Patent GB-1313151-A (GB)
Title: Computer animation generating system
IPC: G06G7/26
Filed: 1970-04-27
Abstract: 1313151 Television; cathode-ray tube circuits COMPUTER IMAGE CORP 27 April 1970 [4 Dec 1969] 20133/70 Headings H4F and H4T A system for displaying automatically animated static or dynamic scenes viewed by a video camera 253, Fig. 1, includes a cathode-ray tube (not shown) on which the animation is displayed, a section control network 280, Fig. 2, that selectively determines the sequence of animation and the relative sizes of selected different sections of the scene, a synch-generator 220, Fig. 1, to synchronize the video camera with the animation sequences, a commutator network 146, 155, 114, 51, 92, 42, 165, 103, 83, 31, Figs. 3, 4, for controlling the positions of the cathode-ray tube beam in animation sequences and in the selection of the scene sections to be animated, an animation network (Figs. 3, 4) having selective pre-programmed animation sequences, and ramp generators 164, 32, 33, 43, 44 for causing horizontal and vertical sweeps of the beam of the cathode-ray tube. A rotation network 51, 53, 50, 58, 63, 60, 61, 64 permits selective rotation of the entire scene or of individual sections of the scene. Amplifiers 11 and 12 feed the X and Y deflection means of the cathode-ray tube respectively. In the absence of animation the ramp generators establish normal horizontal and vertical movements of the cathode-ray tube beam in the X and Y directions respectively. The rotation network modifies by sin b and cos b loadings, the signals produced in the ramp generators to cause the entire display or only the selected sectional parts thereof to be rotated by angle b on the cathode-ray tube. The animation begins from initial X and Y settings of the entire display or the selected sections thereof and ends with final X and Y settings of the scene or individual segments of the scene. The means for setting the initial X, Y, X sections and Y sections positions are 80, 88, 83 and 92, respectively. The means for setting the final X, Y &c. positions are 16, 20, 31 and 42, respectively. Means 101 and 103 set the X scale for the whole scene and sections respectively for the duration of the whole animation sequence. Means 112 and 114 similarly set the Y scale for the whole scene and sections respectively. Settings for initial and final whole scene and sectional Z size, determined by respective means 143, 152, 146, 155 vary the size of the image in the X and Y directions from initial to final and during the animating interval. The influence of initial X, Y position settings varies with time according to a ramp weighting function (generator 164) and is also further modified by animation signals that selectively define the path of movement between the initial and final settings. The final X, Y position settings establish the final position of the scene (or sections) when the effects of initial X, Y position settings and of the animation signals have been reduced to zero by the ramp function. The characteristics of the ramp function establish the rate and duration of the transfer from initial to final X, Y positions and the path of movement between initial and final positions is selectable from a wide variety of animation signals. Initial and final settings and animation programs for the scene or sections having been established, operation is started by activation of a single control switch. The animation sequence can be repeated by reactivating the control switch. By reversing the ramp functions, the animation can run in reverse. Frequency controls are included that synchronize all operations with the shutter frequency of a cinecamera viewing the cathode-ray tube screen. If the cathode-ray tube is a colour tube, the animation may include changes in colour.