Ferguson Trying to Revolutionize Animation

As many traditional animators lament the decline of hand-drawn animation with each computer-generated box office hit, the gap between classic and cutting edge has never been wider. But by picking up a new technology, Sert Practitioner in the Arts at the Carpenter Center Munro Ferguson uses elements of each medium to put the artist back in animation.

Using a device known as SANDDE (Stereoscopic Animation Drawing Device), Ferguson is able to create three-dimensional “hand-drawn” images in real time. Developed by cousin and partner Paul Kroiter, the technology allows animators to do what they do best—draw—without having to constantly return to the computer screen, usually a given for CG artists.

With SANDDE, the creative process involves the animator drawing the desired image in space with a wand fashioned from an old flight simulator controller. The wand disrupts a projected magnetic field, which can be read by a machine and translated into an image. The drawing is then projected in such a way that, with the aid of the glasses, a 3-D image is visible.

Using a supporting technology known as GEPPETTO, the artist can easily animate the image using a process by which a computer program takes the average of multiple existing stills to generate intermediate frames, producing the illusion of smooth movement. By incorporating multiple frames from the start, the process used in GEPPETTO results in a less artificial-looking result than can be normally obtained through CG animation.

In presentations to animation classes this past week, Ferguson and Kroiter screened a number of shorts created using their technology. In particular, the films “Moon Man Newfie” and Ferguson’s “Falling in Love Again” received warm reactions.

“It looked like you could actually reach out and grab the objects, and it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Kimberly R. August ’10 said of “Moon Man Newfie.”

Despite these apparent successes, Ferguson and Kroiter’s operation is still fairly small, with no commercial plan in place. According to Ferguson, their current goal is to generate interest among young artists.

“This isn’t Hollywood. It’s so much more personal than that,” Ferguson says.

In their presentations, Ferguson and Kroiter gave the animation students a chance to try their hands at the innovative medium. While students tended to keep their drawings simple, the accessibility and intrigue of the tool were demonstrated in spades.

Upon trying it himself, this reporter couldn’t help but be reminded of the Nintendo Wii—using a wand in space to accomplish things on screen.

“The Wii uses different technology,” Kroiter explains. “The SANDDE is a bit more accurate.”

According to Ferguson, SANDDE is valuable because it more directly connects the artist to their 3-D vision.

“Once you get the hang of it, your own personal style starts to come through. You can tell what a person’s 3-D style will be like by looking at their previous 2-D work,” Ferguson says.

Ferguson and Kroiter will host a screening of their stereoscopic work today from 1 to 3 p.m. in room 401 of the Carpenter Center.