Experiments with animation

Some time ago, I grabbed some source for an MPEG encoder.

While playing with SIRDS I used it to create a moving random dot stereogram (360K). The MPEG format isn't well suited for this but it's okay as long as you keep the image real small. At the time, it was the first animated random dot stereogram I had seen. There are plenty of tools to do it now.

In May of 1994, I came across XAero, a 3-dimensional reality simulator. It simulates the motions and interactions of simple 3-dimensional objects. My first real venture with this program was to construct TIF as block letters and roll a ball at them to watch them fall.

Imagine my surprise, while I was trying to get the ball to move the F fell over! Well, I turned the F around so it would hit the other letters, played with their spacing a little and ended up with a nice collapse of letters (550K).

I got a bit more ambitious and built a small building with something of a steeple. I then rolled a ball at it to watch the building fall (380K). I also tried rolling the ball slow (2.3M) but I only hit one post and it took too long to fall.

Finally, I built a two story building and rolled a wooden ball right through the middle. The first time it fell too early (375K).