For several years animation has been exclusively within the realm of the entertainment industry. It used to be a process that demanded lots of time, people and equipment. Nevertheless, thanks to the ubiquity of computers, the animation process has turned much simpler. In the past, tens of animators with celluloid, paint and pencils were needed to carry through what today a single person is able to accomplish with just a computer and a piece of software.

Computer animation can be basically divided into two categories: 2D and 3D animation. 2D is the abbreviation of “two-dimensional” and as its name implies it is rendered in a two-dimensional space. Its most popular expressions can be found on television in the form of classical cartoons, or while you are surfing the web in the form of online ads or e-cards, to name but a few. 2D animation is also called “vector animation” and it is generally produced with software like Adobe Flash, among many others.

2 – What is the difference between computer animation and traditional animation?

Basically there are three main differences between computer animation and traditional animation: The tools used to create each type of animation, the effort and cost of each animation process, and the quality of the final result.

Although both 2D and 3D animation can be produced by mathematical interpolation between key frames or by frame-by-frame animation, they are totally different processes that require different steps and types of software.

Traditional 2D animation involves: hand-drawing several individual frames, transferring them to clear plastic celluloid, hand-paint them, and finally filming them in sequence over a painted background image. This process obviously involves a great deal of cleanup artists, painters, directors, background artists, camera crews, storyboard artists, script writers, labor, equipment, money, and of course, time.

Traditional 3D animation used to involve still-lifes of claymations filmed with stop-motion techniques, but the widespread use of computers has turned it into a more seamless process.

3 – Why there’s such an abundance of computer animation programs?

For the untrained eye it may look as if there are lots of computer animation software that basically do the same thing. But this is not correct. Computer animation can be broken down into two categories: 2D animation and 3D animation. There is software specifically created with 2D animation in mind, and the same holds true for 3D animation. In turn, within animation subcategories, each piece of software can be classified by purpose and functionality. Furthermore, computer animation is applied in a wide array of fields and that is why it is commonplace for computer animation professionals to develop their own software in order to cater to their specific needs.

4 – What is the right computer animation software for me?

This, of course, depends on what you would like to use the software for. In order to reduce the choices, first of all you should decide if you will work on 2D animation or on 3D animation. Then it’s just a matter of knowing what your computer is able to run. Finally decide how much you can or are willing to spend in software.

With technology as it stands today, it is possible to create a lifelike walkthroughs and videos which look exactly like the real thing. This helps give people a much better idea of what to expect from a final result. Because of this, it is often favoured by a number of commercial entities and of course professional graphic designers.

Graphic design is something that anyone can get started with. There are various amateur programs which are designed to have a relatively easy learning curve. However, when it comes to learning the more complicated things, graphic design is indeed a highly specialist subject which requires highly trained professionals to create good results.

You can see many great samples on the Internet of graphic design. This graphic design may be used to create everything from complex engineering plans to super modern interior designs. There are many different uses for this sort of technology, and it has a wide range of purposes.

Graphic design is also used in the film and video gaming industry. To create lifelike scenery whether it is in the movies or in video games, design is what is used to perfect this. In fact, in films, CGI is use very commonly these days and this is basically a form of graphic design.

To get started with design, you can start with some tutorials on the Internet. You may find it a highly rewarding experience, but if you are kneading some professional graphic designs for various reasons, then you will need to be prepared to pay a fairly reasonable amount of money to hire the services of a professional.

There are many professional graphic designers out there. You should be able to find plenty on the Internet and also you should be able to view portfolios of their work. This can be extremely good because you will get a much better idea of what to expect from them. Certain graphic designers specialise in different areas.

To put it simply any moving image that has been made to do so by the computer is computer animation. The technique used is a way to create the illusion of movement one image on the screen quickly is replaced by another one that is almost identical to the first one but not exact. It happens this same way with other media such as television and movies. Computer animation is just another method of creating animation by way of automation or computer technology. The principals are the same as when they are done by hand, it is just the computer is able to do much of the preparation work and rendering of the finished version. It duplicates the stop motion techniques of 3D and framing by 2D.

Using the computer for animation is a systematic process. To begin with, the object is built on the computer monitor. These are the models. Then the 3D figures have to have a virtual skeleton. To get the major movements such as for the eyes, mouth or clothing for example then the computer will create an action called tweening or morphing. When dealing with 3D animations it is important to remember that all of the same fundamentals and basics of animation are utilized. In this case, though modeling must be complete prior to rendering. The rendering in tweened frame is done as needed.

As you can see with 3D animation, the majority of the work is done through the computer. Although the computer does the work it has to receive the instructions to do so, and that is where the 3D animator’s job comes in. This means besides the fundamentals keen computer skills and a thorough knowledge of the capabilities of the software are a necessity.