1.0 Introduction

When it was realized that both the internet speed and computer technology at

the time cannot handle graphics and animated imagery that the community on the

internet started to demand, vector-based softwares were developed. To add, White

(2006, p.392) made a mention that the invention of vector graphics is indeed a big

leap in digital art technology. This is when Macromedia Flash, the first vector-based

software is first introduced and completely revolutionized web animation as it offers

both greater capability of motion-based imagery as well as the inclusion of sound.

According to Greenberg (2007, p. 115), vector graphics are made of geometrical

methods such as points, lines and curves which are all based on mathematical

equations. While a vector image is capable of looking identical to hand drawn images

and pictures, compared to them it is very small in file size thanks to its mathematical

nature; meaning that it is processed like an equation rather than as image-based

matters. This ultimately reduces the load on the computer.

To continue, the invention of vector graphics later give emergence to vector

animation, which can be defined as a sequence of a series of vector images that

provides an illusion of movements, in contrary to traditional animation, it utilizes

vector graphics instead of raster (pixel based) images. But White (2006, p. 392) also

focuses on an issue stating that vector animation differs from traditional, conventional

ones and therefore requires a different approach. As an evidence, in its earliest version

Flash is actually a website development tool that just happens to have a very

economic animation capacity meant to create slightly animated images for web pages.

The resourcefulness of traditional animators however adapted its use and this defined

a new industry standard for animation. Its pioneers do admit that significant

limitations do exist, however. Ever since Flash’s earliest time, vector animation

technology has advanced tremendously, such as the emergence of the more

traditional-styled vector software ToonBoom which is unlike Flash whereas it is

specifically made for animation. However, the economic approach to animation that

Flash offers still remain as the choice of some studios.

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The emergence of vector animation owes itself to a dark history as can be seen

in the words of Young & Young (2010, p. 166), where the two of them retell the story

of the declining of America’s golden age of animation after the World War II era,

where the cost for animation technology and crew increased drastically. The pressure

studios put on production companies to minimize production budget made things

worse. As a result many animation companies got shut down, putting an end to the

golden age and stunted animation development. Bidgoli (2003, p. 655) however

mentioned that the emergence of vector animation revived the production of cartoons

and animated shorts by making the process of production much cheaper and more

accessible to all. However due to low budget allocation the animations that came out

were still of much lower quality than what it used to be. This never gave vector

animation the chance to be shown to the public as an equally competitive method for

animating despite its potential capability.

Still, animation continues to be developed in the United States and as a result

some studios like Hanna Barbera both innovated and flourished in the arts of limited

animation as mentioned by White (2006, p. 394), creating animations that give

viewers the illusion of seeing full animations despite the actual work only containing

limited movements unlike those that can usually be found during the Golden Age.

This innovation continues to thrive further, giving birth to memorable cartoon series

in the later years such as Dexter’s Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, and El Tigre among

others. However, none of them reached Wakfu’s level of quality.

(http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Wakfu) Wakfu The Animated Series is

one of the few known productions that makes full use of vector animation’s

capabilities. Produced in France, the series is not aired internationally and yet it has

gained a following cult from all over the world thanks to the quality it demonstrates,

especially as a vector animation. There are animated features such as Sylvain

Chomet’s Triplets of Belleville, The Illusionist, as well as Tomm Moore and Nora

Twomey’s The Secret of Kells which are done via vector means whereas while all

three overshadow Wakfu’s quality, they are of feature length in nature and therefore

require a different kind of budget and production process. In its class, Wakfu stands

peerless as an animated series in terms of quality of animation for the time being.

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The plot of Wakfu follows Grougalolagran, a powerful dragon who feels a bad

premonition coming and decides to put his human offspring, Yugo under the care of

someone trustworthy to keep his son safe from an expected danger and until the right

time comes, Yugo is to be kept away from searching for his real father. With his

magical eyes that can see through a living being’s soul and intent, Grougalolagran

finally finds in a village, Alibert, a benevolent and retiring bounty hunter who stands

for his people before the law. Following his finding, Grougalolagran picks a nearby

Tofu, a kind of bird that Yugo later named Az, to be his companion and to encrypt a

message within Alibert that will tell him what to do when the time comes. With it,

Grougalolagran left both Yugo and Az to be picked up by Alibert, who later takes

care of them both without hesitations. Yugo grows up well under Alibert’s care, and

has become a great cook of the restaurant Alibert opened prior to his retirement as a

bounty hunter. One day, in a kitchen accident Yugo used his power which involves

teleportation portals unintentionally. He proceeded to experiment and play around

with it. This, along with some other following commotions attracted the arch villain

Nox that has been searching for Yugo. Nox proves to be too powerful for Yugo and

his companions both old and new to handle. Adept in time magic, Nox single

handedly stops the time around him and tries to claim Yugo, the person with an

abundant essence of life that he seeks. But through strong will that is born from

fatherly love, Alibert manages to fight against the effect of Nox’s spell and shatter its

source. Nox is unharmed and escapes the fight safely however, while Alibert becomes

old as an effect to fighting against the spell’s effect. It is later that the message

Grougalolagran imprinted in him is decrypted and commands Yugo to seek his real

father.

2.0 Objectives

Inspired by its success, this study will focus on various aspects of vector animation

like quality of animation, cost in both money and time, as well as animator workload

so that the results from doing this search could shed a new light on the true

capabilities of vector animation techniques that could revolutionize the animation

industry, especially in low budget productions.

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3.0 Problem Statement

Despite looking clean and optimized, vector animation do pose a number of

problems to animators. One of which White (2006, p. 392) made mention of is a

problem where vector animation being substantially different compared to traditional

animation in both looks and how it works. Technically it requires some time for

traditional animators, no matter how expert to become adept at adapting the use of

vector format in the production of an animation and even then it is still challenging to

ensure the animated movements are both smooth and looks as good as those that can

be found in a traditional animation. This problem is especially true for Flash as made

clear by Young & Young (2010, p. 166), where as the two stated, it has resulted in

many skilled animators favoring the use of a more traditional oriented animation

software which only high budget studios can afford. As a consequence, this leaves

Flash animation to the less funded ones that can only afford to pay Flash animators

that are more or less fresh to the scene and cannot animate as well as their better

skilled and funded adversaries.

To add, White (2006, p. 392) also said that vector animation is also rather

known for the fact that its file is tough to manage and to make sure it is under a

controllable environment. A vector graphic file with too much complexity but with a

poor management would prove to be very heavy to the system. As a result, animating

fluid movements would be much more challenging considering the lack of sources. A

similar problem in the most recent history occurs in the times of Hanna Barbera,

where the budget for most animation productions had been cut extensively, allowing

them with only limited sources to work with. With Flash however, this limitation is

more severe since even with a better budget, Flash can only handle so much. With a

less experienced crew to work with, this becomes almost impossibly challenging to

achieve. Few studios have thrived under Flash based productions, and even fewer in

number are those that are able to make quality animations with it. As can be seen

these days, Flash is usually used to produce animation series charting only mediocre

quality as can be seen in animated series like Southpark and Foster’s Home For

Imaginary Friends.

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White (2006, p. 393) also stated that when Flash was first introduced, it was

actually meant as a website creation software with economic animating capacity

originally designed for minimal animated elements like those can be found in a

website’s button or logo. Past the golden age of animation however, resourceful

animators had put it to a good use to publish their minimalistic production on the web.

Still, it can only handle and transfer so much of complicated animated sequences to

viewers on the internet. Ever since that time, Flash’s animation capabilities has been

improved by a mile, even though it is still not suited for an all out animation in

compliance to keeping its original use intact. Regardless, Ankama Groups for reasons

yet unknown has chosen Flash as its primary animation software for the production of

Wakfu despite the many shortcomings Flash posses. Whereby normally few top brass

animation studios would opt the use of Flash as their main animation software

considering how it is not suited for an all out production series.

Which is a strange case considering that Flash techniques still have significant

limitations as stated by Cantrell, Hall, & Torrone (2002, p. 168) Whereas with every

embedded animation element, file size increases and and even the fastest of

processors can only handle so much. This results in lower playback rates, which can

pose a problem in a production. Failing to make use of what little resources available

look convincing (especially in the production of a television-broadcasted animation)

would result in either a very stiff or expressionless style of animation. Choosing to

expand the number of available frames to increase materials to work with in this case

would ultimately pay a toll in file size as well as the requirement of working memory.

All these tight limitations are contradicting the requirement of a good Flash animation

in itself, yet without breaking any of it, one would find that it is almost impossible to

create a good Flash animation, let alone an excellent one with very fluid animations

(or one that projects an illusion of quality animation for that matter) surpassing even

that of any animations produced via means much closer to traditional mediums. At

most, generally one would find that by not breaking the limitations, one could only

create animations of very minimalist nature. On the other hand, if they are to be

broken, one would find that the file size would increase in addition to it consuming

too much working memory and by chance would even overwhelm as well as crashing

the processor due to overloading.

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4.0 Significance of Research

Although it generally takes time for a traditional animator to get accustomed to

vector animation techniques, often is the case where a well-educated animator would

find this technique to be providing sufficient aide in animating, thus reducing the

workload on animators and this eventually increases an animator’s productivity rate.

To add, since work rate is hastened, more time can be allocated for both the quality

and detail level of an animation production. White (2006, p. 286) regarding this

matter elaborates on his opinion saying that most modern animation software

certainly makes it easier to animate in technical terms up to the point where a person

does not even need to know how to draw in order to animate. To animate creatively

well within the bounds of a modern animation software however, White (2006, p.

294) further adds that an animator who is of innately or well trained artistry can be

trained to eventually learn how to work and animate digitally in an accomplished way.

As to which, it can be seen in White’s opinion that digitized animation processes do

have many benefits and any problems that is associated with differences from

working traditionally can be overcome one way or another in the hands of any good

animator.

While file management is a quite a problem in vector animation, given the

animators are specialists in vector file managements this can be advantageous seeing

as vector file sizes, especially Flash files, are really small in size as written by Parsons

& Oja (2011, p. 448). This can benefit in many ways. For example, these files can be

transferred much faster across various platforms. On top of that, it would also require

much less computer resources to work with. With fewer requirements across various

issues, studios can invest excess money somewhere else in making sure that it is

running smoothly in the production of an animation project. A well-rounded

investment within an animation studio would ensure a project will see a bright end.

The animating process is also likely to present itself with much less computers

overloading in the work process in consort of the small work file size. The small file

size would also ease the process of storing work files since the files would only

require minimal space. In addition to that, small file size can result in the possibility

of increasing the graphical details available within a vector animation substantially

relative to file size increase.

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Although Flash isn’t originally meant for creating animations, White (2006,

p.406) also said that at the same time it offers a very economical way of working with

animation wherein he mentioned the fact that vector animation can be resized and

reused indefinitely without compromising on the quality of the resized element. This

process is also very minimalist in terms of resource usage and can be committed

without much hassle. In the animation industry, this is an invaluable aspect as any

scene that requires recurring animation of a particular element but of a differing shot

distance, for example, can be reused indefinitely regardless of the original size the

element is drawn at. Greenberg (2007, p. 115) thus made a statement that in the case

of 2D animation, this is only possible with vector animation because the created

images are actually made of mathematical calculations. Whereas with every change in

size is to occur, the processor would only need to recalculate certain elements and

render the resized element in full quality. Aside from advantages in resizing, the

mathematical nature of vector animation also renders it as very light as compared to

raster animations. All of these advantages when combined ultimately reduce work

time.

To continue, White (2006, p.394) also said that although vector animation,

especially Flash animation, has many limitations, it is at the same time also has its

own value and can be considered to be of a class of its own. Seen from a certain point

of view, Flash animation cultivates creativity by presenting its animators with the

challenge of creating maximum results out of the least resources. In the light of this

issue, this fairly difficult innerworking of Flash often push animators to their limit and

thus capable of making them coming up with new animation techniques as in the

times of Hanna Barbera. As mentioned earlier, one of the best examples of Flash

animation that made the most out of limited resources is Wakfu The Animated Series

where it clearly shows that Flash animation does not have to look cheap nor badly

done up to the point that it does not even have to look like the general Flash animation

that comes out on television like El Tigre, for example. Few however has dared to

venture into the heights that Wakfu did in fear of not having the manpower skilled

enough to undertake the animation process. This shows that if taken seriously, Flash

can be a very effective medium for animation.

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5.0 Scope of Research

The research scope of this study will first focus on a scene found in Episode

one, at minute 3:32. In this scene, Nox’s robotic bug is shown to be draining the life

energy of a tree in the foreground while the arch villain Nox confronts the dragon

Grougaloragran for the first time. In the draining process, all of the tree’s numerous

leaves are shown to be falling from it.

Following the first scene, the second scope will focus on a scene yet found in

Episode one, at minute 4:52. This scene shows that after Nox stops time in his battle

with Grougaloragran, he begins to leap from one falling rock to another consecutively

in a fairly complex and very fluid maneuver in order to retrieve his sword which got

thrown in the air in an explosion caused earlier by Grougaloragran, all the while

leaving trails to show an effect of Nox’s swift movements.

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The third scope focuses on a scene found in Episode 3, at minute 2:37. The

scene shows the protagonist Yugo getting excited seeing the wares offered at a stall he

is checking out. In the background is an anonymous woman who is seen carrying a

basket of meat from the left towards the right end of the frame. Although

chronologically she appears first in Episode 3 anonymously, both the character and

the very same movement is actually rehashed as the mother of a character named

Goultard in a special episode 23 episodes apart entitled Goultard Special, at minute

0:37. In the Goultard Special episode, her animation however is seen mirrored where

she is shown walking from right to left instead of her former appearance in episode 3

as can be seen in the screenshot of said scene below.

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6.0 Findings

In episode one, at minute 3:32 of Wakfu The Animated Series, numerous leaves

are shown withering from a tree. Back then in the days where animation is done

traditionally, scenes like this are considered to be very tedious work as each element

on each frame has to be animated individually on translucent cells arranged together

to create a scene. Rearranging each individual cell the leaves are on whilst replacing

them with the progressed frames each time ought to take a lot of time. With a modern

animation software like Flash however, all that is needed to be done is to create a

single leaf and a variety of other frames for it in one single dictated instance. The leaf

animation can then be done in one stationary position by dictating which frame should

be shown at what time, before appointing it to fall in the way intended. It can then be

resized, copied and pasted to be further edited to create other variations of the falling

leaf animation. When enough variations are done, all that the animator has to do is

repeat the steps and carefully place each falling leaf animations in place and Flash

should do the proceeding work of animating the leaves by itself. This is just one of the

many examples of how a modern animation software is worth mastering as it would

prove to be a great aide for any traditional animators, as stated by White (2006, p.

286) earlier.

Following the first noted scene, in the same episode at minute 4:52, the arch

villain Nox is shown performing complicated combat maneuvers mid air. Although

this scene seems overly complicated to animate, through the creative use of Flash and

knowledge in animation it is made much easier to animate and with much less work

too. Instead of creating full animations, the limitations that Flash comes with as stated

by White (2006, p.394) has cultivated the creativity of Wakfu’s animators to turn it

into an advantage, which is actually done by creating illusions of fluid movements

whereby most of the time rehashing of the same frames which are just slightly moved

occur. This is especially true for the trails that follow Nox, which is just a

repositioned copy of the original animated instance and are especially used to create

an illusion of fluid movements when the actual animation is far less fluid. As the

process of animating Nox in one stationary position is done, the rest is put into motion

by using the same methods as the falling leaves mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Of which, this scene shares many of the same benefits as the scene on 3:32 does. Here

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it can be seen how even limitations can prove to be beneficial as can be seen as well

in the earlier times of Hanna Barbera, the pioneers of limited animation as can be seen

in The Flintstones. Wakfu however takes limited animation to another level by

utilizing it to overcome even full animation techniques by tricking viewer’s eyes into

seeing it as being even better than a fully animated sequence.

While the third scope focuses on both scenes found in Episode 3, at minute 2:37

and another in a special episode 23 episodes apart entitled Goultard Special, at minute

0:37 where an obviously rehashed model is used on the latter episode as a fairly

important supporting character. It is apparent in this scene that no matter how much

skill a vector animator has, one will either find oneself bounded by Flash’s limitations

or enticed by Flash’s simplification of digitized animating process eventually. The

rehashed models found in these two scenes show inclination towards the latter

whereby whether the problem is time or money related, it shows a sign that due to

permitting condition, the animators have chosen to rehash the same character model

just to see it done without making much effort to differentiate between the two. Even

though it may be largely unnoticed due to how far apart the episodes are, when

compared side by side it certainly shows in a cheap, negative way. Here it appears

that what White (2006, p. 392) said regarding Flash files being tough to manage

seems to have come into play which in turn results into this noticeable problem. The

severe limitations seem to have kept up in preventing the animators from creating a

genuine character for each of the scenes, especially the latter one.

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7.0 Conclusion

Based on the research that has been done on Wakfu The Animated Series, a

conclusion has been made in the form of an idea that enforces the assumption that

vector animation is definitely capable of revolutionizing the 2D animation industry.

Even though bigger production houses may prefer pitching in money into a 3D

animation production, smaller studios can start small and utilize part of their incomes

to train their animators to better understand the vector animation software of their

studio’s choice, either Flash or other vector based animation programs. This would

pay in the end as animators with better mastery in their working software would

definitely perform better and more efficient in each upcoming production and would

ultimately bring the studio good in the long run. From there, quality of productions

would increase, therefore creating more interest in 2D animation and when that

happens, the industry will regulate by itself. Areas of study for animation would be

expanded, and the animation workforce will grow naturally, bringing further

prosperity to both the company they work for and the industry itself. Although, for

this to happen, producers of animation companies need to consider this matter and

give it a chance to happen.

Otherwise, animation students could try to innovate by creating their own

animated shorts. With enough effort and ingenuity, a five to ten minutes short of

something that is similar to Wakfu’s quality should be achievable even when done

alone. With enough time spent on it, an animated short of satisfying quality should be

able to be produced and published on the internet for example. From there, one might

find oneself being offered jobs by various companies. Or one could even try to apply

for his or her short to be screened at a film or animation festival. When these steps of

innovation are practiced by not only a small number, but by a whole community of

animation students, it would surely attract attention in the long run and bring with it

various forms of fortune. Students could even collaborate with each other to create an

independent production of much greater stature, which could possibly possess a

bigger value whether in terms of points of interest or even as a showcase of skill.

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References

Bidgoli, H. (2003, November). The Internet Encylopedia (Vol 2).

Cantrell, C., Hall, B., & Torrone, P. (2002, May 14) Flash Enabled: Flash Design

and Development for Devices.

Greenberg, I. (2007, June 1). Processing: Creative Coding and Computational Art

(Foundation).

Parsons, J.J. & Oja, D. (2011) New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011.

Wakfu. (2011). In Television Tropes & Idioms. Retrieved Feb 11, 2011, from

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Wakfu

White, T. (2006, August 4). Animation from pencils to pixels: classical techniques

for digital animators.

Young, W. H. & Young, N. K. (2010, September 17). World War II and the Postwar

Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia Volume 2.

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