Category: Animation
Subject: computer animation; programming environments; user interfaces;
        path-transition paradigm; animation; program interfaces; user
        interfaces; software development environments; color animations;
        abstract data types; program executions
        Class codes: C6130B; C6115; C6180
Journal: Journal of Visual Languages and Computing
Abstract: Animation is becoming an increasingly popular feature of user
        interfaces and software development environments. Unfortunately, few
        tools for adding animation to interfaces and environments currently
        exist, and those that are available tend to be ad hoc approaches,
        lacking any formal semantic basis. In many of these cases, animation
        is achieved by the simple shuffling of bitmap images. The author
        describes a practical animation paradigm for creating real-time,
        two-dimensional, aesthetically-pleasing, color animations. The
        method is called the path-transition paradigm, and it is based on
        four abstract data types: location, image, path, and transition.
        Producing animation sequences in this paradigm involves the creation
        and modification of instances of the data types. He develops precise
        semantics and specifications for the data types, resulting in a
        rigorous framework for describing the actions that occur in an
        animation. He presents results from experiments with the paradigm
        applied to an algorithm animation system that displays sophisticated
        views of program executions
Number: 3
Institution: Coll. of Comput., Georgia Inst. of Technol., Atlanta, GA, USA
Bibtype: Article
Pages: 213-236
Month: sep
Author: J. T. Stasko
Title: The path-transition paradigm: a practical methodology for adding
        animation to program interfaces
Year: 1990
Volume: 1