Easy Animator

A GUI animator capable of rendering animations and visualizing algorithms based on given input files. The animator implements all features included in a typical video player, in addition to features like slow motion and discrete-time. This project was programmed using Java, Java Swing, and MVC Design Patterns. Additionally, this project was completed in a collaborative, pair programming effort with Mirana Anwar.

Features

The Easy Animator offers multiple ways to render or view a certain animation. Here is all the supported views and the features they present:

• text: Generates a textual representation of an animation as a sequence of timed steps, covering the creation of shapes and theirs motions, which would depicts a change in the coordinate values of each shape at each instant.

• visual: Basic visual rendering of an animation on a GUI without any control capabilities.

• svg: Generates an svg formatted output of a visualization.

• interactive: Visually and interactively renders an animation displayed on GUI window, with added capabilities like Pause, Resume, Speed up (x2), Slow down (x0.5), Restart, and Loop.

• interactive plus: Most complete animator, such that it extends the interactive view to implement additional features like Discrete-time and the Outline functionality on the shapes.

The shapes currently supported by the animator are: Rectangle, Ellipse, and Plus sign. Nevertheless, this implementation can be easily extended to support additional shapes at the user's need.

Usage

Download the jar file Easy-animator.jar sitting at the root of this project. From there, assuming java is installed, you can run your animation using the excellence class

java -jar Easy-animator.jar -in <input-file> -view <view>

Arguments:

• reqiured

  • -in: input file containing instructions to render the animation.
  • -view: indicates the view that should be used to render the animation. Choose from the valid views detailed above.

• optional

  • -out: path to create the output file containing steps to render a simulation.
  • -speed: starting speed used in rendering the animation, defautlts to 1.

Input Files

Input files are used to provide the animator instructions about how the animation is generated. They are stored as a .txt extension, and they allow you to provide your own animation for rendering. Input files must follow a certain format to achieve the desired implementation:

1. Specify the animation's window size: canvas <x1> <y1> <x2> <y2>.
2. Adding a shape to the animation: shape <name> <shape>.
3. Giving a motion to the shape: motion <shape_name> <t1> <x1> <y1> <height1> <width1> <r1> <g1> <b1> <t2> <x2> <y2> <height2> <width2> <r2> <g2> <b2>

Selection Sort

You visualize the steps of the Selection Sort algorithm by generating its corresponding input files using the following command:

java -cp Easy-animator.jar cs3500.animations.selectionsortalgorithm.SelectionSort -out ./resources/selection-sort.txt -length <length>

Arguments:

• reqiured
  • -out: path to create the output file containing steps to render a simulation.
  • -length: number of elements to be sorted.