Digital Animation

An Explaination

My digital animation explains how a simple pulley system works. I built this animation using Adobe After Effects instead of Adobe Animate because Adobe officially announce the end of Adobe Flash Player on December 31, 2020. Here are the details of my animation based on the minimum requirements for the assignment.

Meaningful Colors

The elements used in the animation have basic colors. I used shades of red and green to help emphasize the force required to activate the pulley, and the subsequent reward for the user's effort. The red is used on a downward facing arrow that indicates force required on the user's part. Green is used on an upward facing arrow that indicates a successful life of the heavy load object.

Minimal Meaningful Text

I added simple labels to the load object and the force handle to help indicate the roles each item plays in the pulley system.

Vector Images

I created the images myself, most of which are basic shapes, or combinations of basic shapes. The weight graphic began as a circle which I then transformed by rounding some of the bottom points on the shape. The handle is a combination of a simple rectangles with rounded corners, and a white mask shape that gives the illusion of empty space where a person's hand would go.

Motion Tweening

As the pulley is engaged, the weight moves up as the handle moves down. The rope shapes are also tweened to adjust their length and position to give the appearance that the length is decreasing on one side, and increasing on the other.

Transitions

Several components used throughout fade in on cue with the narration.