If you recollect you'll need special spectacles to view 3D animation, this post is for y'all.

Kidding (sort of).

Simply frequently, people are confused by the differences betwixt 2D and 3D animation, and especially the processes involved in creating each blazon. There isn't a better type of animation, only it's important to understand how they each work to determine which is a better fit for your timeline and goals.

Each can serve a multitude of purposes and styles, all depending on the vision and goals of the project. While 2D animation appears flatter, it tin still issue in a clean, sophisticated appearance. Likewise, information technology can too be created with a unique, illustrated advent that can work well for many projects and brands. 3D animation gives you a full range of motion once a grapheme is rigged – which nosotros'll explain in a moment. Yous tin can actually come across effectually the final character, which gives information technology that crisp, life-like appearance.

We created the following 2D animation for the New York Council on Trouble Gambling.

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This 3D animation was created past our motion team for the University at Albany during the 2013 holidays.

Jeff Fugelsang, a motion graphics designer on Overit's Motion team, likens the comparison betwixt 2d and 3D animation to the deviation between drawing and sculpting. Either class tin can be customized to fit a wide range of styles and purposes, so selecting a technique really comes down to the client's preferences, goals, timeline and budget.

How 2D and 3D Animations Are Created

The procedure for creating both 2d and 3D animations typically begin the same way, and and then the path forks.

Regardless of the animation mode, animators will initially learn about the vision and goals that the client has going into the project. They volition create concepts and then illustrated storyboards to bring these ideas to life. Once a storyboard is approved, it enters the animatic stage, moving the images into the advisable blitheness software – which volition be different for 2d and 3D. The animatic is where audio clips and voiceover are added and motility is introduced to the characters. This is where things get vastly dissimilar.

When a 2d character is fatigued, the animator must illustrate the cardinal poses and scenes, including a cartoon in every frame, with 24 frames per second being the standard. Depending on the pace of the animation, a grapheme drawing can remain notwithstanding for a few frames at a time. The same is rarely true for 3D animations, which need to exist in near-constant move to go on their realistic appearance. It can be subtle, only living things blink, breathe and shift their posture, so realistic 3D animations must do the aforementioned. Afterward the animatic is created, the animator and then works to model and rig the graphic symbol. Modeling is essentially the process in which the grapheme is built, and so the rigging builds the character's skeletal structure underneath that allows animators to control the movements of the character. It's a bit similar creating a puppet.

Watch our mascot Stu get modeled!

Below, you'll find an image of 3D character rigging in progress.
Rigging

Time Investments for Creating 2D and 3D Animations

Timing will be entirely dependent upon the projection, and either can be created more than quickly – or slowly- based on various creative factors and customer requests. Creating a 3D animation is typically more fourth dimension-intensive upwardly front, with the demand to rig the character. Information technology's a highly-detailed process, merely one time information technology'south completed, the animators can re-use the character and change its poses over and over over again – which is an advantage for characters that will have a long life-bridge with their brand (i.east. The Geico gecko) or for us, the Catseye characters we created at Overit. This is too why 3D animations are more fourth dimension-efficient and cost-constructive for animated features from companies such as Pixar.

2nd animations can exist created more quickly for a specific video, and the work of the projection is typically more evenly distributed throughout the process. A different version of character rigging happens here, by using the 'boob pin' tool to make bendable points in the character's anatomy (elbows and knees, for instance). A rigged 2D character can be shown in phases throughout the process, allowing for more minor changes and flexibility (make him raise both arms, not just ane!)
2d

Deciding Between 2d and 3D Animation

Creating a 3D blitheness requires a strong understanding of the project betwixt the client and animators, as a lot of work will happen in the initial rigging process. The process in which the estimator compiles all of the animation work into video format typically takes longer, besides. However, once it's washed, it can be repurposed for time to come animations relatively easily.

In society to create a new video with a 2nd blitheness, yous may demand to describe new angles and positions for the grapheme rigs, which will take more than time if the necessary angles and puppet pins haven't been created upfront. If you can plan ahead from the first of your initial project, you tin communicate these potential needs for the time to come with your animation team. They can then piece of work to create the proper angles and puppet pins alee of time – for this project and futurity projects, so changes are easier to implement for hereafter animations.

How exercise you determine? A lot depends on your visual preferences, but also consider questions such every bit:

  • Do we plan on re-using this animated grapheme in future videos or advertisements?
  • Are we looking for a (potentially) permanent mascot or symbol for our brand?
  • Practise we desire to experiment with different characters in the future to target other segments?
  • What's our timeline?
  • What's our upkeep?
  • Where will these animations be displayed?
  • Should our animation be character-based, or information/process-based?

It's important to take a adept vision of the final video you wish to create, the audition you want to reach with information technology and the goals yous wish to attain, as they will heavily influence the conclusion to create 2D and/or 3D animations. One time you and your blitheness team both sympathise the intended purpose and goals for putting the animation to use, it'll become easier to make up one's mind which techniques to adopt.

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