Animation for Education

[bighop]

This is a animation for my students, I teach 4th grade. We learn about transportation in social studies (Michigan Studies) so I created an animation to show how railroad tracks go together. I'm hoping to add more detail and more content to different animations as time goes on. This was my main reason buying AM, when I saw the program at a technology conference, I wanted to use it to help teach my students.

 

I have to add sound and a voice over. This animation is a little rough, because I slowed some parts down in iMovie after I saw how fast some parts were.

 

Let me know what you think.

 

Andy

track_animation.mov

[Rodney]

Hey Andy, that looks really sharp!

 

when I saw the program at a technology conference, I wanted to use it to help teach my students.

 

A perfect use for 3D animation.

 

 

General thoughts...

You could slow down the animation even more so the viewer/students would have more time to see the process and/or add some even closer shots of the spikes going in. Or perhaps after showing the process from the distance you have it run through again with a tight shot on a spike. That'd really drive the point home.

 

I'm not sure how relevant this suggestion is as I don't know what lead in information you've got to go with the information.

I'd say the film should progress at the speed you would talk through the process.

 

Will you have narrative audio included?

 

Very nice animation.

[bighop]

Thanks for the tips, you're right about the film speed and audio. I'll include the final one too. I'm not sure if I want to put it into flash, or just a quicktime movie.

[martin]

Repeating Rodney's suggestion: a closeup of a spike would help get the message across.

 

Also, if you're a train guy:

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=33158

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=25765

 

Also, Will Pickering (WillP) is a train engineer, and owns & runs a train.

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showuser=1

 

Plus, Rodger Reynolds (rodger_r) has an impressive A:M train project.

http://www.hash.com/forums/index.php?showuser=358

[bighop]

Thanks for the links.

 

I won't be doing just trains. I'm hoping to create other animations as well. This is my starting point.

 

I think you are right aout the spike. Time to render....

[Gerry]

Hi Bighop-

Very nice work! I did a similar animation showing how a deck is built, and I found that toon rendering has a much cleaner or more diagram-like look for this kind of thing. It's on my website at http://www.mooneyart.com/three_d/movies/deck.mov. Keep posting as you progress through this.

[bighop]

Hey Gerry,

 

Nice video. I never gave a thought to using the toon render feature. Does it render quicker? I'll keep posting as I develop this unit.

[Gerry]

It might render a bit faster if you set it to render flat color vs. shading, but there are a number of settings for how it handles shading etc., unless you're using materials or other settings that normally kick up the render, but for what you're doing it's not a whole lot different.

[phatso]

Basic rule of narrated animation: Do the soundtrack first!

 

You will find that you need to slow down parts of the video by, oh, an order of magnitude - start talking while playing the video and you'll see. You don't have to re-animate or go outside A:M to do that, just stretch out the timeline...you probably knew that.

 

You'll also find, once you write the script, that you'll need more images and animations to flesh things out. Quick suggestion: start with grass where the tracks are going to be, then fade to gravel - to show that the first step is laying down a gravel bed. This will also visually orient the tracks.

 

Once you're done, you will have something that's so superior to just talking about a subject or showing still pictures that you will never want to teach any other way. That's been my experience, anyway. I've been asked to write a textbook and, frankly, I can't see the point any more. I think textbooks are going to be obsolete soon.

 

By the way - I'm told that the home schooling market is huge and just beginning to catch on to the existence of purchase-able educational animations. Just something to think about.

[bighop]

Phatso,

 

You are correct about the sound track. I should have written down what I wanted to say first, and then planned the animation. I was interested in seeing the animation first.

 

However, as for the textbooks being obsolete just Thomas Edison felt the same way when he started his motion picture company. I think we're still not their yet.

 

Thanks for the input.

[bighop]

Ok, here is more to the animation. I still haven't added any voice over or sound. Each part of the track will be explained as it is spinning, and then the track being assembled.

 

I haven't added a close up of the spikes going in, that is a good idea. Let me know what you all think.

 

Andy

new_animation.mov

[phatso]

spin each component around once, more slowly. Less roughness on the spike, and, um, weren't they steel more often than brass?

 

Jus' cuz Edison was wrong doesn't mean his successors will automatically be wrong. Film demands a projector, screen, knowledgeable operator and dark room. It doesn't easily permit stopping (the film will burn) or backing up, it doesn't have links and hyperlinks. Its cost of duplication, distribution and transportation is fairly high. Editing and updating are physical processes, which then require new duplication, distribution and transportation. It's no surprise that film didn't take over. But we have a different situation now. Capabilities are far greater and costs are far lower.

 

I'm reminded of the history of home video recording, beginning in the mid- 1960s: failure, failure, failure, failure, failure, failure, success.

 

What convinced me that textbooks are obsolete is that I already have the material for my first seminar in 3D, color and animation (thanks to A:M) and when I considered turning this into a book it became obvious that I'd have to give up most of the graphics and all of the motion. As limiting as going back to a typewriter.

 

Maybe we need a separate thread to talk about the future of education. I think teaching methods are on the brink of a radical change, and it's people like you and me that will bring it about.

[bighop]

I see what you mean about a little more slow. The reason they are going around several times is that there is narration that is going on. (I have a cold so my voice is off) I used a brass material on the spike and you're right, it is too rough. I'm sure the spikes were steel, but I wanted some contrast as it was going together. Too much of the same color just looked bad.

 

I know education is always changing. What is sad is that State testing drives the curriculum not what we would like to see as change. What I'm working on is not on a State test, so it will be over looked as something needed. A separate thread for education is a good idea.

 

Thanks for your input!