Using Visualization and Animation to Convey Motion in Experimental
Data
Chapter 6: Animation
The static approaches described in the previous chapter
visualize cell state information and reveal certain aspects of
cell behavior, but they do not convey a sense of motion.
Computer animation provides a tool for visualizing behavior as it
changes in time and space.
The animations model the dynamic behavior using simple
geometrical patterns and operations that can be applied to each pattern.
The geometrical patterns in an animation can be used to represent
concrete objects, such as flames cells or flame fronts which are visible
in the original images. Geometrical patterns can also
be visual representations of abstract concepts, such as angular
orientation and distance between neighboring cells.
For example, in many of the animations discussed in this chapter,
cells are represented by circles, and adjacency and other relationships
are represented by connecting the circles by lines.
The animation models are based on quantitative information
acquired by tracking cells in the experimental videotape.
Although animation techniques are generally applicable to all kinds of
problems, animation modeling tends to be problem-specific. This
chapter discusses modeling methods we used for hopping modes, rotation modes,
and radial-extinction modes. The insight gained from the animations is
also discussed.