An octopus holds a ring in the animated short film Taking the Plunge. Image courtesy of Elizabeth Ku-Herrero
3D cartoon animation is a blend of the old and new. Whereas traditional animation was done with individual hand-drawn frames, modern animation renders transitions between frame states automatically using software.
An animated little dragon sits atop a mountain. Image courtesy of Gabriel Richaud
Pioneering work by Disney and Warner Bros. between the 1920s and 1940s established the techniques of cartoon animation, with artists painstakingly drawing or painting every frame to be made into short loops or entire feature films.
But artists (along with software engineers) later realized computers could do the same thing, taking character rigs and programming simple instructions about movement, camera angles, and light levels—a practice spearheaded by Pixar.
Today, almost every major 3D animation project contains CGI elements and post-production. Animation software—including Maya, 3ds Max, and MotionBuilder from Autodesk—can automate the simulation of complicated elements such as ocean waves or hair.
When the environment of a scene is built in the software, you can place your virtual camera anywhere inside it. Shifts in this perspective can completely change the emotional context of a scene. And advanced pipeline management can help make production management, asset, and milestone tracking seamless.
Scale your studio’s rendering and simulation capabilities, while equipping artists with powerful modeling and animation tools
LAIKA
This animation studio is known for its unique handcrafted aesthetic, but uses a digitized workflow for the best of both worlds.
Image courtesy of Laika
SHADOWMACHINE
The animation studio’s first project to receive an Academy Award reimagines the classic children’s tale through stunning stop motion.
Image courtesy of Netflix
GHOST VFX
This studio was challenged to build a gigantic mythical creature with a permanent scowl, sharp teeth, and a scaly body—and to make him sympathetic instead of just scary.
Image courtesy of Netflix
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Like traditional handmade animation, CGI cartoon animation works by designing your world and the characters who will inhabit it—all with a style of their own.
Rather than hand-sketching or sequentially painting every frame, cartoon animation is the process of using motion, lighting, and camera-position parameters and rules in software. The computer then automatically renders each frame, breaking motion down into changes between frame states.
There are many advantages of using cartoon animation software. Here are just a few of the ways you can work smarter:
In basic terms, 3D adds depth to a scene or frame. Traditional animation comprised flat, two-dimensional drawings, with drawn background elements providing the illusion of depth behind foreground elements. 3D cartoon animation software builds a 3D space in which to situate characters, landscapes, backgrounds, and other elements that are necessary to build the story of a scene. Those elements are positioned in the space, and viewers’ eyes respond to those 3D spaces the same way they do in the real world.
