This section gives some descriptions of the early animation systems with pointers to where additional information is available. Most of the early systems ran on mainframe computers generating output that could be read by an SC4020, or compatible, microfilm recorder producing 16mm or 35mm film.
Later systems used smaller computers interactively to develop the animation with more options as to the film production. Most systems evolved over several years so dates are approximate
- 1964: SCORS: Stromberg-Carlson's UAIDE Fortran System developed as a basic set of routines for drawing graphics on an SC4020
- 1964: BEFLIX: Ken Knowlton's Innovative language at Bell Labs
- 1966: SCFOR: Harwell's Enhancement of SCORS. From 1968, widely used in the UK with an SC4020 animation service at Atlas Computer Lab
- 1967: CAMP: Woody Anderson's 2D System, Syracuse aimed at non-programmers
- 1967: CAMPER: Woody Anderson's 3D System, Syracuse aimed at non-programmers
- 1968: CAFE: Lynn Yarbrough's system for use on IBM systems
- 1968: SOLIDS: 2D and 3D animation system from
- 1968: POLYGRAPHICS: Polytechic Institute of Brooklyn, widely used in the USA with an SC4020 service at PIB from US academics
- 1968: GROATS: Atlas Lab's Algol System to complement SCFOR
- 1968: GENESYS: Ron Baecker's excellent interactive computer animations system at MIT
- 1968: National Film Board of Canada various Systems for many interactive animation enhancements
- 1969: ACIANS etc: IBM Yorktown Heights projects by Camille Volence, Franklin Gracer and others
- 1970: EXPLOR: Ken Knowlton's system generating moving images from explicitly defined patterns
- 1970: AUTO HALAB: John Oldfield's Constraint-based system
- 1971: ANTICS: developed by Alan Kitching and Colin Emmett at the Atlas Computer Lab
- 1972: SPROGS: : Atlas Lab's Fortran-based System that replaced SCFOR and GROATS