Xml-based Description Of Cartoon Scenario And Its Application

With the rapid development of science and technology, especially the development of information technology, computer-assisted animation, because of its wide and practical needs, is becoming a hotspot of research interest. Now, computers are mainly used in the medium and late of animation, but not in the early stage. Another real fact we found at home and abroad is researchers and technicians commonly put their focus on computer animation generation. On the other hand, neither the close relevance between animation and material database, nor the sketches, which provided by the material database and could be an animation accelerant, are taken seriously by most researchers and technicians.To make up for the research lacks, a new idea of standardizing the cartoon scenario with XML technology is proposed in this paper, with which we can strengthen the role of computer in the early stage of animation, improve the management and reuse condition of cartoon material. All of these will upgrade the automation level of animation. The main work and contributions are described as follows:It designed an XML-based cartoon scenario markup language, which called CSML for short, standardized the cartoon scenario with CSML.Through analysis and modeling, this paper abstracts the essential elements of cartoon scenario. Combined the frame with XML technology, the article got a standardized cartoon scenario. The key techniques and methods for standardized cartoon scenario have also been presented: using Schema files to define the structures and constrains of cartoon scenario, and using DOM technology to analyse the standardized cartoon scenario.Based with standardized cartoon scenario, this paper builded a database, in which there are plenty of cartoon material. The database owns effective tools, with which we can make use of material in the database.Relative to the traditional cartoon scenario, which is generally edited with common writing software, such as Microsoft Word and WPS, the standardized cartoon scenario has its particular advantage: added with structure information, the standardized cartoon scenario allows an easier and more effective processing by computer. This has been used to achieve material annotation, efficient browsing and retrieval. It helped to achieve storyboard interactive generation and improved automation level of animation.Combine the scene description information, which could be easily got from the standardized cartoon scenario by computer, with the corresponding images retrieved from the material database, we can interactively generate storyboard.An interactive fast cartoon making system has been builded in the paper.The system, in which the standardized cartoon scenario technology has been used, achieved the purposes of material annotation and storyboard interactive generation.