Raster animation

The first beginnings of computer graphics appeared at the time of the first computers built on the basis of a matrix of lamps on which it was possible to print any image using software manipulations. An example of such a mechanism is a matrix printer: The microprocessor control system drives the head of the matrix printer and the associated tooling. The same complex regulates the functions of the mechanisms for moving paper, rollers and hinge elements.
However, here the technology is limited to entering the coordinates of the main points of the figure into the microprocessor’s database. The game " OXO " is a computer game. It was developed by Alexander Sandy Douglas as an illustration of his doctoral thesis on the topic of human-computer interaction in 1952. Here for the first time the capabilities of a computer to display an image on a monitor were demonstrated.

In OXO, a person played against the computer, depending on the selected symbol, placing a cross or a zero in the desired cell of the field with the help of a dialer, like on the phones of the 50s. The symbol and sequence of the move were chosen by the player before the game.

The results of the device manipulations were displayed as crosses and zeros on a CRT monitor with a resolution of 35x16 pixels.

The game was not widely spread as it was launched on the EDSAC computer , which was at the University of Cambridge in a single copy and was used to simulate air defense systems.

In 1968, under the leadership of Viktor Minakhin and Nikolai Konstantinov , the first computer cartoon " Kitty " was filmed. Frames of the film were formed by printing BESM-4 symbols on paper with the help of an alphanumeric printing device ATsPU-128 , then they were prepared for the “film” by a professional artist-animator. The movement of the cat was modeled by a system of differential equations of the second order. The equations were derived by Viktor Minakhin. Since it was hard to get certain movements from an animal, the equations were based on his own movements: he walked on all fours and noted the sequence of muscle work in doing so.

As a result, the project received unfairly little attention from the public, probably due to its irrelevance and lack of interest at that moment, and as a result, after a short burst of attention, everything died down and was forgotten. Konstantinov himself said in his interview: “I would like people to be found who are interested in continuing all this. Maybe I would also participate in this if something like this began. ” (C) N. N. Konstantinov.

Later, similar equipment began to appear all over the world, cartoons began to draw on a computer, and with the advent of the Internet , author's animation began to develop.

The GIF format was developed in 1987 by CompuServe for transferring raster images over networks. Originally planned for more compact storage of raster images, since it uses the LZW compression format. In this way, images whose rows have duplicate sections are well compressed. In particular, images with many pixels of the same color horizontally. The LZW compression algorithm applies to lossless compression formats. This means that the data recovered from the GIF will correspond exactly to the packed. It should be noted that this is true only for 8-bit images with a palette; for color photography, the loss will be due to its translation to 256 colors.

Later in 1989, the format was modified, support for transparency and animation was added. Then it was a huge step towards the popularization of the author's animation. The term “ cinema ” also appeared, and as a type of its activity - “lively” photos.

Later, more advanced formats appeared, such as “ APNG ” and “ BPG ”, capable of boasting more advanced compression methods.

The first game that involved the microprocessor was the 1975 Gun Fight machine game, developed by Tomohiro Nishikado and released by Taito in Japan and then by Midway in North America, where it was ported. on an Intel 8080 processor .

The theme of the game includes two Wild West cowboys armed with revolvers and towering to a duel. The one who shoots another cowboy wins the duel. The game was included in the GameSpy "Hall of Fame" in 2002.

In 1977, Atari released the first home console, the ATARI 2600 , which used a microprocessor in its games, unlike previous-generation systems containing several games programmed as a set of logic elements, the ATARI 2600 used the core Stella , which It was a real CPU , which used the MOS Technology 6502 . It was associated with the MOS Technology 6532 memory and I / O chip as well as its own-developed TIA video and audio chip. Later, thanks to chip engineer Jay Miner, he managed to simplify the circuitry in such a way that TIA fit into one chip.

As a result, after years of development of the gaming and graphics industry, we came to the conclusion that we now have, namely, the active exploitation of raster technology in the production of two-dimensional games and cartoons, and the equally active progression of more modern three-dimensional technologies that enable us to experience a different reality.

1. Kolmykova, E. A. Informatics: study guide for students. n prof. Education / E. A. Kolmykova. - M .: Publishing Center "Academy", 2009. - 416 p.
2. Mikheeva, E. V. Information technologies in professional activities / E. V. Mikheeva. - M .: Publishing Center "Academy", 2008. - 384 p.
3. Shautsukova, L. Z. Textbook for 10-11 cl. obobrazovat. institutions / L. Z. Shautsukova. - M .: Education, 2008. - 416 p.
4. Krichalov, A. A. Computer design. Tutorial / A. A. Krichalov. - Minsk: STU MGMU, 2008 - 154 p.
5. Mark Simon. How to create your own cartoon. Animation of two-dimensional characters. - NT Press, 2006 - 336 p.

1. Sandy douglas
2. Steve Russell and Space war!
3. Lecture "The History of Computer Graphics"
4. Article "Comparison of animations GIF, WebP, APNG, BPG"
5. N. N. Konstantinov: "Does the cat know that it is real?". Author - Leonid Levkovich-Maslyuk.
6. The history of the gaming industry in Japan.