K-Sketch allows ordinary computer users to create informal animations from sketches. Current tools for creating animation are extremely complex. This makes it difficult for designers to prototype animations and nearly impossible for novices to create them at all. Simple animation systems exist but severely restrict the types of motion that can be represented. To guide the design of K-Sketch, we conducted field studies into the needs of professional and novice animators. These studies showed the wide variety of motions that users desire in informal animations and indicate how to prioritize these types of motion. Our design allows the most important types of motion to be defined with pen gestures and gives visual feedback for coordination of events. A unique "interface optimization" methodology helped us determine the optimal set of operations to include in K-Sketch so as to optimize speed, ease of use, and expressiveness.
Check the K-Sketch project web site for updates and download details.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0080562 and Grant No. 0205644. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).