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Animation

[ Action Script | Audio | Design | Illustration |Rates ]

Interactive experiences

The internet experience is an interactive one - and with more and more people enjoying high speed broadband connections a richer volume of data can now be delivered.

At DAT we agree with our clients - people want 'simple to use' websites with easy to access information. But the delivery has to be smart. Words are important and where would we be without picture? But sometimes you need something more to bring your audience into your world. A little animation goes a long way on a web page.

Animation is an excellent medium for presentations and a wonderful tool for displaying educational simulations.

What's involved in animation?

Here at DAT we loosely define web-based animation into 4 categories. Each animation category is described below with links to examples.

• Multimedia
• Action Script
• Animated GIFs
• Complex Loops
• Interactive

Every animation, like most creations, begins in the design phase where you determine what the purpose and desired result will be.

Multimedia Animations*

Interactive, animated movies with audio features can win your website more attention. Engage visitors in a fluid and dynamic exchange with your online shop. Bandwidth is getting bigger, and you can deliver.

'Clutch-Cargo' style, simple animation with minimal scripting. Pirate movie

Door – simple animation that shows a drawing in progress

Animated with Actionscript

These images are not drawn by hand (or mouse), they're generated by programming with Actionscript.

Programmed Art (scripted by Geoff Hill)

Animated GIFs

Basic, non interactive animation style. Best for simple effects such as colour change, shrink and grow, rotate, and before and after states. Single-play or loop available. An animated GIF does not require special browser plug-ins.

Assorted minis – simple loop (images by one of DAT's resident illustrators - Jopet.)

Grow-loop – sequence of non-tweened images

Animated Complex Loops (ACL)*

Animation for every purpose imaginable. Moving parts within moving parts... with or without interactive 'hotspots'.

Flying Eskimo – simple loop (this concept by one of DAT's resident illustrators - Jopet.)

Talking girl – three separate animation loops are combined in this animation. (What are they?)

*The Flash plug-in for web-browsers is readily available - free to download. There is nothing else that you need, in order to see and hear an animation. Live action movies can also be embedded in the animation.

Interactive Animation (IA)*

THINK  e f f e c t i v e ...

When you need the perfect user interface - IA is the answer. IA takes you by the hand and shows you what to do.

Scripting (programming) allows an almost endless array of powerful possibility for animation. Explain complex process using animated-exploded views, cross sections, working diagrams and simulations.

NextEd – simple promotional animation that waits for user action

Animated diagram from online course. PKI encryption

Animated diagram illustrates a complex process... secure electronic transaction

Animation provides a Table of Contents for navigating a large website.