Beach Volleyball

Scene08 and Scene09

The viewpoint does not change but the focus and scaling from the viewpoint is adjusted to focus on the beach.

Changing viewpoints up to end of Scene09

It is done in two parts to mask the fact that the volleyball court wasn't visible in scene07 but it should have been!

The background for scene09 is just the front area, the buildings no longer appear. The sea and promenade change each time the view changes.

Scene08

Scene09 moves the viewpoint even closer while reducing the scaling so that we are now focused on just the beach. This means that the background is no longer needed for the volleyball scenes.

The idea was to play at least one point on the volleyball court with the players being Ws. The theme of the conference is the use of the internet everywhere so the umpire is using iPads to keep the score and player A (left one on the near side) also has an iPad tucked down his trunks to relay the signal for the next move.

The players on the near court are in Brazillian team colours while the furthest are using the IW3C2 colours.

Scene09

Scene10

Scene10 Start

The viewpoint does not change from the scenes from scene10 to scene16. Only the sand and court are the background so that the animations can be rendered reasonably quickly.

The sand initially had quite a few markings on it to make it look more realistic. However, this caused several of the browsers problems in rendering the scene so that it was eventually simplified to just give the hint of markings in the sand. Even then bugs appeared in Chrome that stopped animations in mid scene with the browser going into an infinite loop using up 100% of the CPU being used and causing overheating in the PC!

Initial Attempt at Sand

Simplified Sand

The overall play of the point defined originally is given below.

Move 01

• Ball: moves towards C but will land in front
• A: moves to net
• B: serves short towards C
• C: dives to execute pass with both hands
• D: moves forwrd towards net

Move 02

• Ball: C passes ball to D ready for D to set
• A: moves inwards
• B: continues towards net changing direction to where set will take place
• C: after executing pass, gets up and moves towards net
• D: moves towards ball

Move 03

• Ball: ball set up high over net
• A, B: moveand jump to cover spike
• C: jumps to spike ball
• D: sets ball for C to hit and then moves to net

Move 04

• Ball: loops up in the air over the guards
• A and B: jump to stop spike
• C: spikes ball, pretends almighty swipe but then dinks over A and B
• D: starts moving away from net

Move 05

• Ball:
• A: moves back from net
• B: chases ball, falling over backwards but does a majestic pass with both hands
• C: sends ball way over B and retreats
• D: retreats from net

Move 06

• Ball: goes back towards net from B's pass
• A: moves to position where he can set ball
• B: passes ball to A and moves towards net
• C and D: back away from net

Move 07

• Ball: ball set up near net
• A: sets ball up nearnet
• B: moves forward to hit
• C and D: continue to back away from net

Move 08

• Ball: hit right down the middle
• A: doesn't move
• B: hits ball hard right down the middle of the court winning point
• C and D: don't have time to move

One problem is that the ball moves backwards and forwards over the net so that sometimes it needs to be rendered before the net and sometimes afterwards. This necessitates changing the relative positions of the ball and net each time it traverses the net. This changes what could have been a single scene into multiple scenes.

Scene10 is just setting the scene. The umpire records the scoring of the previous point while the players move back to their starting positions.

Scene10 Close

The iPad is modelled quite simply and it is just necessary to animate the change of numbers when the umpire changes the score.

iPad

The umpire is modelled quite simply. The only problem is getting him to sit in the umpire's chair.

Umpire

Updating the score was not too impressive using lines so the end of the arms were changed to cubics.

Updating the Score

The umpire needed to be correctly positioned relative to the net and the umpire's chair.

Chair

Scene 11

In scene11, the player A attempts to give the hand signal for the serve required and what each player's responsibility is in covering the net. Unfortunately, Ws are not very good at giving hand signals.

Scene11 Halfway

Scene12

Ever resourceful, Player A takes out his iPad to show what the handle signal was meant to be!. He intends blocking the line and he expects his partner to serve across court and block in the centre.

iPad Hand Signal

Scene13

The play starts by Player B serving over the net. Scene completes with ball over net.

Scene13 Close

All the main objects have shadows as does the ball. The ball is just a flat vertical object so shadow is a separate flat horizont object. The ball moves about its centre point as the ball moves to the net.

Ball Movements

The four players are less rigid than the umpire and all four are constructed out of a set of cubic bezier curves.

Player Curves

The pink circles indicate the starting points for the two legs and the trunks. Starting point for the body is at the top of the trunks in the middle. The objects can all move in the X, Y, and Z directions for any of the end points and control points.

The shuffle left or right uses these intermediate positions.

Player Curves

Scene14

Player C moves forward until he is almost on the ground. Passes the ball towards player D who sets the ball up just their side of the net ready for player C to hit back over the net. Player B moves forward to the net to block with player A.

Scene14 Midway

Scene14 End

Scene15

Players A and B jump to block theball. Player C gets up off the floor, jumps and hits the ball between the hands of player B. He has to bend over backwards to play the ball towards player A. Player A sets the ball up for Player B. Player B gets off the ground, moves his arm right back for a spike. Meanwhile players C and D back off from the net to deffend the back of the court.

Scene15: A and B aim to block C's hit

Scene15: B falls backwards to get to ball before it hits ground

Scene15: A has set the ball up ready for B to hit

Scene16

Strong hit from player B that goes right beween C and D hits the sand before either can move. Players A and B leap up to celebrate the point win.

Scene16: A and B celebrate the win

Appendix: Rules and Hand Signals for Beach Volleyball

Rules

• Team size--two
• Scoring system--best of 3 sets played to 21 (15 for a deciding set)
• Overhand touches and tips--open-hand dinks are illegal
• Block counts as a team touch
• Teams switch ends of the court every seven points
• The playing court is a rectangle measuring 16 by 8 metres (52 by 26 ft)
• The ball is spherical. The colors shall be bright (such as orange, yellow, pink, white, etc.)
• The circumference is 66 to 68 cm , the weight is 260 to 280 g
• Server hits ball from behind the rear court boundary over the net to the opponents. The rally continues until the ball is grounded on the playing court, goes "out", or is not returned properly.
• The team winning a rally scores a point and serves to start the following rally. The four players serve in the same sequence throughout the match, changing server each time a rally is won by the receiving team.
• The three contacts are called pass, set and attack.
• Cannot set on first contact, ie push upwards (overhand)
• Setting is either overhand or bump setting. Hit upwards with both forearms
• Attack consists of spiking, hard with open hand downwards, rolling where ball arches over opposition, and dinking, very soft low over net
• Defenders block or peel off
• Whenever a team fails to execute a legal service or to return the ball, or commits any other fault, the opposing team wins the rally, scores a point, and serves to start the following rally.
• Net is 8.5 metres long, 1 metre wide, 10cm square mesh.
• At its top and bottom there are two 7-10 cm wide horizontal bands made of two-fold canvas
• Two color bands, 5-8 cm wide (same width as the court lines) and 1 m long, are fastened vertically to the net and placed above each sideline. They are considered part of the net.
• An antennnae, 1.8 metres long and 10mm diameter
• The height of the net shall be 2.43 metres for men and 2.24 metres for women.
• The posts supporting the net must be rounded and smooth, with a height of 2.55 m, preferably adjustable. They must be fixed to the ground at an equal distance of 0.7-1 m from each sideline to the post padding.

Hand Signals

Beach volleyball players use hand signals to indicate the type of block they intend to make. Block signals are made behind the back to hide them from the opposing team. They are usually given with both hands by the serving player's partner prior to the serve, with each hand referring to the type of block that should be put up against an attack from the corresponding opponent. A player may also "wiggle" or "flash" one block signal to indicate which opponent to serve to. If the server is the designated blocker, he or she may run up to the net to block after serving. Otherwise, the signaling player will perform the block. Block signals may also be given during a rally while the opposing team is preparing their attack.

Closed fist

No block should be attempted for the opponent on that side of the court, also known as "pull-off"

A fist means you aren't planning to block. For example, as the attacker is being set, the blocker pulls off the net to help out with defense.

One finger

The blocker should block an opponent's "line" attack, or a ball hit toward the nearest sideline.

Signaling one finger with your left hand means you're going to block line on the right side hitter. Signaling one finger with your right hand means you're going to block line on the left side hitter.

Two fingers

The blocker should block an opponent's "angle" attack, or a ball hit diagonally from the net and across the court

Likewise, signaling two fingers means you're going to block angle.

Open hand

The blocker should block "ball", deciding how to block based upon the opposing team's set, and the hitter's approach and arm-swing technique.

An open hand usually means the blocker is going to take the ball. This strategy is risky because the defender isn't going to know where the blocker is going to block. The blocker basically guesses where the hitter is going to hit at the last second. If the blocker knows the the hitter well, this strategy is also effective for "baiting" the hitter into hitting into your block.

Thumb

The thumbs are used to show your partner which player you'd like them to serve to.