Skinning a cat: a study of the use of supplemental video in teaching introductory 3D computer animation

Abstract

A study was performed to test the hypothesis that a supplemental video would increase student understanding of and ability to apply the 12 principles animation. Eight student volunteers created a walk cycle using the same model. They then watched a video, completed a questionnaire and created a second walk cycle. A team of three experts qualitatively evaluated the before and after animations using Disney's 12 principles of animation. Although the small sample size limits the ability to generalize from this experiment, the trend from the first animation to the second was one of overall improvement. In addition, students used language drawn directly from the video in the exit questionnaires, suggesting the video provided useful analogies for them. Although it is clear that a semester of instruction only begins to provide a foundation for the difficult concepts of character animation, these results suggest that video can be a useful tool in bridging the gap from textbooks to the computer.