Animating a cost effective character for an educational production

Animation is a powerful teaching tool. Ideas can be expressed through animation using only a fraction of the time needed with conventional teaching methods [John Halas 1987]. In short, a picture is worth a thousand words. However, educational budgets rarely allow for the expensive time-consuming task that animation entails. This thesis tackles the challenge of creating substantial quality educational animation using limited time, labor and money resources. A National Science Foundation sponsored planetarium show on lightning will be used as a demonstration project to document the techniques employed and results achieved. Anyone interested in reducing costs can reference this thesis for insight on what or what not to implement in their own production process.