Advice on creating simple animation?

J

jbrukardt

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
May 28, 2005
Messages
1,494
Im looking for an easy way to create a simple animation. I was recently in a car accident, and it appears my insurance agency is having a hard time comprehending what im telling them happened. So id like to draw them a pretty moving picture

What would be my best option to create a very simple animation of two cars (represented by a red box, and a blue box) coming into an intersection and colliding.

Some smaller details would be nice too if i could add them, like blinker on one of the cars being on, and rotation of the boxes to show how my car spun when i was struck.
 
Would be super-easy to do in Flash, if you have that at your disposal or know anyone who does.

I'd offer to do it for you, but it would require a lengthy phone meeting, and even then there's a chance i wouldn't "get it" either, so probably not a good idea.
 
Its actually not that bad, maybe i can describe it here and someone will "get it"

http://screencast.com/t/DKS0Xvth

^^ initial diagram of the streets

Background: green lights on both johnnycake road and academy road, red lights on old frederick road on both sides


#1) Car A (me) comes in on johnnycake road
#2) Before entering intersection, turn left blinker on
#3) Pull halfway into the intersection while slowing to a stop (waiting for oncoming traffic to pass so i can turn left) at approximately a 10 degree angle, just slightly angled waiting to turn left onto Old Frederick Road
#4) Minivan comes in from academy road across the intersection going full speed
#5) minivan strikes the front driverside my car with his front driverside
#6) My car turns spins 180 degrees, so the now demolished front end is facing johnnycake road
#7) Minivan continues straight, ending up in the ditch at the junction of johnnycake and old frederick road (opposite side of the road from the 799 on the image)

Honestly, not that complicated, insurance company doesnt seem to get it though

It was noones fault, we both were on our own sides of the road best we could be in the rainy intersection, there was misjudgement and I was struck while stopped or almost stopped. I just wish to show the insurance company that I was not turning into oncoming traffic (if i was, my passengers side would have been hit, not my driverside front)

See picasaweb link for actual images of accident:

http://picasaweb.google.com/User235353/2002HondaAccordAccident#

http://screencast.com/t/K3dbu5ZdeG
^^ approximation of the accident using street view, the arrows and the box are a little off though, everything shifted left in the image
 
They get it. They don't feel like paying for it. My 8 year old brother could understand what just happened.
 
Well, in that case I plan to draw enough pretty pictures that they have to admit that I would have been hit on the passenger side if i was at fault (aka, turned into traffic)
 
If you have Photoshop you could probably make an animated GIF.

Not sure if GIMP will do GIF's but I believe that it can.

Worse comes to worse take a digital / cell phone camera and animate some paper cut outs.
 
Wow – after seeing those photos of the cars post-crash, I'm definitely glad your ok man! Probably looks a lot worse than it really was, but I hope there's no lasting injuries.

I started doing an animation in flash for ya, but realized I'm missing a couple pieces of info to really make this look like you have a case – probably the same info the insurance people need from you as well – namely the exact location of your vehicle at the time just before the collision. Understand, I'm not familiar w/ the laws in your state, but a few points here are probably fairly universal.

This was essentially a head-on collision. Those don't happen when it is “no-one's fault.” One or the other vehicle had to have crossed into the other car's lane. 1) If you had already turned partially and the corner of your car was hanging into the on-coming lane, then the van had the right of way, and the accident was your fault. 2) If you were still completely on your side of the road, and the van crossed into your side at the time of the collision, then it was their fault.

3) If both your car and the van crossed partially into each-other's lane then it would be both of your faults (not “neither”). Depending on the US state you're in, and the insurance you both had, I could see this scenario getting fairly complicated (the van may have still had right-of-way since they weren't turning). Best-case-scenario you'd probably end up both having to use your own insurances to get your vehicles fixed. Legally, this third scenario seems like it would be hard to prove, since the van was going straight and you were trying to turn, it is more likely that you were the one in the wrong lane, so it was probably your fault.

Honestly, I think the only way for sure that you could avoid any liability for the other vehicle's damages would be to maintain scenario 2 above was the case. You were completely in your lane, and the other vehicle had to cross over to hit you. If you clear up your story and tell the insurance company this, it's probably your best chance of clearing yourself of liability – if you already told them the above info, it's probably too late to change the story – saying it was “no-one's fault” won't work. Did you get any good photos of where the skid-marks were in the intersection? That would also probably help quite a bit.
 
I understand this is a computer forum but wouldn't the easiest solution be some legos and a video camera? Then you could even narrate.
 
3) If both your car and the van crossed partially into each-other's lane then it would be both of your faults (not “neither”). Depending on the US state you're in, and the insurance you both had, I could see this scenario getting fairly complicated (the van may have still had right-of-way since they weren't turning). Best-case-scenario you'd probably end up both having to use your own insurances to get your vehicles fixed. Legally, this third scenario seems like it would be hard to prove, since the van was going straight and you were trying to turn, it is more likely that you were the one in the wrong lane, so it was probably your fault.

^^ it looks like this is most likely what is going to happen. Its already in this situation anyway, his insurance company is paying for his, mine for mine. I know i wasnt turning yet, and i made that very clear to them, but where exactly i was in an intersection with no lines is hard to tell. A bunch of other oncoming cars passed me going straight just fine before this guy hit me. Theyre waiting on the police report, which ive already seen and it basically says nothing, but i'm expecting dual-fault (or no fault, but im not sure if thats possible as you mentioned). I dunno man, we'll see. My rates are gonna go through the roof if its my fault at all even though this is my first accident ever. My animation seems pretty accurate to me, that i was in my lane at least 90% and he drifted and hit the front 3/4s of my car spinning it 180 degrees and ploughing through straight (the van probably weighed twice as much as my car).

Anyway, thanks for all the help guys, much appreciated. Its in the insurance companies hands now.
 
2 things.

1. Glad you are ok man.. That looks like it hurt a little.
2. Funny thing, you had the accident in front of a Auto Parts store!!!! :p
 
get some hotwheels and do a stop motion film with a digital camera using windows movie maker.
 
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