Term animation comes from the Latin word animatio, and today it is present at every step. By generally accepted definition, animation is actually a process that creates a kind of illusion of movement on lifeless things, drawings, and models. When taking into account that the Latin term from which the word animation originated means to revive or give the soul, animation can be categorized as giving the soul to lifeless things, that is, drawings or models.
As technology progresses, so does the animation that in the last decades has been characteristic of numerous computer programs. So a special kind, so-called computer animation, is created. Computer animation refers to the creation of moving images with the aid of a computer.
Although primitive, animation was also known in ancient civilizations. Of course, this is not the animation we know today, considering that ancient nations were not familiar with the technique of making pictures in motion. An example of early animation, which is certainly not an animation in today's sense of the word dates back to five thousand years ago, and it is a drawing on a bowl that was found on the territory of Iran.
After that, animation progressed, especially during the 19th century when special animation devices were invented. Today, there are controversies about who actually the real creator of the first animated film is, but it is known that for the time being the oldest animated film, the so-called frame by frame dates from the end of the 19th century, more precisely from 1899.
The latest animation that occupies a very important place in the modern world is definitely computer animation. It is believed that it experienced a real expansion after the premiere of the 1995 Toy Story film. This film is specific in that it is the first animated film based precisely on computer animation. Computer animation usually involves 2D or 3D technique. And actually, computer animation is nothing more than animation used on television or in films.
The very procedure of using this type of animation is quite simple, of course, if it is done by professional animators who are trained to work in adequate programs. Computer animation, in fact, implies that the animator makes a certain figure from several sections. Then the animator determines the path by which each of these parts will go, thus simulating real movement. In order for animation to be good, among numerous techniques, the most important is the so-called rendering technique, which is also responsible for the final appearance a particular animation has.