What turns an animation into a forensic animation? It is the "Forensic Process". This process depends on accuracy. All objects must obey the laws of physics and conform to a set of facts that are determined by the reconstructionist or forensic expert. The Forensic Process for accident reconstruction, for example, starts with the accident investigation. This includes all police reports, witness statements, photographs, vehicle inspections, accident scene data, and medical reports if necessary. It is this information which forms the basis on which the accident reconstructionist will recreate the accident.
From this data a recreation is created that fits all of the existing facts. A forensic expert will calculate the placement of vehicles before, during, and after an accident, and come up with data representing the movement of all the players in the final animation.
This data is entered into a computer running a motor vehicle accident reconstruction program. The computer generates information for each of the vehicles. This information correlates to each 1/30th of a second (one video frame) for the duration of the animation per vehicle.
