Research and analysis on the development of 2D-3D

animation fusion based on the development of technology

fusion

Kongyijie Li1, Hyunsuk Kim2,*

1Film and Interaction Design, Hongik University, Seoul, Korea
2Visual Communication Design, Hongik University, Seoul, Korea

E-mail:kylekim@gmail.com

Abstract. An emerging technology that has emerged in recent years with the de-
velopment of computer software and hardware technology. The 3D animation
software first establishes a virtual world in the computer, the designer establishes
a model and a scene in this virtual 3D world according to the shape and size of
the object to be represented, then sets the trajectory of the model, the movement
of the virtual camera and other animation parameters according to the require-
ments, and finally assigns specific materials to the model and lights it according
to the requirements. Once all this is done, the computer can automatically calcu-
late and generate the final image. The way in which 3D animation technology
simulates real objects makes it a useful tool. Due to its accuracy, realism and
infinite manipulability, it is now used in many fields such as medicine, education,
military and entertainment. This new technology has been welcomed by many
clients as a refreshing change in the production of film and television commer-
cials. 3D animation can be used in advertising and film and TV series for special
effects (e.g. explosions, smoke, rain, light effects, etc.), stunts (crashes, defor-
mations, unreal scenes or characters, etc.), advertising product displays, title fly-
ers, etc.本The text is based on the development of new technology integration on
the development of 2D 3D animation, and has a new planning direction and guide
for the future development.

Keywords:2D; 3D; Technology integration; Integration of styles;

1 Introduction

Just as animation artists Raoul Barre and Bill Nolan invented and refined the 'ruler' and
'background panning' techniques in 2D animation in 1914, and Disney later experi-
mented with and invented the 'multi-plane camera technique', which shifted multiple
layers of backgrounds at different speeds to create 2D images with deep spatial move-
ment, animation practitioners have been exploring and thinking about what tools they
can use to help them in their creative process [1]. As early as 1991 when three-dimen-
sional technology just emerged, Pixar studios for Disney's animation film "beauty and
the beast" produced a ballroom bridge of three-dimensional space movement and two-
© The Author(s) 2023
S. A. Qalati et al. (eds.), Proceedings of the 2023 3rd International Conference on Social Development and Media
Communication (SDMC 2023), Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research 807,
https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-178-4_40
348 K. Li and H. Kim

dimensional painting fusion creation, so visually bold interaction makes the film be-
come the first was nominated for the Oscar for best film animation film. Compared to
2D animation, 3D animation, as a branch of computer art, is a relatively new and inde-
pendent art form based on the development of animation art and computer hardware
and software technology [2]. Early on, it was mainly used in the military field. It was
only in the late 1970s, with the advent of the PC, that computer graphics gradually
expanded into areas such as graphic design, clothing design and architectural decora-
tion. In the 1980s, with the further development of computer hardware and software,
the application of computer graphics processing technology has been developed to an
unprecedented extent, and computer art as an independent discipline really opened up
on the road of rapid development [3].

2 The technical integration of 2D and 3D animation for

creative development

2.1 Early creative concept and technical realization through post-

compositing

After the mid-term composite as material, the final cut by the editor, by the producer
and director to review the content of the screen, and put forward rework comments back
to the mid-term process, until the screen is completely locked, means that the content
of the pre and mid-term completely finished. Start the formal post-production work.
Sometimes in order to catch up with the budget, in the case of the same length of
time, part of the picture can be carried out in the follow-up process, the revised footage
and then replaced at any time. Experimental animation and independent animation are
no longer new terms today, and "experimental animation's exploration of moving image
ontology has become increasingly influential throughout the moving image medium
[4]. Animation is a still young art form that needs to be further explored by experimental
animation". What is pioneering or avant-garde today may become mainstream in the
next era [5]. Animation artists have been exploring the fusion of two-dimensional and
three-dimensional forms of animation since the early twentieth century and the birth of
three-dimensional animation, especially in the field of experimental animation.
This programme focuses on character animation learning and training on the Maya
software platform. The first part of the course will comprehensively focus on the basic
knowledge and basic animation theory that animators should have, and the middle part
of the course will combine the traditional courses of storyboard, animation sketching,
animation performance, laws of motion, laws of animation and other traditional courses
that have been learnt in the first part of the course with the gradual and professional
training of character movement. This part of the course will be based on the basic laws
of motion throughout, including: basic motion (physical movement), basic character
control (walking, running, jumping, etc.), character movement design (complex emo-
tional expression), character performance skills (character character expression, emo-
tional expression), facial expression animation, mouth animation, multiple character
mixed performance, and so on. The latter course focuses on simulation-based character
 Research and analysis on the development of 2D-3D … 349

animation and game animation in film and TV special effects movies, involving the
acquisition, modification and application of motion capture data (including characters
and polypods). Finally, the graduation design course will require students to complete
their graduation works with employment standards. Students can feel the production
requirements and working atmosphere of the industry beforehand in this stage, which
is a practice for students who are about to graduate. This course is not only for the
animator position in professional film and television animation companies, but also for
the simulation animation in film and television special effects films, game animation in
game development, etc. Qualified students can have a wider employment space.

2.2 Analysis of the elements of a seamlessly integrated stylised creation

of 2D and 3D animation

2.2.1 Harmony of space and perspective.

If the combination of the spatial characteristics of 2D painting and 3D rendering is
to be ensured, the elements of the synthesis of the two forms of animation need to be
analysed in two ways:
(1) is the visual correction of the use of footage, this type of treatment is mostly used
when the content of a character or subject is integrated into a two-dimensional scene or
space in a three-dimensional production [6]. Because of the two-dimensional painting,
although there will also be creators use the real lens shot content as a perspective ref-
erence, but basically will be based on the plot of two-dimensional animation, content
or special needs and intentionally to change the perspective relationship, but in the pro-
duction process of three-dimensional animation, the creator is always facing the data
real camera, for three environmental perspective of the scene, combined with two-di-
mensional hand-drawn content should be for the picture For example, in the transitional
animation of the game "GUILTY GEAR Xrd -SIGN-" (aka: Guilty Gear Xrd), the cam-
era mapping technology (Camera Mapping) is used for the mapping projection note 34,
which maps the 2D drawn background behind the character, but also places some 3D
In addition to mapping the 2D background behind the character, some 3D content is
placed in the foreground of the camera, creating a spatial difference between the front
and back, so that the near wide-angle camera framing gives a very natural visual effect
in the combination of 2D and 3D [7].
(2) is the fusion of perspective and spatial relationships, this type of processing is
mostly used to place 2D drawn content into 3D space, the fusion of perspective rela-
tionships is often adjusted through post-production compositing and requires attention
to the relative displacement of the front, middle and rear mirrors of the shot, this ap-
proach requires the creator to have a corresponding awareness of space and perspective,
especially for non-panning motion shots, with the help of In the first and middle stages
of the production of 3D digital content or scenes and footage, simple models are sub-
stituted for character placeholders, and Previz preview footage is exported to 2D paint-
ers as a reference for transfer or 3D assisted drawing, which is then accurately com-
bined with 3D rendered content in post-production software [8].
In compositing as a means of creation one needs to bear in mind the qualities of the
3D animation production mode, the most explicit of which is the 3D spatial
350 K. Li and H. Kim

characteristics of the XYZ axis, such a production method allows the creator to face
such a 3D space throughout the production process, then we need to think about how
and when the XY points and lines of the 2D plane are integrated into the XYZ world
under the spatial dimensional characteristics [9].

2.3 An effective way to achieve seamless integration of hand-drawing

into stylised 3D animation

When 2D and 3D animation seek a stylised fusion, it should not be a copy of traditional
art forms, as Rudolf Arnheim said about art creation: "The visual image is never a me-
chanical copy of sensual material, but a creative grasp of reality, and the image it grasps
is a richly imaginative, creative and perceptive image of beauty" [10]. As a result, we
need to fully consider the characteristics of the various 2D drawing methods applied to
the 3D medium while doing stylised design combinations, and consider the aesthetic
commonalities between the two methods before looking for bridges that can be linked.
Three-dimensional animation, also known as 3D animation, is not subject to the lim-
itations of time, space, location, conditions and objects, and uses various forms of ex-
pression to show complex and abstract programme contents, scientific principles and
abstract concepts in a concentrated, simplified, graphic and vivid form.
The way 3D animation technology simulates real objects makes it a useful tool. Be-
cause of its accuracy, realism and operability, it is widely used in medicine, education,
military, entertainment and many other fields. When it comes to the production of film
and television commercials, this new technology is able to give a refreshing look and
feel, which makes it popular among many clients. 3D animation can be used in adver-
tisements and special effects production of films and TV dramas (such as explosions,
smoke, rain, light effects, etc.), stunts (crashes, deformations, illusory scenes or roles,
etc.), advertisements and product displays, opening credits, flying characters and so on.
Domestic 3D animation masterpieces include "Qin Shi Ming Yue", "Star Academy
III Pandora's Secret World", "Toy House", "The Return of the Great Sage", "Warrior
Lan", "Painted River and Lake", "The Descent of Nezha's Devil Boy" and so on.
This major is mainly for the film and television special effects production industry
to train three-dimensional special effects production, post-production synthesis talents.
Mainly learn to use Maya, 3ds Max and other high-end 3D animation tools, Nuke and
other post-synthesis tools, Boujou/Match Move/SynthEyes 3D tracking compositing
tools, RealFlow advanced fluid system, Mental Ray/RenderMan advanced rendering
system, etc. to carry out professional film and television special effects and post-syn-
thesis training and learning. Training and learning. Systematic learning includes: 3D
modelling, lighting materials, advanced rendering, animation, particle effects, rigid
body effects, fluid effects, fabric simulation, hair simulation, pyrotechnics and building
collapse, a variety of natural landscape effects simulation (explosions, collapse, smoke,
stars, halo, waves, hurricanes, waterfalls, dust, etc.), clustering technology, post-film
toning, keying compositing, anamorphic effects, time warping, live images and 3D
scene tracking and compositing, and post-production of film. Tracking and compositing
with 3D scenes, holographic simulation rendering, MEL scripting language. Employ-
ment direction for professional film and television special effects production
 Research and analysis on the development of 2D-3D … 351

companies, film and television advertising production companies, film and television
animation production companies, film and television post-production companies, tele-
vision production companies and so on.

2.3.1 Two-dimensional 'painterly' representation of stylistic materials.

As in the case of traditional painting, which has a much longer history, the materials
or tools used for its creation have a direct impact on its artistic expression or conceptual
changes, and the resulting work is clearly oriented by the materials and can even be the
defining principle of a new type of painting. However, 3D animation uses graphic com-
puting hardware devices and rendering programs as tools and media that are far more
complex and intelligent than the material basis of materials and tools relied upon in
previous art forms.
Compared with the two-dimensional way of drawing, three-dimensional software
rendering CG image production is the biggest difference is quasi-isolation: painting is
through the hands, eyes and brain of the painter to simulate the final presentation of the
object painted, while CG needs to simulate the entire process in order to get the image,
such a fundamental difference is caused by the painter in the observation of the object
and move the brush, do not care about the process of presentation but only need to think
about the results, but the use of computer creators to generate CG need to create this
physical environment or set the corresponding parameters out of thin air, and make the
renderer simulation calculate the results. The objective and the subjective are interwo-
ven and mutually validated from start to finish in the process of redrawing. In order to
compress the space in which the human eye observes the real world into the image of
the brush, the objective object, the creator's subjectivity and the work follow a process
of dimensional compression from three to two dimensions. The way 3D CG art is cre-
ated is by observing the objective and calculating its reduction, and adding a subjective
re-creation to the objective result.
When it comes to creating illustrations, I believe the first reaction of many students
will be delicate watercolours or pencil and light colours, or flat geometric shapes and
lively colours of digital illustrations. Whether it's traditional materials or digital illus-
tration, most illustration techniques are based on two-dimensional painting techniques.

3 Conclusion

As the viewer watches, more focused on the content itself, the high degree of integration
without leaving traces can make the process not pay attention to exactly what tech-
niques have been used for animation, while getting the surprise of a multi-dimensional
visual combination that is the proper reflection of the combined feedback.
Regardless of the form of expression and the means of production, the creation of
animation should be based closely on the hypothetical qualities of animation, rather
than straying from the characteristics of the art of animation itself and the aesthetics of
the various forms of creation. When creating and rendering images using 3D software,
the aim is not to tell the viewer how realistic the materials are or that the light in the
image is infinitely closer to a real-life environment. This process is like the dialectic
352 K. Li and H. Kim

between rational and perceptual understanding in dialectics. We need to have a com-

prehensive rational understanding of the nature of the real world before we can truly
understand the laws of movement, the physicality of the characters, etc., so that we can
comfortably present and express them in a unique way and thus be able to process them
sensually.
Painting, in the artistic sense, is the act of adding colour to a surface as a support,
such as paper, canvas, wood, glass, lacquer or concrete. In artistic terms, the meaning
of painting also includes the use of this artistic act together with drawing, composition
and other aesthetic methods to achieve the expression of the concepts and meanings
that the practitioner wishes to express. Qi Baishi is quoted as saying about painting,
"The beauty lies between likeness and unlikeness; too much likeness flatters the vulgar,
while unlikeness deceives the world" to bridge the gap between truth and falsity, and
to illustrate the refinement and creativity that should go into the creation of an anima-
tion fusion. For all non-interactive video art, including animation, the presentation of
all content is choreographed and 'staged' by the creator, and the viewer is constantly
receiving information on the screen and has no control over what is shown.

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