University of Bath - Animation holds sway

Computer scientists at the University of Bath have developed a new way of making lifelike animations of trees using video footage of the real thing. The technique could be used by animators and games designers to automatically generate realistic trees that move in a natural way. Most animations and games have a static background, or require a team of animators to painstakingly draw each tree. Peter Hall and Chris Li, of Bath's department of computer science, have developed a program that will let the computer "watch" video footage of a tree, then make animations that mimic the way it moves in the wind.