A picture paints a thousand words, but depth and movement bring it to life. By creating an illusion that a digital object appears to be moving in a three-dimensional space, 3D animationhas changed the game.
One industry that it has a huge influence on is the entertainment scene. These days you can see it everywhere, from movies, games, and even TV commercials. Some popular examples of these are animated movies like Frozen or The Incredibles and 3D animation games like The Witcher 3.
If you’re new to this space or even just someone curious to know more about 3d and animation, stick along as you get to explore the basics. In this article, we’ll discuss how 3D works, its difference from 2d animation, and the tools available to start making your next 3D animation project.
In this article
Part 1. Difference Between 2D and 3D animation
It's fairly easy to distinguish 2D from 3D animation from the look alone. However, it’s still important to differentiate one from the other as they are often misused. In this portion, we’ll look at the attributes and examples of each animation type to better understand their differences.
- Image look: This is the most obvious difference between the two. 2D animation images look flat mainly because they are only made with width and height in consideration. Whereas in 3D animationthe image looks more defined as it operates on three dimensions: width, height, and depth.
- Technical process: 2D animation is sometimes referred to as traditional animation. In the past, 2D animated movies started as hand-drawn objects created in rapid sequence to create a movement that would cause it to be animated. Nowadays, 2D animation projects are already created with the aid of a computer and not solely based on pen and paper.
However, in 3D animation computer technology is a key element. Animators use animation software to work on a reference or skeletal object where they then start adding movements to. Sometimes these skeletal objects start from 2D images or even from scans of a real-life object.
Examples of 2D and 3D Animation Projects
Here are some examples of popular 2D and 3D animation projects in film and gaming. On each example, you can see a clear contrast between the two. For instance, in Anastacia the images look like a normal picture but in Lorax, you can instantly recognize the lifelike depth in the photo. This goes similarly between the flat surface of Super Mario 2D and the more pushed-forward image of PUBG. While we are providing comparisons between the two, it doesn’t mean that one type of animation is better than the other. Both 2D and 3D animation works well in different settings, depending on the type of project that you want to make.
Examples in Film:
2D Animation (Film): Anastacia (1997)
3D Animation (Film): Lorax
Examples in Gaming
2D-animated game: Super Mario 2D
3D-animated game: PUBG
Part 2. How Does 3D Animation Work
It’s no secret that as technology advances, the creation of 3D animation content has become faster and more efficient. Now that you can already distinguish between 3D animation from 2D, are you ready to know how 3D animation is made? Stick around as we learn about these 7 processes involved in the creation of a 3D-animated object.
- Feature Extraction: Starting with a skeletal or reference image, the animation software first identifies the key features of the image. This creates a dataset which is relevant for the software to analyze the structure of the skeletal object. Key features include the image’s corners, edges, and textures.
- Depth Estimation: In this process the computer determines and measures that distance of the image from the camera. This creates that illusion of depth which is a key element in 3D.
- 3D Reconstruction: From the term itself, this is the process where the computer then creates a 3D model of the object.
- Texture Mapping: A 3D model alone doesn’t make a good image.In this next step, the texture of the 2D image is then wrapped around the 3D model.
- Rigging and Animation: With the 3D image in place, it’s now time to add movements. Rigging involves putting in a skeleton in place to support any movements, basically like a bone or a joint. Once done, animated movements are added like walking or jumping.
- Lighting and Rendering: Like any good photo, light is added to highlight the image then finally rendered to combine everything into one final result.
- Post-rendering: Final touches are done like shadows and reflections to create a realistic look.
Part 3. Tools to Create 3D Animation
While learning about how 3D animation works is very technical, there are tools that make it easy for you. In this list, you’ll find tools for your simple animation projects. You can also find another list of software apps used for professional animation editing.
Online Animation Tools
If you’re just starting to learn about animation or just simply wants to make a straightforward simple project, here are the tools available for you to try on:
Biteable is an online video maker where you can create short animated videos for your company announcements, tutorials, or birthdays. Blender has a lot of of animation templates ready for you to use and edit for different occasions.
FlexClip is another good option for your animated projects. Like Biteable, you can start creating your animated projects from a variety of templates available. They also have AI tools incorporated in the tool like the AI Image Generator, AI Text to Video, and AI Video Script among many others. FlexClip is perfect for your social media content, branding projects, or even for personal use.
Renderforest is another good option for an animation tool that comes with ready-to-use templates like those popular Whiteboard Animation Toolkits you see on Youtube, Animated Logo Videos, and even a Social Media Pack.
Krikey AI is another tool that you can use for your video presentations or tutorials. Its free version specializes in creating talking Avatars for your basic animation needs. It also has premium templates if you want a pleasantly designed feature with simple animation tools.
Powtoon is more of a general online video maker where you can create other video content. However, it does have animated video templates that you can utilize as a starting point for your project. The templates are complete with thousands of animated characters that you can add in your videos.
3D Animation Software Apps
Starting with an online tool is good but for heavier animation work, you might want to use software tools that have extensive features to help you produce high-definition content. Here are some of the tools that you can explore:
After Effects is part of Adobe Creative Cloud’s set of design tools. It’s generally a video editing software where you can add motion graphics to create stunning content. However, After Effects also has a 3D animation workspace where you add depth to your 2D images, or combine both 2D and 3D to complete your animated project.
You can do a variety of animation work here like rendering, modeling, sculpting, and Story Artist. Blender is free for download and open-sourced and has a large community of developers, artists, and engineers constantly creating new improvements on the tool.
3Ds Max is another tool for complex designs with an extensive 3D tool library where you can create 3D props, multifaceted surfaces like landscapes, forests, cityscapes, and render these into complex scenes. This is definitely a tool for those working on a full-blown 3D animated video or game.
You can consider using Motionbuilder if you’re still learning the ropes of animation. It’s from the same creators of 3D max but for lighter editing and a simpler interface. If you’re a student or an amateur in animating, this is a tool for you. It’s not too simple that you can swap it with online 3D animation tools but it’s also not as complicated as other top tier tools.
Part 4. 3D Animation Projects
There are many use cases for 3D animated projects ranging from big budget movie films to a short 15-minute video presentation. Using the tools mentioned in the previous section, you can create different animated contents to capture your audience’s attention and deliver your message. Here are some of a few animation projects that you can check out:
- Video Presentations:
If you’re a teacher or a trainer, this is something that you might want to consider. Elevate your text presentations to engaging motion graphics. Whether you’re lecturing about a simple topic or teaching a class about a complex lesson, you can create a storyline in your classes using 3D animation.
- Short films:
If you like creating stories and bringing them to life using a film, you can create 3D animated films with less cost and equipment.
- Video Tutorials and Product Demonstrations:
Like a video presentation, turn your step-by-step guide into a fun content by transposing that script to an animated video. You don’t need to start from scratch as some online tools already have ready-to-use templates to choose from.
- Brand Logo:
Take your brand photo logo another step by using 3D animation. Make your marketing speak for your brand and stand out from your competitors.
Part 5. Create AI Anime Content in FaceHub
To create amazing 3D animation work, you also need to have a good photo to start. Luckily, FaceHub can help you create animated content that you can later use as part of your animation project. With its AI Anime feature, you can easily convert any standard photo to an anime character or a cartoon.
To use this feature, just follow these easy steps:
- Step 1: Go to FaceHub’s Website and click on ‘AI Tools’
- Step 2: Choose AI Anime Option
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- Step 3: Click on ‘Generate Anime Now’
- Step 4: Choose a Template that you like then click ‘Try Now”.
- Step 5: Choose Photo to Upload and click ‘Generate’
- Step 6: AI will analyze your photo and show a preview of the converted photo. Once satisfied, click on ‘Download’ to download to get the result.
Conclusion
Being creative is simply seeing many possibilities to create. With technology, the limits to those possibilities are boundaryless. One such example of that leap is the continuing influence of 3D animation. Nowadays, you don’t need to invest in a huge software to start dabbling and creating your animation projects. Continue on experimenting with the 3D animation tools in this article and enjoy the process!
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