Key Frame Animation

This is a digital dub of a 7 minute, 45 second 16 mm film produced in 1971 by the National Research Council of Canada, in Ottawa. It demonstrates not only one of the first ineractve computer systems for animation, one used for production, it was also an outstanding example of early user-centred design.

The system was developed by Marceli Wein and Nestor Burtnyk, both of whom won Academy Awards for this influential work. For some additional information, see also:

Burtnyk, N. & M. Wein, M. 1976. Interactive Skeleton Techniques for Enhancing Motion Dynamics in Key Frame Animation, Communications of the ACM, 19(10), 564-584 .

• Category

  Film & Animation

[ChocolateBaconWaffle]

This must have been mind blowing for people watching it.

[Bill Buxton]

It was even more mind blowing for the artists using these systems. More often than not, however, those building these systems were not taken seriously by either the computer science or business communites. Those laying the foundations for computer music, graphics and animation were were largerly tolerated because they gave good demo that amused visitors (card readers and print-outs were the norm of the day), and there were enough resources going around so "serious" work was not threatened.

[karlmarx152]

Did anyone else notice the GUI and mouse? This would have been at the same time as the Xerox Alto and way before the Apple ii.

[Bill Buxton]

Yes, this system started to be built in 1969 and the film shows the state in 1971. That is two years before PARC began work on the Alto.  The Apple ][ was not launched until 1977, six years after this video was shot.

[Julian Dunn]

Was he using his... feet at the end to control that computer???

[pifthemighty]

Off-topic connection: Another great "Wein and Nestor" team is Len Wein and Nestor Redondo who did great work in Volume 1 of Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing was later written by a young Alan Moore whose work completely revolutionized Comic Books. It seems the "Wein and Nestor" teams start something big no matter where they go. Just sayin'.

[Juniversal]

Both 3d and 2d animation software. It has both 3d animation elements and 2d flash like features.

[ZeroDantemL]

More like Flash and other most common 2d animation sofware

[Juniversal]

Programs like these were the grandfather of programs like Maya and 3D studio max.

[schwarzemilch]

This was somehow very...romantic.

[PsychedbE]

Amen

[hedchill]

6:52 all about the flip-flops! Big look. Rocking this in future for sure.

[Vladimir Pérez]

Thats cool! The born of animation...

[aculturemind]

I bet more than half the people who thumbs-upped you were in that camp.