3D Animation Techniques

Flash animation, Motion Capture Animation, Cel Shaded Animation

3D Animation Techniques

If you wish to excel in 3D animation then you must learn the basic 3D animation techniques. If you are studying animation from an online course or from a short course in animation then these basic things will surely be on the top of the curriculum. These are not only learned techniques but are also mastered to enhance your talents and skills in giving high quality 3D animation.
3D animation uses polygons and shapes to create character movement and set movement as well. Models which are also called armatures are usually used to capture fluid motion. Here are some of the common 3D animation techniques:

Traditional Techniques

1.    Flash animation – this is a common technique used in computer animation. Flash animation began as a personal project of programmer Jonathan Gay and was introduced as the Macromedia Flash software. This file is distributed in .swf file format and has a certain movement and visual style. There are numerous advantages of Flash animation, it can integrate bitmaps and video, are created by using only vectors making the overall appearance of your animation clean and are graphically presentable. Flash cartoons have made their mark in the Internet making Flash animation interchangeable similar to online animation and webtoons. There are popular online sites where you can create Flash animation; Toon Boom, Anime Studio and Express Animator are just some of these noteworthy sites.

2.    Motion Capture Animation – may have begun in the 1970’s but it is still one of the 3D animation techniques used today. In making animated films, motion capture animation records actions of human actors to generate and animate a digital character initially in 2D and then incorporated into a 3D computer animation model. This animation technique is not only used in making animation movies ad clips but also in military simulations, entertainment industry, in medical applications and also in sports. In motion capture animation, up to the last movement may be captured like finger movements, facial expressions and subtle body and facial movements.

3.    Cel Shaded Animation – may also be called cell shading or toon shading is a 3D animation technique wherein computer graphics are shaded to appear like they are hand drawn. A typical 3D is made and then a black ink line is placed on the contours of the image. This is often seen in 3D games and movies where a silhouette of the character is produced.

There may be other 3D animation techniques but these 3 are the basic that you will learn in any animation course. It is important to master these techniques and learn all you can in by watching 3D animation in various genres and styles. Making your own technique is also a rewarding experience and this is done through constant practice to perfect your craft.

It is also advised for any 3D animator to learn from other expert animators to perfect or improve their own technique. Not everything may be learned in school or an online training course so take time to learn through trial and error as well.

Related articles

• 3D Animation Schools (animationsoftware3d.net)
• 3d Animation Software – 3D Animation Software (animationsoftware3d.net)
• 3d Animation Software – Choosing Between All The 3D Animation Software Available (animationsoftware3d.net)
• Illusion Mage Review (animationsoftware3d.net)
• The basics of Graphic Designing (pixelsmithstudios.com)