors to buy from you.
Slow loading time. How many times have you left a website during the first few seconds of your visit, simply because you were too impatient to wait for the entire webpage to load? Remember to design your website such that it loads within the first 2-3 seconds for an average broadband user. Minimize the size of your graphics if possible.
Patterned, colorful backgrounds. Do professional websites like Amazon.com or Yahoo.com use patterned or colorful backgrounds? Using a white background is a safe bet in most cases.
Poor spelling and grammar. The text on your website must be grammatically correct with accurate spelling. Nothing diminishes your credibility as quickly as poor spelling and grammar.

In conclusion, you need to pay attention to the design and navigation, the images, the keywords, and also the browser compatibility for your website. Avoid fanciful graphics, slow loading time and inaccurate spelling when designing your website. Remember – the single critical aim of your website is to convert your visitors into paying customers.

Ray Yee is the founder of Dropshipperscentral, a website that provides a wealth of informative articles, guides and resources on everything you'll need to know about setting up and marketing a Drop Ship Business. Click here for the Drop Ship Directory from http://www.dropshipperscentral.com

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Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-29T03:45:00.000-07:00

Computer Animation Takes The Lead
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Philip_Nicosia]Philip Nicosia

There’s really no stopping the various types of media from going high-tech. Technology used from the broadcast and print media to the multimedia is advancing almost every day. Animation in the movies and television is just one example.

Animation is responsible for the funny, adorable and sometimes tough cartoon characters we love to see on TV and in the movies. Before, it the making of cartoons was just done manually (drawn by hand) but now, computer animation is the latest trend. Walt Disney used to be synonymous to cartoons but today, numerous companies have gotten into the business of animation. The latest buzz is that Disney Animation officers are planning to return the Walt Disney studios in Burbank, California to its original status as an exclusive hand-drawn animation company. “Lilo and Stitch” was Disney’s last hand-drawn and big hit animated film.

Computer animation makes use of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics. When used in films, it is referred to as computer generated imagery or imaging (CGI). This digital technology has somehow replaced the stop motion animation of 3D models and frame-by-frame animation of two-dimensional illustrations.

In making 3D animations, objects or models are normally built on the computer monitor and 3D figures are manipulated with a so-called virtual skeleton. For 2D animations, separate drawings and separate transparent layers are used even without a virtual skeleton.

Computer-animated films usually cover animal characters such as in “Finding Nemo,” fantasy characters like “Shrek” and “Monsters, Inc.” as well as humans that are still cartoons such as “The Incredibles.” A more realistic simulation of humans has been attempted via the movie “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” but it needs further improvement.

Other than the U.S., another highly-developed country that has a great fascination for animation is Japan. Anime (short for animation) in Japan became famous because of its unique format of storytelling compared to the country’s live-action industry. Japan is known for its robot anime like the Gundam, Voltes V and Mazinger Z that became classics in the 1980s. The origin of Japanese anime can be traced to the early 20th century when Yamamoto explored the techniques in animation that were being done in Germany, France, Russia and the United States at that time. Anime has also been greatly influenced by the Japanese manga and light novels and covers genres such as action, adventure, children’s stories, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror, science fiction and romance.

Animation companies actually have a staff of creative people who can really draw well. Some of them have also outsourced their services and have put up offices in countries whose citizens are blessed with great talent in drawing and have a passion for animation.

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Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-27T00:15:00.000-07:00

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

Design Considerations For Animated Web Sites
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mike_Adley]Mike Adley

Web sites with animation, sound, video, and other enhancements can be interesting and promote user interactivity. However, websites with all the bells and whistles can also take too long to download and discourages users. Fortunatley, a wealth of techniques and options are available to help keep download time to a minimum.

-Bandwidth, which is the transfer rate of data to the user's browser, has hindered the development of websites with multiple media effects and enhancements.

-Many techniques and options are available to help keep website graphics and animation download time to a minimum and include use of tables, colour reduction and optimization of graphics, use of thumbnails, reuse of images, optimal placements of scripts, and selection offast loading type of web browsers such as Firefox.

-Several online web software tools are available to perform various tests on your web sites, such as web site garage, sitescan survey, pehtoori (html validation service), link alarm, and site inspector.

Bandwidth Issues

It was not long ago that the norm was the 56K modem. Today, many users (appr 55%) still use the 56K modems for surfing, so bandwidth must still be a concern to website designers. However, with technological advances such as fast cable modems, TI lines, etc, bandwidth will become less of a concern in the future. However, today you must still design websites with bandwidth in mind.

Many techniques and options are available to help keep website graphics and animation download times to a minimum. The following tips will help you create web pages that load as quickly as possible:

Use tables for putting graphics together to reduce the size of a gif animation. Depending on what your animation is like, tables can help reduce its overall file size. For example, you may have an image you want to animate, but only a small part of the image will actually be the animation. You can manually cut up the image into different pieces using a program like photoshop, or automatically, using a special utility like Ulead SmartSaver Pro. If you use photoshop, you must put the resulting graphics back together in your html editor using table cells. Programs like SmartSaver creat the html file with the graphics already in the table cells. By slicing up your image into sections, the samll part of the image that animates will now be in a table cell by itself. The rest of the image in the other table cells does not become part of tthe actual animation itself, thus reducing file size.

Reduce the colour palette of your gif animation. You can greatly reduce the size of your gif animation by reducing the number of colours in its colour palette. For example, if you have a 256 colour image and decrease its colour's to 64, the size of the animation will be significantly smaller. However, too much colour reduction may have an effect on image quality. Obviously, some complexities exist for animated gif creation. Fortunatley, several software options are available that help with palette and overall gif animation optimization, such as Equilibrium's Debabilizer, Digital Frontier's HVC ColorGif, Ulead's gif animator, as well as online gif optimizing services, such as gif wizard, and gif cruncher.

Reuse images throughout a website. Reusing images, if possible, is another way to decrease download time since the browser downloads and places the images in the pc's cache. For example, if you use an image on your home page and then use the same images on four other pages of the website, the image has to download just once. Thus, download time is kept to a minimum since one image downloads instead of five separate images.

Specify Height and Width in your html code for your animated gif images. You should always specify height and width in your html code for your animated gif images. If you do not specify height and width in your html code, then the browser will wait for the graphic to load before loading the text. You should also be aware that setting the height and width in your html code to a size smaller than the graphic will not reduce download time since the image's file size will remain the same as it was before.

Specify a low-res image to display as a high res image loads. You can create a low -res variation of a jpg or gif image to appear while waiting for the high res image to finish downloading. When you do this, the page appears to load much faster to the user. In reality, the extra image actually adds to the total download time. To add a low-res variation, you simply add an attribute to the image tag like the following:

IMG src="image-high-res.gif" lowsrc="image-low-res.gif"

Be sure to use jpgs for colourful photographic images. While you could compress your photographic images as gif images, jpeg compresses colourful images with generally better results, since jpg images offer 24 bit colour compared to gif images' 256 colours.

Substitute thumbnails for larger images on a webpage.

Use interlaced jpg and gif images. You can save your images as interlaced jpg and gif images that will display a preview of the images as they load.

Alright, now go and CREATE!

M Adley is webmaster @ [http://your3dsource.com]your3dsource.com , a resource for beginner to intermediate web designers and 3D artists. [http://www.your3dsource.com]www.your3dsource.comLearn Computer Animation [http://www.your3dsource.com]www.your3dsource.comGif Animations

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Adley
http://EzineArticles.com/?Design-Considerations-For-Animated-Web-Sites&id=289713

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-24T00:40:00.000-07:00

Web Animation
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Gelfey_Sterling]Gelfey Sterling

At a basic level animation can be thought of as a flicker of life in objects. For example a flying bird is an "animate" object while a glass vase is an "inanimate" object. In real life inanimate objects move because of external forces, but in the virtual world, technology and imagination work together to create movement. Animation has become popular because real life has movement and the human eye is naturally attracted to movement.
Over the last 100 years animation has developed into a huge industry.

Computer animation has advanced rapidly, and is now approaching the point where movies can be created with characters so lifelike as to be hard to distinguish from real actors. This involved a move from 2D to 3D, the difference being that in 2D animation the effect of perspective is created artistically, but in 3D objects are modeled in an internal 3D representation within the computer, and are then 'lit' and 'shot' from chosen angles, just as in real life, before being 'rendered' to a 2D bitmapped frame. There were predictions that famous dead actors might even be brought back to life to play in new movies.

Animations can be used in various ways on a web page such as making a log presentation more interesting by activating charts that dynamically show changes over time. Again animated games are very popular on the Web, especially 3D games. Animation attracts the attention as it is dynamic. For example animated buttons on a web page attract more attention than the static buttons.

When we speak of types of animations, the simplest type is an animated GIF. Animated GIFs are popular because they are easy to create and don’t require special software for viewing. Another type is the animated text where the text changes color, blinks, or even explodes like a firework. Rollover effects changes the state of an object when the mouse cursor is moved over the object.

Flash is widely used to create animations for the Web because Flash animations are usually small in size and most Web users have the Flash player installed in their web browsers. In the future the animations on the Web will be more interactive and 3D animations will be widely used. Web animations will be used widely for education and entertainment. The gaming industry will increase its presence on the Web and support 3D and interactive animations. Animations that use simulations will be used for training and education. A lot of focus will be on multi user interactions and 3D animations and on making the Web more and more interactive.

For more information on web developers india and offshore software development india, plz visit ==] http://www.vsworx.com

Author is a offshore software expert.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gelfey_Sterling http://EzineArticles.com/?Web-Animation&id=171112

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-23T01:07:00.000-07:00

How to Get Forensic Trial Animation Admitted
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nicholas_Deleault]Nicholas Deleault

With continuing technological advancements, no longer must attorneys rely on traditional forms of evidence in order to prove, defend or prosecute a case. The use of forensic computer animation used as evidence has exploded, bringing with it challenges to traditional principles of evidence admissibility. As offered, these computer created animations purport to demonstrate how a certain event did or did not occur. The unique characteristic of these animations is that they act as a means to synthesize all the evidence presented at trial into one visual representation. Their use can be either greatly effective or unfairly prejudicial. Animations allegedly demonstrating how an act did or did not occur can have tremendous persuasive value in the minds of the jury. Instead of forcing the jury to integrate every theory and piece of evidence into one seamless mental thought, a forensic animation seemingly combines all pertinent facts into a visualized theory of the truth. While these animations are merely representations of theories, the jury will often accept them as the truth of the matter due to their highly persuasive and prejudicial value. In one key study, 82% of trials where animation has been introduced as evidence has led to victory for the moving party.

The key to arguing for or against the admissibility of computer forensic animation lies in the attorney’s ability to understand the standards of admissibility applied to such evidence. Computer animation can generally be broken down into two differing classes of evidence, each with its own standard of admissibility:

Computer generated evidence as demonstrative evidence:

When arguing in favor of the admissibility of computer generated evidence, the best argument to make is that the evidence is merely demonstrative. Demonstrative evidence inherently carries no independent probative value and is used for five general purposes: (1) to educate your audience; (2) to explain something; (3) to persuade your audience of something; (4) to dissuade your audience of something; and (5) to reinforce something your audience already believes.

Arguing that your computer generated evidence is merely demonstrative evidence directs the judge to use the low relevance standard in determining its admissibility. After categorizing the evidence as demonstrative evidence, the judge will then ask the following questions in order to determine its admissibility:

Is it relevant? Does it have a tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence? .” F.R.E. 401 (2006).

Does it aid the trier of fact in understanding pertinent information?

Does it accurately reflect the elements of the situation it is portraying?

If the evidence is deemed as demonstrative and the answers to the preceding questions are all in the affirmative, the evidence will be admissible, provided that its probative value is not “substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.” F.R.E. 403 (2006). This low threshold test will allow for the admissibility of most demonstrative evidence. The key to getting your computer animation evidence in is to argue that it falls within one of the five general categories of demonstrative evidence. The successful attorney must know the tests and the questions to ask, and have the ability to persuade the judge that the evidence being offered is subject only to the general relevancy standard in order to gain admission into evidence.

Computer generated evidence as simulation (substantive) evidence:

When arguing against the introduction of forensic animation, the better choice is to argue that the animation constitutes simulation evidence, requiring a higher standard of admissibility. Computer simulations are seen as blurring the line between demonstrative and substantive evidence. Simulation evidence is highly effective because it allows for complicated facts, data and evidence to be extrapolated into one visual demonstration of every piece of relevant evidence. Because of the role that humans play in the creation of computer animations, judges will often view such animations as substantive evidence, requiring the expert creating the animation to take the stand in order to allow for cross examination. When arguing that a computer animation is simulation evidence, the arguing attorney must focus on its technical aspects and the role that humans played in the selection and interpretation of data used to create the animation.

Once deemed simulation evidence, the judge will then consider three primary inquiries:

Is the underlying scientific principle valid? Considering whether the principle has been tested, its error rates, and the degree of the principle’s acceptance in that particular scientific community .” F.R.E. 401

Is the technique applying the scientific principle valid?

Was the technique applied properly on this particular occasion?

Each of the above questions requires extensive and substantial inquiry into the quality and characteristics of the evidence attempting to be introduced. In order for simulation evidence to be admissible, it must be more than relevant. In addition to meeting the three tests stated above, only evidence which has been proven or stipulated to as true may be included in the simulation. This higher admissibility standard is due to the highly prejudicial value of such simulation evidence. Notwithstanding its admissibility as simulation evidence, the evidence can still be barred if it fails the Rule 403 unfair prejudice analysis. The Rule 403 unfair prejudice argument is the last “bow in the quiver” for the attorney arguing against the admissibility of computer animation evidence and should only be focused on as a last resort.

As you can see, categorizing computer forensic animation as demonstrative or simulation evidence will, for the most part, determine its overall admissibility. These differing standards of admissibility are to be used as a means of argument, depending on the attorney’s role in the case. When preparing for such an argument it is important to keep in mind the opposing position and to be prepared to argue against it. As with all trial work, your level or preparation will ultimately determine the level of your success or the depths of your failure.

This article was written by Nicholas J. Deleault, Pierce Law Center ‘07. Nicholas writes select legal articles for the Law Firm of [http://www.E-legallawyer.com]Goldstien and Clegg, a [http://www.goldsteinandclegglaw.com]Massachusetts cyberlaw firm.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicholas_Deleault http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Get-Forensic-Trial-Animation-Admitted&id=348471

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-22T00:23:00.000-07:00

Free Animation
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jason_Gluckman]Jason Gluckman

Scores of sites offer you thousands of free animations. You can use them on your web site or send them as digital postcards.

There are also many animation software packages available for download with no strings attached. Some of them are absolutely free, some are shareware and some are free with limited functions (with the option of more once you make the payment). There are some free trials that either expire after a certain period of time or are made available only with some critical options disabled.

Here is a list of some of them:

Adobe AfterEffects (Adobe). License: Free Trial. Motion graphics and visual effects for film and media.

Animator-9 3.6 (Key Technology). License: Free. Generate animated GIFs from your digital camera.

AniS 1.0 (Tom Whittaker). License: Free. Simple image manipulation for the web.

Jumpwel (Phildes0. License: Free. Basic object manipulator for use in HTML; uses Java applets.

Macromedia Flash (Macromedia). License: Free Trial. A leading player in 2D vector animation.

Macromedia Director (Macromedia). License: Free Trial. Create interactive ShockWave content.

Sqirlz Lite 1.1d (xiberpix0. License: Free. Animated image distorter that exports in AVI format.

Sqirlz Morph 1.2c (xiberpix). License: Free. Animated image morpher and blender.

3D Studio Max 7.0 (Discreet). License: Free Trial. Version 7.0 of the award-winning 3D modeling and animation software package. Also comes with trials of Character Studio and Mental Ray.

Cyberdelia (Askoh.com). License: Free. 3D Animation with support for exporting into Macromedia Shockwave.

FreeCAD 8.0 (Askoh.com). License: Free. A beginner’s 3D CAD and simulation program.

Gmax (Discreet). License: Free. A free 3D program that allows you to make your own modifications, customizations, and models required for Gmax-ready video games. Based on 3D Studio Max.

Maya 6.5 (Alias WaveFront). License: Free Trial. The latest version in 3D modeling and animation.

Serif 3D Plus (Serif). License: Free. Allows animated shapes and landscapes.

Special Effects 3.2 (Mathematically Beautiful ScreenSavers). License: Free. Limited range of pre-set animations based on user preferences.

Touch Art Sampler 017 (Derivative). License: Free. Allows you to play with animations, though more of a VJ/synthesizer studio than anything else.

TrueSpace 3.2 (Caligari). License: Free. Full 3D rendering and output. Apparently completely free. Still you need to register to get an unlock code on the website. Cross-compatible with many programs. [http://www.Animation-ontheweb.com]Animation provides detailed information on Animation, Free Animation, Flash Animation, 3D Animation and more. Animation is affiliated with [http://www.i-ArtSupplies.com]Wholesale Art Supplies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Gluckman http://EzineArticles.com/?Free-Animation&id=204775

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-21T02:15:00.000-07:00

Cartoons - Rare Animations
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell]Michael Russell

Everybody knows the very popular cartoon shows of our times, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Yogi Bear and The Flintstones, just to name a few, have become household names just about everywhere on this planet unless you've been living under a rock, but not all cartoons that were made became popular. Some were so unpopular that they only lasted a very few episodes or worse yet, were never released to the mass public. We're going to take a look at just a few of the rare animations that have come and gone (mostly gone) over the last 80 years. It should be pointed out that an enormous amount of research and brain drain was required to come up with these rare gems.

Back in 1964 there was a cartoon by the name of "The Big World Of Little Adam". It premiered on January 1 of that year. It was a simple show about a little boy, Adam, who went into space. During the time, the United States was very much into Gemini and the space program so this cartoon seemed to make sense. While over 100 episodes were made, eventually we tired of space and the cartoon itself has totally drifted into obscurity. The only thing remaining of it is the silly theme song that you can find and download all over the Internet.

In 1949 there was a movie by the name of "My Dream Is Yours". In this movie there is a scene where Bugs Bunny tries to wake up a little boy. Later on, he can then be seen singing a song with the two main stars, Jack Carson and Doris Day, wearing bunny suits. This movie has so dropped into obscurity that it hasn't been seen on network television in over 40 years.

If you're looking for really rare cartoons you don't have to travel outside of the United States, but back in 1924 Russia produced a little over four dozen propaganda films. These animations were never exported. They were made solely for the purpose of winning over the hearts and minds of the Russian people. These cartoons were anti American, anti capitalist, anti fascist and anti anything that wasn't the Russian way of thinking. Over 80 years later nobody knows what happened to these animations.

Even some of the more famous animators in history started off by making cartoons that nobody has heard of. For example, a gentleman by the name of Duane Crowther, who was a very famous animator during the 1950s, started off his career by creating a very rare cartoon by the name of Blum Blum. This was a cartoon Crowther made when he was only 20 years old. Blum Blum was basically a cartoon about a character who wonder who he is. The animation goes from the character starting off as Napoleon and then turning into a dog and a variety of other creatures. The animation is crude by today's standards. You can actually find the animation online by just looking up either Duane Crowther or Blum Blum on any search engine.

These are just a few of the millions of rare animations that most likely people will either never see or have long been forgotten by those who have seen them.

Wouldn't it be great if we could get our hands on all of these rare gems? The only problem would be to find the time to watch them.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to [http://cartoons-guide.com/]Cartoons

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell http://EzineArticles.com/?Cartoons---Rare-Animations&id=180179

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

Stock Animation
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jason_Gluckman]Jason Gluckman

Stock animation is one of the more popular forms of animation. Anyone looking for help with a project that needs animation can use stock animation. Stock animation has grown in popularity due to the increasing reach of the Internet and television. Stock animation is used to entertain and present information in an interesting way, so as to sustain viewer interest. In fact, many a company owes its profile presentation to stock animation.

Animation projects are time consuming and require a lot of creative output. With this being the case, the use of stock animation helps reduce the time and aids in increasing creativity required for completing an animation project. Stock animation is often the start for a project, as far as an animator is considered. Stock animation also goes well with other creative elements. You can now make your own DVD using stock animation. One can use stock animation for backgrounds, making certain sequences more interesting to view.

Stock animation comes in different formats like animated gifs, flash animation, and composite animation. The gif format, also known as the graphics interchange format, is used for some Web page animation. They can be found in literally thousands of Web sites on the Internet. These animations are considered annoying by some. The next most common form of Web animation is Flash, which is perhaps the most versatile and widely used form of animation as far as the usage. Stock animation for Flash, though expensive, is time saving and makes for excellent creative output. Composite animations are created by combining different animations together to create a single finished animation. They are used in television to a great extent.

Although there are different formats of stock animation, one can choose the right one suitable for one's project. One can get extensive information on stock information and the different types of software used through online resources. [http://www.Animation-ontheweb.com]Animation provides detailed information on Animation, Free Animation, Flash Animation, 3D Animation and more. Animation is affiliated with [http://www.i-ArtSupplies.com]Wholesale Art Supplies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Gluckman http://EzineArticles.com/?Stock-Animation&id=407465

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-18T02:45:00.000-07:00

Choosing the Right Animation Software
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Wain_Roy]Wain Roy

The computer graphics industry has come such a long way that if you start to count the number of computer animation software that existed or still exist in the market, you’d make a list as long as an F1 track. Jokes apart, it is fact that there are a lot too many options if you’re trying to choose the right animation software and this is what makes a decision difficult. All you need to know is your purpose.

You may ask a few questions—is it user-friendly? Does it have the best functionality? Is it the best product within your budget? Has it got the finest features? Which level of handling do you need it for? After you know your intentions for sure, make your choice.

3D animation software come in varied ranges and levels of complexity. But even the simplest low-end 3D software available today can render jaw-dropping graphics and animation. Therefore, you need to be extra careful in selecting the right 3D software to serve your needs. Good news is that most 3D versions are available in their respective demo versions. So you may judge their suitability before you finally commit buying one.

If you just want to get started at low cost, there are the basic level 3D software packages available, which sometimes even come free. These have the very rudimentary features and are as easy to handle as possible. 3D Canvas, Xara 3D, Adobe Dimension Amorphium, Poser are some names which require mention in the list of easy-to-use, simple 3D animation packages.

While choosing the intermediate or middle-level 3D software, be a little more prudent—examine the quality of rendering and speed before you seal a deal. This category of software has varying degrees of sophistication, with some offering radiosity at an affordable price. Strata 3D, Pixels (only for Mac), Bryce 3D, Blender are some of the names under the middle-level category.

At the high-end level, it is the implementation of the software that makes this category sharply different from the other two levels. Most of the applications at the advanced level have mind-boggling functionalities and powerful rendering. Lightwave 3D, Houdini, 3Ds Max, Maya 3D are some of the popular choices in this level. Of these, Maya is a front-runner for its amazing capabilities at character animation, video games development, visual effects, etc. Maya tutorials are available online to make learning this software easier. And like all the rest, it’s better to try hands on before going for it.

High-end complex 3D software learning is no duck soup for sure. But who’d mind a little adventure when it doesn’t cost anything? You may check out the [http://www.cgwhat.com/]free Maya video tutorials to get an idea about the software. Only when you know them all, make the final pick.

Wain Roy is an internet marketing professional expert in various industries like real estate, web design, finance, medical tourism, Canadian pharmacy drug and [http://www.cgwhat.com/]Maya tutorials

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wain_Roy http://EzineArticles.com/?Choosing-the-Right-Animation-Software&id=679675

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-17T03:49:00.000-07:00

Animation
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jason_Gluckman]Jason Gluckman

Simply speaking, animation is the process of making films, movies, videos or computer games in which drawings or models of people and animals seem to move. The illusion, in fact, is created by the consecutive display of images of static elements. In the case of film and video production, it refers to techniques by which each frame of a film or a movie is produced individually. There are various methods of generating these frames. It can be done with the help of computers, by photographing a drawn or painted image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model unit, and then photographing the result with a special animation camera. When the film is viewed after stringing the frames together, “persistence of vision” creates an illusion of continuous movement.

Generating such a film is usually very labor-intensive and tedious in “traditional” animation. In the case of computer animation, however, the process is much less labor-intensive, and generally much cheaper. The other advantage of computer animation is a bigger margin of error, because the use of digital files helps to undo any mistakes up to a certain number of steps.

Although animation has been mostly used for entertainment, now it is being increasingly used as instructional animation and educational animation to support explanation and learning.

The "animated cartoon," as developed early in the last century and refined by Walt Disney and others, requires up to 24 distinct drawings for one second of animation.

Animation being a very time-consuming and often very expensive process, most of animation for TV and movies is done in professional animation studios. The field of independent animation, however, has existed at least since the 1950s, when animation was produced by independent studios or individuals. Many independent animation producers have now joined the professional animation industry.

Limited animation is a method by which production can be enhanced and costs decreased by taking recourse to "short cuts" in the animation process. This method was pioneered by UPA and popularized (some say exploited) by Hanna-Barbera, and adapted by other studios as cartoons moved from movie theaters to television. [http://www.Animation-ontheweb.com]Animation provides detailed information on Animation, Free Animation, Flash Animation, 3D Animation and more. Animation is affiliated with [http://www.i-ArtSupplies.com]Wholesale Art Supplies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Gluckman http://EzineArticles.com/?Animation&id=204799

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-16T02:07:00.000-07:00

Character Simulations Makes Any Dream Come Alive - Your Guide To
Animation.
By Paul I. Etkin

My daily routine when I was a young kid at school was to go
Home and watch the cartoons before it was time for supper. This
was usually Popeye, Yogi Bear, Tom and Jerry, Roadrunner or Top
Cat. I would laugh myself silly, and It was the perfect way to
relax after a double lesson of Math. My favorite animation
character then was Top Cat. Inspired by the Sergeant Bilko TV
series with Phil Silvers, TC ran his passage and gang of alley
cats with cunning and Style. I knew I would never be as cool as
him.

I have retained a fondness for the animation character heroes
of my youth, and love to watch the replays. Cartoons, on TV and
in movies, are still my favorite Things to watch. I'm sure I'm
not alone in this, and I think adults gain as much enjoyment
from Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles as children do.

In fact, adults probably appreciate them more, because the best
story involving an animation character works on two levels.
There is the story which appeals to the kids and there are the
inside adult jokes going on too.

The animation character has evolved over the years, from the
first neutral scribble to the computer produced images we see
today. The Walt Disney Studio made the major contribution in the
early years, creating the iconic animation character of Mickey
Mouse, Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck.

Walt Disney had a flair for knowing what the Audience wanted
and he wasn't afraid to try new things. The Movie industry was
skeptical when Disney released the first full-length feature
film for the animation character, with Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs. It was a success and the studio went from strength to
strength, ending up with an Empire of production companies and
nine theme parks.

There is a huge industry surrounding the animation character,
with merchandise and DVD's. Just as there are rows upon rows of
action figures of Buzz Lightyear. In the film of Toy Story, so
there are real figures of Buzz Lightyear in the shops. The
Disney theme parks give fans the chance to see their favorite
animation character up close and personal. Children are
delighted when Mickey Mouse walks right up to them and says
hello.

The biggest television animated hit of recent times is of
course, The Simpson's. This dysfunctional family has captured
the imagination of fans around the world. Homer, Marge, Lisa,
Bart and baby Maggie are well thought out examples of an
animation character, appealing to adults and children alike.

The kids like the tricks of Bart and Can sympathize with Lisa.
There are lots of cultural references in the programme for the
adults to enjoy, And guests line up to be celebrate as an
animation character. They include Paul McCartney, Sonic Youth
And The Who.

About the Author: Paul I. Etkin provides readers with
up-to-date commentaries, articles, and reviews for
http://www.a1computermagazine.com,
http://www.computingguidezone.com, technology as well as related
information.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-14T04:49:00.000-07:00

How To Get Forensic Trial Animation Admitted
By Nicolas D

With continuing technological advancements, no longer must
attorneys rely on traditional forms of evidence in order to
prove, defend or prosecute a case. The use of forensic computer
animation used as evidence has exploded, bringing with it
challenges to traditional principles of evidence admissibility.
As offered, these computer created animations purport to
demonstrate how a certain event did or did not occur. The unique
characteristic of these animations is that they act as a means
to synthesize all the evidence presented at trial into one
visual representation. Their use can be either greatly effective
or unfairly prejudicial. Animations allegedly demonstrating how
an act did or did not occur can have tremendous persuasive value
in the minds of the jury. Instead of forcing the jury to
integrate every theory and piece of evidence into one seamless
mental thought, a forensic animation seemingly combines all
pertinent facts into a visualized theory of the truth. While
these animations are merely representations of theories, the
jury will often accept them as the truth of the matter due to
their highly persuasive and prejudicial value. In one key study,
82% of trials where animation has been introduced as evidence
has led to victory for the moving party.

The key to arguing for or against the admissibility of computer
forensic animation lies in the attorney’s ability to understand
the standards of admissibility applied to such evidence.
Computer animation can generally be broken down into two
differing classes of evidence, each with its own standard of
admissibility:

(1)Computer generated evidence as demonstrative evidence:

When arguing in favor of the admissibility of computer
generated evidence, the best argument to make is that the
evidence is merely demonstrative. Demonstrative evidence
inherently carries no independent probative value and is used
for five general purposes: (1) to educate your audience; (2) to
explain something; (3) to persuade your audience of something;
(4) to dissuade your audience of something; and (5) to reinforce
something your audience already believes.

Arguing that your computer generated evidence is merely
demonstrative evidence directs the judge to use the low
relevance standard in determining its admissibility. After
categorizing the evidence as demonstrative evidence, the judge
will then ask the following questions in order to determine its
admissibility:

(1)Is it relevant? Does it have a tendency to make the
existence of any fact that is of consequence to the
determination of the action more probable or less probable than
it would be without the evidence? .” F.R.E. 401 (2006).

(2)Does it aid the trier of fact in understanding pertinent
information?

(3)Does it accurately reflect the elements of the situation it
is portraying?

If the evidence is deemed as demonstrative and the answers to
the preceding questions are all in the affirmative, the evidence
will be admissible, provided that its probative value is not
“substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.”
F.R.E. 403 (2006). This low threshold test will allow for the
admissibility of most demonstrative evidence. The key to getting
your computer animation evidence in is to argue that it falls
within one of the five general categories of demonstrative
evidence. The successful attorney must know the tests and the
questions to ask, and have the ability to persuade the judge
that the evidence being offered is subject only to the general
relevancy standard in order to gain admission into evidence.

(2)Computer generated evidence as simulation (substantive)
evidence:

When arguing against the introduction of forensic animation,
the better choice is to argue that the animation constitutes
simulation evidence, requiring a higher standard of
admissibility. Computer simulations are seen as blurring the
line between demonstrative and substantive evidence. Simulation
evidence is highly effective because it allows for complicated
facts, data and evidence to be extrapolated into one visual
demonstration of every piece of relevant evidence. Because of
the role that humans play in the creation of computer
animations, judges will often view such animations as
substantive evidence, requiring the expert creating the
animation to take the stand in order to allow for cross
examination. When arguing that a computer animation is
simulation evidence, the arguing attorney must focus on its
technical aspects and the role that humans played in the
selection and interpretation of data used to create the
animation.

Once deemed simulation evidence, the judge will then consider
three primary inquiries:

(1)Is the underlying scientific principle valid? Considering
whether the principle has been tested, its error rates, and the
degree of the principle’s acceptance in that particular
scientific community .” F.R.E. 401

(2)Is the technique applying the scientific principle valid?

(3)Was the technique applied properly on this particular
occasion?

Each of the above questions requires extensive and substantial
inquiry into the quality and characteristics of the evidence
attempting to be introduced. In order for simulation evidence to
be admissible, it must be more than relevant. In addition to
meeting the three tests stated above, only evidence which has
been proven or stipulated to as true may be included in the
simulation. This higher admissibility standard is due to the
highly prejudicial value of such simulation evidence.
Notwithstanding its admissibility as simulation evidence, the
evidence can still be barred if it fails the Rule 403 unfair
prejudice analysis. The Rule 403 unfair prejudice argument is
the last “bow in the quiver” for the attorney arguing against
the admissibility of computer animation evidence and should only
be focused on as a last resort.

As you can see, categorizing computer forensic animation as
demonstrative or simulation evidence will, for the most part,
determine its overall admissibility. These differing standards
of admissibility are to be used as a means of argument,
depending on the attorney’s role in the case. When preparing for
such an argument it is important to keep in mind the opposing
position and to be prepared to argue against it. As with all
trial work, your level or preparation will ultimately determine
the level of your success or the depths of your failure.

About the Author: This article was written by Nicholas J.
Deleault, Pierce Law Center ‘07. Nicholas writes select legal
articles for the Law Firm of
http://www.goldsteinandclegglaw.com/blog, a
http://www.goldsteinandclegglaw.com

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

Machomer Tickets - Broadway And Animation Come Together
By Jay Nault

One would think that Broadway and The Simpsons would be
anything but a match, but MacHomer tickets are proving that
notion wrong. This unique one-man show is taking the theater
world by storm, and Rick Miller, the star of the show, provides
a combination of belly laughs and an amazing talent for
impersonation. A look at the show will explain how one man’s
talent is bringing two distinct worlds together for one big-time
show.

About the Show

MacHomer combines the story of Macbeth, the timeless
Shakespeare classic, and incorporates the characters from The
Simpsons, a potentially timeless sitcom from modern television.
The show was actually put together for students so that they
could be exposed to the works of Shakespeare and have it
presented in an entertaining manner that would keep their
attention.

The plot does not vary from the original tragedy, but Miller
“plays” the roles by working up to 50 different impersonations
from the television show into different characters in the story,
and the story is also told in modern English. The show is unique
in that it makes a tragic tale hilarious, and MacHomer tickets
have been in high demand all over the United States and Canada.

About Rick Miller

Rick Miller is one of the most respected multi-talented artists
in Canada, and he has made a career out of interpreting classic
theater and literary tales in ways that modernize the stories
and bring them to the eyes and ears of people who would not
normally want to experience them.

Miller was trained in Montreal and has several credits to his
name, including classical productions, comedies and radio and
television work. He continues to reside in Canada, and lives in
Toronto with his wife and daughter. Miller is also planning to
continue along this path of performance, and although he’s a bit
coy in regards to what he’s planning, thespians and
non-traditional thespians alike can look forward to several more
productions of classics with modern twists.

How to See MacHomer

Given the limitations of a one-man show, MacHomer can’t be
everywhere. However, the production offers a series of books and
workshops that schools and students alike can schedule if they’d
like to get a look at what all the buzz is about regarding this
unique performance.

Whether you love the theater or you don’t, MacHomer tickets are
sure to provide you with a night of laughs and an intriguing
look at a Shakespeare classic.

About the Author: Written by Jay Nault, sponsored by
http://www.stubhub.com/ . StubHub sells MacHomer tickets:
http://www.stubhub.com/machomer-tickets/ sports tickets, concert
tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the
world. Please link to Stubhub when publishing this article.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-11T03:57:00.001-07:00

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-10T02:34:00.000-07:00

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-09T04:14:00.000-07:00

Illusion Technologies: Animation

2007-08-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

Attack of the Animated Web Page Ads
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Aidan_Maconachy]Aidan Maconachy

Annoying animated ads have been taking over cyber space lately.

How are you supposed to read a column when a moving pen keeps drawing a disco dancing silhouette on someone's arm over and over - a silhouette that does a frenetic John Travolta type dance in the corner of your eye. As if we aren't visually overloaded enough these days!

You can just imagine a bunch of advertising nerds sitting around trying to devise better ways to grab our attention. One says "yeah let's have the chipmunk race up and down the tree. Even if they try and read through one end of a rolled newspaper they won't be able to escape the blur".

Advertisers sometimes get it badly wrong. It's not only about animation, or concept originality or design flair. They need to consider what type of reaction the ad induces in the viewer. In a lot of cases animated ads on a page of text induce resentment, if only because people like to be bale to focus when they're reading.

A blogger I was reading on this topic said he scrolls rapidly on a page he visits to block out a hyperactive squirrel and an aerobic blond on eternal repeat.

One Daily Telegraph page I was on had a firing canon, that kept recoiling as it blasted again ... and again ... while some other frenetic behavior was going on in a box further up the page. It was like trying to read in the middle of the Battle of Waterloo.

Why don't advertisers understand the basic truth that a lot of people who are visually assaulted will make a point of NOT clicking on the ad. Some people even develop a prejudice against the product. Have advertisers ever speculated how much they may have lost as a result of turning off potential consumers? Might make for an eye opening survey.

But maybe there is a sizable demographic out there that becomes hypnotized by repetitive motion. Their eyes glaze over as someone's head gets tattooed forty times in a row and they simply cannot resist the urge to click on the cranium.

The sites hosting these ads, need to think of their visitors' eye health. If I go blind after a site has upped the number of animated ads to four while I'm struggling from sentence to sentence in a page that is like an ant colony, I have no doubt there is a Florida lawyer who will be very happy to hear from me.

Aidan Maconachy is a freelance writer and artist based in Ontario. You can visit his blog at http://aidanmaconachyblog.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aidan_Maconachy http://EzineArticles.com/?Attack-of-the-Animated-Web-Page-Ads&id=460205