Simple Animation Creation with Alice

Though I'm not very artistically inclined, I've always liked to dabble in graphics and animation. My little brother would make these incredible Star Wars-like scenes using 3DS Studio Max, so I tried too. Somehow my attempt at a clown turned into a flying toaster. Each scene took so much time to position everything just so and make sure all the angles were right on every piece. I've also tried doing renderings with POV-Ray.

While still not a masterpiece by any means, the little clip I made was done with little effort. Alice is an intuitive 3D programming environment that even kids can pick up easily. The best part is that it's completely free, thanks to my alma mater.

To create a scene in Alice, simply add the models you want, click on them, and choose the methods you want to do. Through its natural click and drag UI, you can create functions, parameters, loops, etc. It is a great way to teach a kid programming concepts while they create something fun, or just for yourself to be able to quickly generate something creative. For me, I have used it to make personal animation clips for those close to me who needed cheering up. They have been a hit every time I've done one, and one person even saved it in their iPhone for anytime viewing.

It's a quick download, completely free with all features unlocked, and fun to play with! Feel free to share with me any of your first attempts with Alice!