Basic Animation Concepts

Summary

So, where is all this leading? In this opening chapter, I’ve gone over some of the basics of animation. But what do you actually do with this? Well, that’s up to you.

In the following chapters, I’m going to put some tools in your hands and give you a quick lesson in how to use each one. What you build with these tools is entirely your decision. The most obvious use for much of what’s in this book would be for game creation. Games are essentially interactive animations with some goals for players to achieve. But I really want to avoid this becoming simply a games book. I have used almost all of the techniques here in some kind of professional work other than games—from horrendous 3D menus and other not-so-bad navigation systems, to advertisements and educational applications.

A word of warning: Pick up any web design book, and you’ll find a chapter telling you all about how too much animation is bad. I won’t disagree, but I’m not going to say another word about it. If you want to hang yourself with animation, I’m going to spend the next few hundred pages giving you all the rope you need!