Did you ever wish as a child that you were a character in your favourite comic book or future cartoon series you avidly followed on television?
Did you ever imagine that one day it would be possible to do so?
VR animation helped bring our heroes and their adventures to life, but we always hoped for just that personal interaction with our favourite shows.
Over the years, technology has advanced, and so have modes of entertainment. From just sitting in front of the TV screen to being active participants, virtual reality (VR) animation is helping bridge that gap.
What exactly is VR animation, and how is it different from conventional animation?
Simply put, VR animation creates a simulated environment and places the user inside an experience.
This means animators must now stage virtual reality (VR) animation to help their audience step inside and move through the story. However, VR animation allows people to look around at any angle. This means the usual editing of linear narratives and cinematography is gone.
In virtual reality (VR) animation, content makers must stop thinking about animating from locked-off camera angles and shots and instead consider multiple vantage points that keep changing, just like in the real world.
VR animators feel the challenge and are, of course, delighted.
Jake Rowell, creative director of projects for VR studio Wevr, explains it well in an interview with Cartoon Brew “The biggest difference between VR and linear projects is that you are putting yourself inside the experience and looking at the future of animation with this new perspective. This participation gives you a lot to think about and react to regarding scale and speed of movement relative to the players’ size.”
While large-scale VR animation experiences will need such an approach, a linear approach could work for smaller VR experiences (like when the user is seated) without having to deliver top-notch VR animation from all angles.
How will VR impact the Future Cartoon?
Since the user operates the camera in VR animation, animators must direct the user, account for various audience members, anticipate their perspective, and direct where users would look. According to experts, this is crucial to ensure users understand where they should look, meaning animators must collaborate with lighting, sound, and layout teams in virtual reality animation.
Here are three ways virtual reality will change how people interact with the world of animation.
• Increased emotional attachment – Stories invoke sadness, happiness, or anger in us. virtual reality animation further enriches these feelings by providing audio-visual immersion and the sense of playing an active part in the story.
• Experiencing the future of animation as an interactive medium – Imagine going from wanting to watch a story, to actually playing a role in it. Or watching a favorite hero playing a game, to being the hero in the game; VR animation will help the audience cross over to their favorite imaginary worlds effortlessly.
• Improved visuals – Although there have been plenty of 3D movie releases, theatres with less-than-optimum projection setups were not fully geared to take advantage of the 3rd dimension. With advancements and technological improvements, VR animation can help bridge this gap. It gives the user a completely different visual experience that is more hands-on and interactive than current modes of entertainment.
Virtual Reality in a new COVID-19 world
Countries worldwide are grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lockdowns have hit conventional work environments hard. The idea of how organisations and their staff must work together is evolving quickly. Enterprises are collaborating using video-conferencing platforms and the many talking and texting applications.
It won’t be wrong to say that despite these tiring and testing times, the virtual and digital worlds have improved. The most significant advantage of VR animation is its ability to let people experience the same space together without needing to travel physically, thus reducing travel costs absenteeism, and improved efficiency.
It is not surprising that some companies have started considering virtual reality as a viable option that will redefine how people work together in the future in light of the current COVID-19 crisis.
SPACES is a new PC VR app that enables users to join video calls from within VR animation. It is being marketed as a “bridge between a VR world and Zoom, Skype, Hangouts and more.” The app aims to help colleagues, friends, and family stay connected without breaking new social distancing norms.
Virtual reality might soon become one of the most influential and compelling communication and collaboration tools. Therefore, VR animation will take prominence in a world where technology and new, immersive experiences take center stage.
If you are looking for a partner for VR animation, consider Toolbox Studio. We undertake end-to-end VR projects and our experts would be happy to understand and deliver on your requirements.
Interested in Animation Videos for Your Business? Check Out Our Animation Services.
