Animation as a teaching tool

Diplomska naloga z naslovom Izdelava animacije kot učni pripomoček je obsegala proces modeliranja, teksturiranja in animiranja tridimenzionalnih (krajše 3D) modelov v skladu z načeli didaktičnega oblikovanja. Namen diplomskega dela je bil izdelati didaktične 3D animacije, ki bi na zanimiv način prikazovale elemente in procese v koži po učnem načrtu pouka biologije v 8. razredu osnovnošolskega izobraževanja. V ospredju naloge je bil predvsem izobraževalni učinek animacije, zaradi česar so temelje za izdelavo animacije predstavljala predvsem Mayerjeva načela in osnove likovnega izražanja. Posledično je v diplomski nalogi vključena tudi analiza didaktičnosti s pomočjo anketnega vprašalnika. Kot spremni produkt je bila v sodelovanju s projektnimi partnerji ustvarjena tudi aplikacija z obogateno resničnostjo (ang. augmented reality, krajše AR) in AR predloga, katerih namen je bil obnoviti pridobljeno znanje in dodatno angažirati učenca, da snov ponovno pregleda. V teoretičnem delu so bila, upoštevajoč Mayerjeva načela, razložena pravila ustvarjanja didaktičnega učnega pripomočka in osnove ustvarjanja animacije v 3D – od modeliranja, teksturiranja, obogatene resničnosti, animiranja, simuliranja in upodabljanja. V eksperimentalnem delu je bil podrobno opisan postopek zasnove in delokrog ustvarjanja animacije v okviru obravnavanih didaktičnih načel. Prikazana je bila uporaba programov Blender in Houdini za destruktivno ter proceduralno modeliranje. Za tem je bil opisan postopek teksturiranja in postopek razvijanja simulacije po meri. Razložen je bil tudi način dela in konvencije poimenovanja datotek, ki so bile uporabljene za zmanjšanje zmede dela v skupinah. Temeljito so bile preučene programske napake, ki so onemogočale optimalno vizualiziranje v programu Blender in postopek odpravljanja ter obhajanja le-teh. Raziskava je vključevala tudi analizo rezultatov anketnega vprašalnika ter didaktično in tehnično učinkovitost končnega produkta. Končna izdelka diplomske naloge sta s pomočjo 3D tehnologije upodobljeni didaktična animacija, pospremljena z naracijo, in AR aplikacija, ki jo dopolnjuje AR predloga z ikonami za zaznavo. Rezultati so pokazali, da je animacija dosegla svoj cilj – učencem se je povečal interes za snov, poleg tega je bilo tudi razvidno, da so med obogateno učno uro uživali. Tudi učitelji so dobili interes za podobne učne vsebine in si v prihodnosti želijo več podobnih pripomočkov za poučevanje.The thesis titled Animation as a teaching tool summarizes the process of modeling, texturing, and animation of 3D models in accordance with principles of didactic design. The aim of the thesis was to create a didactic 3D animation that would use an intriguing way of representing the elements and processes in the skin according to the curriculum of biology lessons in the 8th grade of primary education. The teaching aspect of the animation was at the forefront of the paper that\u27s why Mayer’s principles were used in conjunction with composition and color theory. Therefore, the thesis also included an analysis of didactics by means of a survey questionnaire. As an accompanying product in collaboration with our product partners, an AR app and an AR template have been created with the aim of refreshing the acquired knowledge and further engaging the viewer to revisit the material. The theoretical part, following Mayer\u27s principles, explained the rules of creating a didactic teaching aid and the basics of creating animations in 3D – from modeling, texturing, AR, animation, simulation, and rendering. The experimental part expressed in detail the process of art direction and the workflow of animation created in the context of the didactic principles discussed. Furthermore, the use of software like Blender and Houdini for destructive and procedural modeling was demonstrated. This was followed by a description of the texturing process and the formative simulation procedure. The way of working and the file naming conventions used to reduce the confusion of working in groups were also explained. The software bugs that prevented us from optimizing visualization in Blender were thoroughly examined, as well as the process for correcting and working around them. The research also included the analysis of the results of the survey questionnaire and the didactical and technical effectiveness of the final product, which is a didactic animation with narration, made with the use of 3D software technology and an AR app, which was complemented by an AR template with icons for detection. The data showed that the goal of the animation was achieved – the students\u27 interest in the subject of human skin has increased. They also enjoyed the augmented lesson. Teachers gained interest in similar learning content and would like to employ more similar teaching aids in the future