Animation via a computer became of interest in the early 1960s because:
- Faster Computers: computers such as the IBM 7090 made it possible to tackle larger computational problems in the late 1950s. The real break through came with the IBM 7030 (Stretch) and the Ferranti Atlas in the early 1960s when significant problems could be tackled
- Faster Graphical Output: large computational problems usually generate large volumes of output as text, numbers or graphical output. The arrival of the SC4020 microfilm recorder with output to 16mm or 35mm film meant that handling large volumes of graphical output was also possible. At the time, an SC4020 could generate more graphical output per hour than all the graph plotters available in Europe
- Improved Visualisation: the ability to animate scientific or engineering results over time enhanced the value of the output
- Educational Films: the early animations showed the potential uses of computer animation in education, In the UK, the Open University with the BBC were about to bring university education via TV programmes. Individual educators were attracted to the possibility of generating their own films if the cost and time involved were feasible
- Replacing Conventional Animation: could this be a way of improving or extending the conventional animation studios
This part of the website describes the SC4020 and demonstrates what was possible in this new media.
200 papers published in the period 1963-1975, and relevant to computer animation have been converted to HTML with links between them.
A good overview describing the state of computer animation in 1965 is Ken Knowlton's paper Computer-produced Movies .
Les Mezei's 1970 paper Computer Graphics for Society includes a discussion on computer animation and society.
Stan Hayward's 1972 The Scope of the Computer: The Cinema and the Computer covers both conventional and computer animation.
The remaining pages describe particular features of early computer animation.