Learn Web Animation the Easy Way: An Intro to SVG and GSAP from Udemy

What's inside

Syllabus

Update: This lesson is missing the link to the codepen demonstration. The code can be found here, https://codepen.io/siggy/pen/zvoBoY

Learn how to:

Animate several objects at once
Use the .staggerTo, .staggerFrom, and .staggerFromTo functions

Learn the benefits of using SVG on the web

Compare Raster vs. SVG images (Scalability)
Get familiar with the SVG format and syntax (you already know it ...sort of!)
Dynamically manipulate SVG content

Learn the basic SVG shapes & primitives:

Rect
Circle
Line
Polyline
Polygon
Path

Here you learn about three very powerful (and very cool) SVG features that we use in the animation project:

SVG groups & the 'g' tag
Clipping Paths and how to use them
The difference between Viewport and Viewbox

Get introduced to the powerful GreenSock Animation Platform.

What GreenSock does
What its used for and who uses it
Understand its different bundles and how to include them in your project

Learn basic GreenSock API patterns
Learn the .to, .from, and .fromTo functions
Learn about easing functions and how to use GreenSock's Ease-Visualizer

Learn about:

Timelines and how to use them
Nesting timelines
Timeline labels and offsets

Update: I've learned that for some students the .zip extension gets stripped off the filename after they download the resource. A quick workaround is to rename your file, after its downloaded to include the .zip extension. Then you'll be able to unzip the files successfully and follow along.

First, download your project files (tutorial_starter.zip)
Then we get familiar with the files and folder structure to see how it all fits together

Start project by:

Creating the basic master Timeline
Clear the stage objects

Animate the first scene of the project -- 'Enter Floor Vegetation’

Animate the second scene of the project -- 'Enter Tree Stuff'
Use a callback to trigger a timeline that loops infinitely

Animate the third and last scene of the project -- 'Enter the Text Greetings'
Create infinite loops by using callbacks recursively
Learn how to simulate randomness in your loops

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Uses a project-based approach, which allows learners to immediately apply their knowledge and build a portfolio piece, which is useful for front-end developers and UI/UX designers

Explores SVG, which is a vector graphics format that ensures scalability without loss of quality, making it ideal for responsive web design and modern user interfaces

Introduces GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP), a high-performance JavaScript animation library widely used in the industry for creating complex and performant web animations

Requires learners to download project files in ZIP format, which may require learners to have access to file compression software, which is not always available on all devices

Reviews summary

Intro to svg and gsap animation

According to learners, this course is a great introduction to web animation using SVG and GSAP. Students appreciate the well-structured approach and the opportunity to build a nice project step-by-step. The instructor is described as great and the course is seen as a perfect starting point for learning these technologies. While many found the course very helpful and learned a lot, one reviewer noted that the GSAP part was confusing at times, requiring a lot of pausing and rewinding due to the instructor frequently jumping between files. This suggests the GSAP section might be better suited for someone with existing knowledge, or that beginners should be prepared to take their time. Overall, it appears to be a highly recommended resource for getting started with web animation.

Instructor is highly regarded.

"Instructor is great."

"The tutor was very helpful and informative."

Build a project step-by-step.

"Learned how to build a nice project."

"I really enjoyed building up the animation from scratch step by step."

"The project-based approach helped solidify my understanding of how to combine SVG and GSAP."

"Working on the animated greeting card project was very practical."

Excellent intro to SVG and GSAP.

"This is a great course and an excellent intro to SVG basics and GSAP core concepts."

"Really good introduction to web animation using SVG and GSAP."

"Great course, learnt a lot about SVG and GSAP."

"It was a perfect starting point for me to learn web animation."

Can be confusing for beginners.

"The SVG part was useful, but the GSAP part was confusing at times."

"I felt the tutor jumps back and forth between files a lot which required a lot of pausing and rewinding."

"While the GSAP part teaches core concepts, I felt it was better suited for someone with existing knowledge of GSAP."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Learn Web Animation the Easy Way: An Intro to SVG and GSAP with these activities:

Review SVG Basics

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Solidify your understanding of SVG syntax and attributes before diving into animation.

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Review SVG shape elements like rect, circle, and path.
Practice creating simple SVG graphics using a text editor.
Explore SVG attributes for styling and transformations.

Brush Up on JavaScript Fundamentals

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Reinforce your JavaScript knowledge to better understand GSAP's API and how it interacts with the DOM.

Browse courses on JavaScript

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Review JavaScript syntax, variables, and data types.
Practice using JavaScript to manipulate DOM elements.
Familiarize yourself with JavaScript functions and event listeners.

SVG Animations

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Study a book on SVG animations to gain a deeper understanding of the subject.

View SVG Animations on Amazon

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Read the chapters on advanced SVG animation techniques.
Experiment with the code examples provided in the book.
Try to replicate some of the animations in your own projects.

Four other activities

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GSAP Animation Challenges

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Complete online GSAP animation challenges to practice and refine your skills.

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Find websites or platforms that offer GSAP animation challenges.
Choose a challenge that aligns with your current skill level.
Attempt the challenge and compare your solution with others.
Analyze different approaches and learn from the solutions.

GreenSock's Official Documentation

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Consult the official GSAP documentation to deepen your understanding of the library.

View Putting Knowledge to Work on Amazon

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Explore the different sections of the GSAP documentation.
Read the explanations and examples for each API function.
Experiment with the code snippets and try to modify them.

Animate a Logo with SVG and GSAP

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Apply your knowledge by animating a logo using SVG and GSAP.

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Find a simple logo in SVG format or create your own.
Break down the logo into individual elements for animation.
Use GSAP to animate the elements in a creative and engaging way.
Refine the animation and optimize it for performance.

Create a Portfolio Piece

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Showcase your skills by creating a visually stunning and interactive portfolio piece using SVG and GSAP.

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Brainstorm ideas for a unique and impressive portfolio piece.
Design the visual elements using SVG or other graphics tools.
Use GSAP to bring the elements to life with captivating animations.
Optimize the performance and make it responsive for different devices.
Publish your portfolio piece online and share it with others.

Career center

Learners who complete Learn Web Animation the Easy Way: An Intro to SVG and GSAP will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Web Animator

A web animator specializes in creating animations specifically for websites. This course provides valuable skills that are directly beneficial to success as a web animator. It introduces you to the SVG graphics format and GreenSock Animation Platform. A web animator needs to know how to use timelines to organize animation sequences. The course also covers how to break down a project into scenes and create catchy animations piece by piece. This is one of the most useful skills for a web animator.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Animator

Front-End Developer

A front end developer implements the user interface of a website or application. This course directly targets front end developers by exploring the SVG graphics format and GreenSock Animation Platform. Front end developers may benefit from the techniques taught in this course. It explains how to include SVG on a web page and organize elements for animation. By understanding GreenSock's tweening functions and timeline features, a front end developer can create complex animations effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Front-End Developer

Web Developer

A web developer builds and maintains websites. This often requires animation skills to create engaging user experiences. This course is a great starting point by introducing you to the SVG graphics format and GreenSock Animation Platform. By building a complex animated greeting card, you'll learn how to use SVG on a web page and organize SVG elements for web animation. As a web developer, knowing how to use GreenSock's API and its tweening functions will differentiate you from other applicants. The course also explains timelines and how they work in GreenSock.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer

User Interface Designer

A user interface designer focuses on the visual layout and interactive elements of a website or application. This course provides a solid introduction to the techniques of web animation, specifically using SVG and GreenSock. You'll learn the benefits of using SVG, including how to dynamically manipulate SVG content. A user interface designer can apply the knowledge about GreenSock's different bundles and the GreenSock API to make a website stand out. Understanding timelines, as taught in the course, is critical for creating complex and cohesive user interfaces.

See salaries and explore the career path for User Interface Designer

UX Engineer

A UX engineer blends user experience design with software engineering to create functional and user-friendly interfaces. An understanding of animation principles and tools, as covered in this course, is useful for creating engaging and responsive user interfaces. UX engineers may use the insights from the course regarding SVG and GreenSock. The course can help one understand GreenSock's bundles and API.

See salaries and explore the career path for UX Engineer

User Experience Designer

User experience designers strive to improve user satisfaction with a website or application. Animation can play a crucial role in providing feedback and guiding users. In this course, the project based approach will allow you to discover the SVG graphics format and GreenSock Animation Platform. Learning how to use timelines to organize animation sequences will be useful as a user experience designer. This course will help you understand how to break down a project into scenes and create catchy animations that improve user satisfaction and engagement.

See salaries and explore the career path for User Experience Designer

Creative Coder

Creative coders use code as a medium for artistic expression, often incorporating animation. This course is an excellent introduction to creating animations using SVG and GreenSock. The course helps creative coders leverage GreenSock's different bundles. It provides insights into creating catchy, impressive animations piece by piece. Creative coders may require knowledge about timelines and how they work to organize entire animation sequences in GreenSock.

See salaries and explore the career path for Creative Coder

Animator

Animators create moving images using software. This course will help you learn valuable skills by introducing you to the SVG graphics format and GreenSock Animation Platform. An animator should learn how to include SVG on a web page and organize SVG elements for web animation. This course will help you to make sense of GreenSock's different bundles and how to use timelines and callback parameters.

See salaries and explore the career path for Animator

Motion Graphics Designer

A motion graphics designer creates animated content for various media, including websites. This course provides an introduction to web animation using the SVG graphics format and GreenSock. Especially if you want to work on websites, this course may be useful. The course covers SVG shapes, custom tags, and how to organize SVG elements for web animation, which are all crucial skills for a motion graphics designer. Knowing how to use GreenSock's timelines to organize animation sequences is invaluable for creating complex motion graphics.

See salaries and explore the career path for Motion Graphics Designer

Interactive Designer

Interactive designers create engaging experiences for users through interactive elements, including animation. This course may be useful by introducing fundamentals of web animation using SVG and GreenSock. Interactive designers can learn about SVG shapes and custom tags. Interactive designers also benefit from learning how to use timelines to organize entire animation sequences.

See salaries and explore the career path for Interactive Designer

eLearning Developer

eLearning developers create digital learning materials, often incorporating animation to enhance engagement. This course may be useful to those in eLearning, as it introduces SVG graphics format and the GreenSock Animation Platform. Learning how to create catchy, impressive animations, piece-by-piece, will improve the quality of educational content. In GreenSock, learning about timelines will help you organize animation sequences.

See salaries and explore the career path for eLearning Developer

Digital Artist

Digital artists create art using digital technologies. Animation can be a key component of their work. This course introduces the SVG graphics format and GreenSock, providing a foundation for creating web-based animated art. Digital artists can learn how to organize SVG elements for web animation. A digital artist can also make sense of GreenSock's different bundles or use GreenSock API, as taught in the course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Artist

Game Developer

Game developers create video games for a variety of platforms. This course may be useful for creating animations used in games. The course explains how to use timelines to organize your entire animation sequences. The course introduces you to SVG graphics format, also demonstrating how to create catchy, impressive animations piece by piece.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Developer

Graphic designer

Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. This course may be useful by introducing the use of SVG, understanding its benefits, and learning how to manipulate SVG content dynamically. A graphic designer will benefit from knowing about SVG shapes and custom tags. The GreenSock Animation Platform is another tool that graphic designers may be able to successfully use, as taught by this course.

See salaries and explore the career path for Graphic designer

Digital Marketer

A digital marketer promotes brands through digital channels. Animation is a relevant strategy in marketing, and can be useful on websites. This course may be useful by introducing web animation techniques, exploring SVG, and discussing the GreenSock Animation Platform. The course teaches you to make sense of GreenSock's different bundles. You'll also learn how to use timelines to organize your entire animation sequence.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Marketer

Learn Web Animation the Easy Way

An Intro to SVG and GSAP

What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Intro to svg and gsap animation

Activities

Career center

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