my website for animations and stuff
Aidan Connor
CSCI 417
May 16, 2020
Project 1: Solar System
Part 1: Textbook Tutorial
Part 2: Modified Animation
List of Changes:

Added skybox of stars.

Added camera movement for a dynamic shot.

Changes to planetary movement:
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Modified initial positions of planets and their moons
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Increased orbital period of planets as distance from Sun increased
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Randomized orbital velocity of moons
Project 2: Treasure Chest
Source Images:


Rendered Model Images:



Wireframe Model Images:



Turntable Animation:
Project 3: Bouncy Ball
Storyboard and Description:

This animation tells the emotional story of a dodgeball that was wrongfully imprisoned. Its efforts to escape are fruitless. In agonizing sadness, the ball decides to drown itself in the toilet. However, the ball fails to end its own life for multiple reasons:
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The ball is full of air and made of rubber, allowing for excellent buoyancy
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The ball is too large and barely fits in the toilet
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There is no water in the toilet
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It was never alive to begin with, this is an animation
Rendered Animation:
Animation Principles Used:

Squash and Stretch:
When the ball collides with objects, it deforms in an exaggerated way to show that it has "weight."

Anticipation
Before the ball does the big jump into the bars, there is a moment of pause, creating anticipation.

Staging
In the beginning of the animation, the objects in the cell circle the high-contrast ball, leading the eye toward it. In addition, the ball is on the bed, which can serve as a literal stage.
Still Images:



Project 4: Motion Path
Storyboard and Description:

This animation features a roller coaster in a snowy environment. The storyboard describes the progression of the ride.
Rendered Scene:

Rendered Animation:
Animation Principles Used:

Anticipation:
Before the big drop, the camera looks back and forth at the ground to build suspense.

Timing:
Edited the timing of the ride so that the drops are realistic and the average velocity decays over time.

Exaggeration:
The ride slows down in an exaggerated way and "hangs" right before drops to pull the viewer in.
Still Images:


Project 5: Rube Goldberg Machine
Storyboard and Description:

This animation features a Rube Goldberg Machine which demonstrates an easy way to cut a watermelon.
Rendered Animation:
Components of the Machine:

1. Bucket and Pulleys:
The machine starts when a ball is placed in the bucket, which applies tension to a rope directed across the pulleys.

2. Gear System:
The tension in the rope causes the rightmost gear to rotate, and that gear drives the others. The last "gear" is a linear rack, which moves upward.

3. Ramp and Ball:
Eventually, the rack pushes against the ramp, causing the ball to fall.

4. Funnel:
The ball falls from the ramp into the funnel.

5. Springy Shooty Thing:
The gold lever obstructs the front of the cube. When the ball falls on the left end of the lever and removes this obstruction, the spring propels the cube forward.

6. Watermelon:
Yummy.
Project 6: Python Scripting
Description:

This animation was generated using a Python script. The animation features an atom, with protons and neutrons in the center and electrons orbiting all around.
To generate the nucleus, the script creates a specified number of spheres, clumps them together in a spherical arrangement, and randomly assigns them to be either protons or neutrons.
Then, a specified number of electrons are created, each one following a random orbit around the nucleus. Particle trails are also generated for each electron.
Rendered Animation:
Final Project
Storyboard and Description:

For the final project, I made a Rube Goldberg machine that shows an easy way to light a candle. Everything was modeled, shaded, and animated by myself.
The animation involves four simulations: a rigid body simulation for the ball, a simulation for the juice in the glass (Bifrost fluid), one for the flames that shoot out of the spay can (Bifrost graph with aero), and one for the candle (Bifrost graph with aero and combustion). The graphs are shown in Extra Images.
Rendered Animation:
Extra Images:

Frame 69.

Frame 510.

Frame 154.

Bifrost graph for spray can fire simulation.

Frame 292.

Bifrost graph for candle simulation.