March / April 2005


Computer graphics research helps "Ryan" come home with an Oscar

What happens when an artistic director meets a computer scientist? An Oscar at the 77th annual Academy Awards, that's what.



Director Chris Landreth, who won the Best Animated Short for "Ryan" is not the only one glowing from the Oscar. A NSERC-funded computer sciences researcher is also getting credit, along with students and faculty at Seneca College's renowned Animation Arts Centre.

Karan Singh, Associate Professor of Computer Sciences at the University of Toronto is listed in the film's credits as Software R&D Director for the complex mathematical innovations that make parts of the film so realistic.

Prof. Singh met Landreth in 1995 where they worked together at Alias, Canada's groundbreaking computer graphics animation company. The two collaborated on various projects over the years, with Landreth providing the artistic vision and Singh providing the technical know-how.

Landreth approached Singh with an unusual request - he wanted to make a film about Ryan Larkin, the National Film Board animation genius who eventually ended up on social assistance and panhandling in Montreal.

One of the major themes in Ryan was that people see the world in unique ways, dependent on their attitudes and life experiences. The character of Ryan, having been through drug addiction and alcohol abuse, offered a chance for Landreth to explore the different states of mind affected by Ryan's perception of the space around him.

To achieve this visually, Landreth wanted to manipulate hair growing from his characters' heads in such a way that they would be able to wrap around objects and move in a way that was believable.

Singh didn't hesitate and the two began their usual pattern of collaboration. The project gained momentum and Toronto-based Copper Heart Entertainment and co-producer the National Film Board in association with Seneca College pulled together for the project.

Seneca College provided some of its top students and the college's Animation Arts Centre created a designated production suite equipped with eight high-powered workstations using the latest in 3D digital technology.

Students from the Dynamic Graphics Project, an interdisciplinary research laboratory in the University of Toronto's computer science department were also enlisted in the project and wrote a number of scripts and plug-ins to achieve various effects and streamline production for the animators.

Singh and his team also developed a formula called a cord which gives physical properties to animated curves in order to make hair, string, wire and other rope-like objects behave intuitively.

A nonlinear projection system was developed that allows an animator to create multiple points of view and combine them in various ways to achieve a desired effect.

Typically, hair and other passive rope-like objects are animated with physical simulations, but this approach is difficult to control when the animated object itself is moving.

Cords address this problem by allowing animators to keyframe animate curves that are restricted to behave like string or wire, with intuitive control properties such as stiffness and elasticity. In addition, cords are procedurally generated such that they appear to wrap around scene geometry.

"Creating Ryan's hair was a big undertaking," Singh said, adding "it was done with the cord formula. The colourful strands of hair take on a life of their own."

Seneca College is particularly proud of its contribution to the Oscar-winning film. "With Chris mentoring, providing his expertise and inspiration, the Seneca students and graduates who worked on Ryan refined their animation technique and artistry to create the visual effect that makes Ryan so exceptional," says Jed DeCory, Chair, Seneca College School of Communication Arts and one of Ryan's Executive Producers.

"All of the 11 students who had a major part in the production of Ryan are now employed in the animation industry, and with this Oscar, the Animation Arts Centre at Seneca has truly become a major player in the training of the next generation of great animation filmmakers," he said.

Singh's project was partially funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Scientists working at the MITACS (Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems) - a Canadian Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE) for the mathematical sciences - are currently using the new software to look at other complex curves, such as DNA and curving molecules.

It could also have applications in something like virtual surgery, where the thread would have to move in a realistic way.

Learn more about Prof. Singh's research at www.dgp.toronto.edu/~karan.

Photo Credit: Photo taken from the production. Copper Heart and the National Film Board of Canada. All Rights Reserved.


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