Inside Pixar: Incredibles Animation
The anatomy of a shot.
Source:  http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/560/560433p1.html
October 26, 2004 - Ever wonder how the CG-animation wizards at Pixar create their trademark brand of big-screen magic?
Today we've got a behind-the-scenes look at the animation process in the form of a gallery of images showing the evolution of a shot. 
The five images below detail how Pixar creates a scene from start to finish.

The Incredibles centers around Bob Parr, a man who used to be one of the world's greatest superheroes (known to all as "Mr. Incredible").
Saving lives and fighting evil were a daily occurrence. But fifteen years have passed and Bob and his wife (a famous superhero in her own right)
have gone underground and now live normal lives in the suburbs with their three kids. While working as a clock-punching insurance adjuster,
Bob gets a mysterious message that leads him to a remote island for a top-secret assignment.

Iron Giant filmmaker Brad Bird is directing the film. TV and game composer Michael Giacchino (Alias, Medal of Honor) scored the film which
features the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, and Pixar favorite John Ratzenberger.

The Incredibles opens in theaters everywhere on November 5.

Here's a look at the creation of the dinner table scene in The Incredibles. 

1) Storyboard Sketch – This is a black and white, hand-drawn storyboard of the shot.
2) Layout and Animation – Layout helps the director plan the location and motion of the camera, and the timing of each shot. Using models
rigged by the Character Team, Animators can then control every aspect of the character motion, providing the physical acting for the scene.
High-level controls such as those illustrated here control everything from what the character is touching to bend and squash-and-stretch of specific bones.
Pixar's proprietary software allows the final position of the character skin to be seen by the animators in real-time, despite the sophisticated understructure
of fat, muscle and bone.

 

3) Modeling, Set Dressing and Final Layout – The process of modeling involves construction of the virtual surfaces that define the form of particular
objects and environments. Hundreds or sometimes thousands of these models are then positioned to form the set and its surroundings.
The placement of models helps to promote the purpose of a shot, leading the eye, or allowing the character to interact with their surroundings.

 

4) Simulation – After the characters' bodies are animated, the motion of their clothes and hair are added. This motion is based upon the
movement of the characters, using a computer simulation of the physics of fabric and hair. The simulation takes into account gravity, weight,
stretchiness, friction and other factors, as well as the collisions of each garment against itself and its surroundings. The result provides a very
natural looking shape and motion, which can be further augmented with virtual wind, magic clothespins, adjustments to the passage of time
and other techniques used to ensure that the hair and clothing move in a manner consistent with the goals of the shot.

 
5) Shading and Lighting – Before a model is shaded, it is represented by a non-descript gray appearance. Shading is the process whereby
an object is given color and a tactile quality that helps us to recognize what material the object is made from. An important step in shading is
determining how the object reacts to light; how light is absorbed, reflected, or internally scattered by the form. Once shading is complete,
lighting adds virtual lights to each scene, creating the look of the final images. Colored filters are used to affect light and shadow, and atmospheric
qualities can further enhance the mood of the sequence. Finally, physically based optical effects such as the bloom of light on film, the focal
qualities of the lens, and the blur of moving objects provide the familiar cinematic cues of reality.

-- Brian Linder

more stills from the movie here