AnimationPak: Packing Elements with Scripted Animations

Reza Adhitya Saputra, Craig S. Kaplan, Paul Asente

Keywords: Element Distribution, Packing, Physical Simulation, Shape Deformation, Animation, Spacetime domain

TL;DR: A method to pack 2D shapes with scripted animations inside a static container.

Abstract:

We present AnimationPak, a technique to
create animated packings by arranging animated two-dimensional
elements inside a static container.
We represent animated elements in a three-dimensional spacetime
domain, and view the animated packing problem as a three-dimensional
packing in that domain. Every element is represented as a discretized
spacetime mesh. In a physical simulation, meshes grow and repel each
other, consuming the negative space in the container. The final animation
frames are cross sections of the three-dimensional packing at a sequence
of time values. The simulation trades off between the
evenness of the negative space in the container, the temporal coherence
of the animation, and the deformations of the elements.
Elements can be guided around the container and the entire animation
can be closed into a loop.