Animating with keyframes gives animators a lot of control but they can be tedious and complicated to work with. Currently, different solutions try to simplify animation creation by recording the natural hand movements of the user. However, most of the solutions are bound to 2D animations [1] or suffer from a low workflow speed [2]. The proposed Unity plugin Animation Vr uses the HTC Vive system to enable the puppeteering animation technique in VR while still allowing for a fast workflow speed by utilizing the controllers of the VR system. Also, Animation Vr is written for easy integration in already existing Unity projects. The plugin was evaluated with four animation experts. The consensus was that Animation Vr increases the workflow speed while decreasing the animation precision. This tradeoff makes it useful for storyboarding in professional environments. Additionally, the plugin could improve the understanding of VR storytelling as the animators would create and instantly review the animations in the correct medium. The experts also noted the ease of use of the puppeteering technique which could enable beginners to create complex animations with little to no experience with Animation Vr. Additionally, the accessibility for animation beginners could improve the communication in animation teams between animators and directors.
Animating with keyframes gives animators a lot of control but they can be tedious and complicated to work with. Currently, different solutions try to simplify animation creation by recording the natural hand movements of the user. However, most of the solutions are bound to 2D animations [1] or suffer from a low workflow speed [2]. The proposed Unity plugin Animation Vr uses the HTC Vive system to enable the puppeteering animation technique in VR while still allowing for a fast workflow speed by utilizing the controllers of the VR system. Also, Animation Vr is written for easy integration in already existing Unity projects. The plugin was evaluated with four animation experts. The consensus was that Animation Vr increases the workflow speed while decreasing the animation precision. This tradeoff makes it useful for storyboarding in professional environments. Additionally, the plugin could improve the understanding of VR storytelling as the animators would create and instantly review the animations in the correct medium. The experts also noted the ease of use of the puppeteering technique which could enable beginners to create complex animations with little to no experience with Animation Vr. Additionally, the accessibility for animation beginners could improve the communication in animation teams between animators and directors