January 6, 2011
Amritapuri & Coimbatore Campuses
“Tangled took three years to complete. Our animation team had nearly four hundred members.”
Mr. Rajesh Sharma, a computer graphics expert from the Walt Disney Animation Studios was one of those four hundred members. Recently at Amrita, he spoke to students at both the Amritapuri and Coimbatore campuses about his experiences.
Budding engineers, scientists, managers and journalists at both campuses attended his talk.
“We were surprised to learn that it took upto one day to complete just two seconds of animation,” shared the students, later. “Obviously a lot of hard work went into the making of this movie.”
Based on a popular fairy tale, Tangled recently opened to positive reviews all over the world.
The students learned how artists, animators, painters and engineers worked together to create the storyline, finalize the characters, use appropriate lighting and render frames, to create the film.
The technology team invented many of the techniques and tools that were required to give the film the unique quality and look it possesses.
“I have been with Disney since 1998,” Mr. Rajesh shared with his audience. “I feel proud to be part of a team that has created so many classics.”
Indeed. During his twelve years at the organization, Mr. Rajesh has helped with software development for many animated films including Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Bolt, Princess and the Frog.
“At Disney, we try to use technology such that we can meet artistic demands,” he stated.
In his current role at Disney, Mr. Rajesh helps set the vision and direction for software development and research. He manages projects in the areas of effects, rendering and simulation.
The computer graphics expert and GUI architect is an alumnus of the Anderson School of Management, UCLA. An ACM journal reviewer, he has also authored papers on computer graphics and user interfaces.
Explaining how the Napier-Stokes equation or the Lattice Boltzmann method is used in the process of animation, he highlighted opportunities in the animation industry for engineers. “The animated waterfalls one admires are created using the concept of fluid dynamics,” he shared.
