Living Ink: Implementation of a Prototype Sketching Language for Real Time Authoring of Animated Line Drawings

Abstract

Sketching with pen on paper is often used as a way of augmenting spoken descriptions: to help explain how some mechanical device works; to show the flow of information in an organisation, to show the action in a story, and so on. Sketches serve as a focus for the attention of viewers and help make abstract concepts more concrete. But images on paper don t move. Where the time and resources are available, as in preparing a lecture in advance, or producing a television program, authors recognize that moving images are often superior at conveying concepts and holding people s attention. An electronic display is capable of generating moving images in real time. We argue that such a display need not be used just to mimic pen and paper. After all paper is cheap, plentiful, has a wide viewing angle, and doesn t have batteries to run flat. Our Living Ink system is a prototype implementation of a user interface for generating animated line drawings (animated sketches). Our goal was to provide a user interface which can be used in real-time, making interesting animations while an audience watches. This paper describes progress to date towards that objective and discusses proposals for further development.