Grating Animation/Physics Teaching

This design presents a grating animation teaching aid based on the Moiré pattern phenomenon and the persistence of vision effect. Simply insert the pattern card into the grating card and move it slowly; no electronic devices are needed to see the animation. Seven different animation pattern cards are provided, with more to be added later. AMS is required for printing. Card size is approximately 100*60mm, each animation requires 4 frames.

Two physical phenomena are involved: (Skip if you don’t want to study physics, haha)

(1) Moiré Pattern Phenomenon: A Moiré pattern is a visual effect that arises when two periodic patterns (such as a grating and a base image) overlap, due to light interference. This interference causes variations in the brightness and color of the stripes, creating a dynamic visual effect.

(2) Persistence of Vision Effect: Persistence of vision refers to the human eye’s retention of a previously viewed image on the retina for a brief time after the image has disappeared, resulting in the perception of continuous motion. This effect allows us to see smooth animation in grating animation.

The principle of grating animation is to use black stripes to obscure the underlying image of one frame, revealing the underlying image of another frame in the gaps. Since the brain automatically completes the perceived segments, as the grating moves, the gaps between the black grating stripes alternately reveal the frames. The brain fills in these incomplete images as complete images, and these images combined create an animation.

During the design process, it was found that red patterns produce a more noticeable animation effect than black patterns. The model also includes configuration files for black patterns, which can also be downloaded and printed if preferred.

A storage box for the grating and pattern cards has also been designed for convenient storage when not in use.

The seven animations included in this design are as follows:

(1) NICE TO MEET YOU

(2) MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU

(3) HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025

(4) Michael Jackson’s Classic Move 1

(5) Michael Jackson’s Classic Move 2

(6) Dancing Santa Claus

(7) Cheetah Running

If you have any desired animations, please provide the images (4 images) or animations for me to design and print the cards. I will update them here from time to time, but I also hope you will not hesitate to show your support—your encouragement is what drives me forward. Happy printing!