Tangible Handimation

Animating virtual characters and objects is an important step in creating feature movies, commercials, and computer games today. This project, Tangible Handimation, is based upon a master thesis project, Handimation, which is a novel method for creating animated characters faster, cheaper and in real-time compared to current practice. It allows replay and rewind functionality in combination with recording during playback which drastically decreases the turnaround time.

The objectives of Tangible Handimation were to extend Handimation with collaborative support, to allow skills from different animators to be used simultaneously in real-time. Furthermore, Tangible Handimation introduced support for a broader range of interaction device to enable animators to make use of skill sets from traditional crafts such as puppeteering. Specifically, support for collaboration for multiple users and input from cheap input devices like the Nintendo Wiimote has been explored.

In co-operation with the industry the project created a prototype of Tangible Handimation to demonstrate the potentials of the system. The project employed participatory design methods to define the development of the prototype in dialogue with all stakeholders of animation projects. The result from the project is  currently exhibited at the Center of Visualization in Göteborg.

For more information on the results from the project read the NordiCHI article or the final project report. Even more information is available on the download page.