There is a vast difference between 2D and 3D animation software. A 2D animation program will give you the ability to draw or import images and adjust frames, but 3D animation requires many more tools and features. This is because you are working with a completely new axis, and the designs themselves are technically more complex. The best way to explain what 3D animation software is would be by describing the major features you can expect from this type of software.

Modeling

The majority of 3D animation programs have a modeling feature. This is where artists create characters, objects and scenery. The whole process starts by creating a grid map for the architecture of the object, but none of the colors and textures. These are added later after the object is properly mapped.

There are some 3D animation programs that don’t have modeling features as they focus only on the animation portion and not modeling and creating objects.

Bone Mapping

One of the most important features of 3D animation software is bone mapping. This creates virtual bones within the character or object. This feature allows the artist to create joints, and it ensures that the character can properly move. For example, the artist can add an elbow to a character. This ensures that the arm moves properly when the motions are animated.

Virtual Camera

The virtual camera acts like a real camera in the digital space. This is a feature that allows the artist to record motion at different angles. Combining different angles, just like with a real camera, can create dramatic scenes. Many 3D artists use techniques similar to cameramen to create scenes.

Motion Paths

There are several different ways that 3D animation software allows an artist to create motion paths, but it really boils down to two different methods. The artist can create all of the motions by hand. This process is arduous and takes a long time, but it is often cheaper (if one does not consider the amount of time it takes) and allows the artist to perform inhuman or difficult to perform contortions if they are needed for the animation.

The other method is through motion tracking. An actor will wear special equipment and he or she will then perform certain movements. A camera and the equipment will convert the movements into data, which can then be used in the animation. This method requires more money because an actor has to be hired, but it often saves a lot of time.

Frames

Just like its 2D counterpart, 3D animation software allows artists to create different frames. This is practically identical to creating frames with 2D animation, but some simple motions can be created with little effort. For example, the artist needs to make a 3D logo appear as if it is popping out at the audience. A 2D program would require the artist to draw the logo incrementally getting bigger to simulate this effect.

A 3D artist would start the first frame with the logo as a small size, and then the artist would just increase the size of the logo and place it on the last frame. The program would understand that the logo has to get bigger, and it would do the incremental work without further instruction.

Conclusion

3D animation software is very similar to 2D animation software in some respects, but it has many other features due to the technical nature of 3D animation. While these programs are more advanced, they typically aren’t that difficult to use with a bit of training. You can often figure out all of the tools yourself with a book or in a few months with a class.

There are many different animation software packages on the market. But still, it’s pretty hard to choose the right one. Isn’t it? In this article I will point out some of the main things which you should do before purchasing 3D Animation software. Customer support, features and reasonable prices all play an important role in choosing the right software. In the next following paragraphs I will point out some of the key factors that might help you.

How to Choose

Features:  It’s great when software has lots of features, but the more important is that those features must help you to improve your skill. This animation program might have tons of different features, but if you can’t understand them then they are useless. So they have to be user friendly and understandable!

Interface: Again, the software outlook must be as simple as possible. It should have straightforward interface, because when it’s confusing then you might loose your interest pretty quickly. So when you are amateur you better start with more “easy” stuff.

Customer support/Tutorials: Now, this is the most important factor while you are choosing the right computer software to purchase. The program MUST come with step by step tutorials or even VIDEOS! If you are amateur or just starting off then you most likely want some simple guidelines to start making animations, don’t you? So, before your order something, please check if they have some kind of customer support or some kind of tutorials available. If it’s not coming with decent guidelines then you probably touch this software for a few days and then you just leave it… In that case, it’s wasted money.

Price: Animation software packages not very cheap. However, everything below $100 is reasonable. If you find a product which is over $100 then you have to check out whether it comes with some kind of bonuses or not. If the software itself costs over $150 then it’s probably a rip-off or made for professionals.

Performance: It’s good when it’s runs smoothly on your computer. It’s even better when you can do other things while you are making animations. For example, you should be able to chat on facebook or msn and maybe watch some video tutorials while you are making animations. However, most of the latest animation wares are quite clean and neat so you don’t have to worry about that.

What I recommend to you?

I have to admit that I have tried several different animations softwares in my life. Some of them are great, some of them are not so good. However, me and my friends think that “Illusion Mage” is on of the Greatest Animation Softwares on the market. It has won many different tests and most of the time it’s on the top of different review charts. Furthermore, it has great quality and it’s also affordable for beginners.

One of the Greatest – Illusion Mage

One of the main reasons why we think it’s the best 3D animation software is because it has hundreds of features and it’s VERY user friendly. One of my friend, Michael, who is now working in the Sony Pictures, helped me to point out the main advantages of this software:

• Price was over $200, now they have package starting from $40..
• Very amateur friendly interface, easy to use
• Comes with .PDF tutorials and 6 hours of video lessons
• It’s suits for amateurs as well a professionals
• No special skill required
• etc.

To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend this to guys who are just starting off, because of the price..BUT..if they are still running their discount campaign, then you better get it. I really don’t know any other software with so HIGH QUALITY and so CHEAP.

Try IllusionMage risk-free!  There is a 60 day money-back-guarantee. If you aren’t completly satisfied, we’ll refund your money!

bestanimationsoftwarereview.com rating for this product:

9,6/10

CHECK FOR DISCOUNTS / OFFICIAL WEBSITE

I really hope that this article helped you. If you want to discuss about this software then feel free to leave a comment. Furthermore, don’t forget to check testimonials about Illusion Mage.

In this article I will show you some of the amazing pictures which have all been done by animation software – Illusion mage. I have only collected some of them, but I hope you like my collection. Here we go!

3D animation process with Illusion mage

Beautiful girl in 3D

Creation process (Illusion mage)

Burning cat – 3D animation

Friendly robot

We all know that one, don’t we ?

If you want to add some pictures to this gallery, then please feel free. Leave picture under the comment or just send it to me: info@bestanimationsoftwarereview.com

There are many free and paid 3D animation programs out there, and you might think that free are better because you don’t have to pay between $50 to $100 or more for the program. While no one likes paying money, you need to know that paid programs are always better. Don’t believe me? Then read on to find out why. You will save hours of time, and you’ll definitely be happy you spent the paltry amount on a professional program.

Watermarks

Many free programs create watermarks on your animation once it is finished and exported. The watermark is usually subtle, but it might be prominently featured in the center of your movie. That may not be too bad if you are just figuring out 3D animation for the first time and you don’t want anyone else to see your movie just yet, but it’s inexcusable if you want to be taken seriously.

Weaker Tools and Processing

Free 3D animation programs typically have fewer tools than paid programs, and the tools that are available usually aren’t as good. For example, a paid program might have tools to easily create a grid map of a character or object. A free version might have similar tools, but they may lack the finesse of the paid tools.

Processing is also weaker. These movies require a lot of processing work. The objects, movements, renderings and textures all need to be processed in order for your computer to output the desired image. A free program is typically made for very small animations that last a few minutes at most. They aren’t made for larger movies that professionals would create.

Arbitrary Limitations

Many free 3D programs have arbitrary limitations in order to force you to buy a license for the professional version. For example, you might be able to create movies that are a maximum of 5 minutes, or you might not gain access to certain tools. Paid versions do not have these arbitrary limitations.

Many people who use free programs try to work around these limitations, and that can create some very bad habits if you are new to 3D animation. Buying a paid program allows you to properly learn the art of 3D animation.

Better Importing and Exporting

Free programs typically restrict the importing and exporting of files. A professional 3D artist will typically have to jump between several different programs to successfully create a 3D animation, and you need to have the ability to insert new files in your movie if you want everything to be perfect.

Professional Results

Creating a professional 3D movie requires a lot more than simple character creation and motion paths. You need to create a non-destructive animation layer, proper renderings and textures, finger and mouth articulation, muscular formation and movements, geometry tools for complex movements and deformers for proper animation.

A free tool just doesn’t give you all of these tools, or this power. You can only get professional results from a professional program.

Conclusion

Yes, you can create a 3D movie with a free animation program. However, you will spend dozens of more hours trying to do it, you’ll wrack your brain trying to get around the arbitrary limitations and you still won’t have a movie that looks professional. If you want to make something to show off your talents, then you need to buy a professional 3D animation program.

You all know Avatar, right? Well, this movie was fully made in 3D animation, it cost A LOT of money, but it’s still one of most watched movies. However, this is not only famous movie which is made in 3D, actually there are hundreds of similar films. For example: Toy Story 3, How to train your dragon and Monsters vs. Aliens. If suggest you to check empireonline – they have a list of top 20 Best 3D movies.

In this post I will show you some clips made by 3D animation and also some videos which are made by the best animation software – Illusion mage. I hope you enjoy watching them.

Avatar (2009)

Toy Story 3

How To Train Your Dragon

Illusion 3D animation – introduction

I hope you now know more about 3D animations. If you have some awesome video you want to share, then please contact me through contact form, leave comment or just e-mail. If your video is great, I will surely add this to our collection!

Have a nice day!

Illusion Mage is known as one of the best 3D animation programs and Flash is known as one of the best 2D animation programs, but how do you get these two to work together? While Flash has had some remarkable changes that make it easier to work with 3D objects, it still isn’t a 3D animation program, so Illusion Mage files cannot be directly imported into Flash. However, there are a few workarounds that you can use to get your files into Flash from Illusion Mage. It’s a little tricky and you might have to do some extra work, but there are many people that have been able to get their Illusion Mage animations into a Flash format.

Export from Illusion Mage

Illusion Mage is unable to make Flash files directly, but there are many other export options that you can use directly from Illusion Mage that can be easily converted into a Flash format. Open your animation and then go to either “Save As” or “Export” to begin.

You will be able to choose from several different movie file formats. While there are a few good candidates, the best one is AVI followed by MP4. Both of these work very well for this purpose because they can easily be changed into FLV files.

Converting the Files

The next thing you need to do is actually convert the files into a Flash format. There are many converters you can use that will turn AVIs and MP4s into FLV files. One of the best is Adobe Media Encoder, but there are many other options available online.

Just open the converter, insert your movie file and set the output to FLV. You should be able to add the file into Flash after this.

If you don’t have a converter or cannot install one (due to OS difficulties or other issues), then you can actually use YouTube for this purpose. Upload the AVI or MP4 to YouTube. If you don’t want people to see the video, then just set the display to Private. This ensures that only you can see it.

You then need to download the file after putting it on YouTube. You can use one of the various YouTube downloading programs that are freely available online, or you can do it yourself. Just go to “Window,” and then “Activity,” or any other option that shows all of the files being displayed on the Web page. Double-click the FLV file to download it.

Another Workaround

There is another workaround that will enable you to save your Illusion Mage file directly as an ActionScript 3.0 object. There are several scripts floating around, such as this one, that allow you to save the objects as Flash files, but you need to be careful when using these.

The scripts are good, but they tend to only convert the basic information about the object. You typically can’t get any texture information from the object, so this is only good for basic objects without any additional work done to them. You also need to have a 3D engine like Away3D, Papervision3D or Sandy.

Problems and Issues

While these workarounds should work, some people receive errors or run into issues when trying to change a Illusion Mage file into a Flash one. If the file doesn’t work, then try increasing the bit rate. This should make it easier for Flash to read.

You should also try different codecs if the one you’re using is giving you issues. One of the better codecs for this is h264, but there are many others that will work for this purpose.

Make sure you have Python enabled with Illusion Mage if you are using the script above. The script is made in Python, and it will not work unless you have it enabled.

If the models don’t look correct in Flash, then try fixing the normal calculations from Illusion Mage. This should fix any issues if the models look off.

Conclusion

Converting Illusion Mage to Flash isn’t that difficult, and this gives you the ability to use both 2D and 3D animation software together as needed to create your masterpiece. Just be sure to follow this tutorial, and you should have no problem getting your Illusion Mage file into Flash. If you run into any issues, then just follow the troubleshooting steps above to correct any problems you face.

If you have paid attention to animated films for the last decade, then you know that 3D animation is definitely on the rise. While 2D animation largely dominates TV, 3D animation has become the predominant form of animation for American movies. You have probably seen many examples of 3D animation, but what is it really? This article will explain the major phases behind creating an animation with 3D technology, and other information that will help you understand exactly what this is.

What is 3D Animation?

In a nutshell, 3D animation is when a movie file is created with various techniques that are aimed at stimulating the physical world with 3D objects and characters. Traditional animation, better known as 2D animation, uses flat drawings to create a scene with an X and Y axis. While shading and other techniques are used to simulate depth, 3D animation actually creates depth by providing an X, Y and Z axis to every scene.

Unlike 2D animation that can be made on a piece of paper without any technology (though more advanced animations will require technology), 3D animation cannot be made without the use of specialized software.

Phases of Animation

There are three main phases when creating a 3D animation. The first phase is all about modeling. The artists will work on modeling the objects, scenery, characters and anything else important to the piece. For example, a spaceship may be required for a science-fiction movie. The artists will create a grid model, which will then be covered with colors and textures to make it look realistic.

The second phase is all about setting up the scene and moving the important pieces. This involves placing the characters and objects where they need to be, setting the camera at the appropriate angle (all 3D animation programs have a camera function) and creating motion paths so that all of the objects and characters move appropriately.

The final phase is finishing the images and rendering all of the effects. For example, artists typically won’t create light effects when first making a scene. They will instead focus on creating objects and making them move. The light effects, such as how light interacts with a character’s movements, will be added during this phase. This is because the effects are typically easiest to add since artists don’t need to constantly conform the effects to new motion paths if directors want characters or objects to move differently.

Creating Objects

There are many different ways that artists can create objects. Many artists rely on making the object from scratch. They will create a 3D grid without any assistance, and thus will create an entirely unique object.

Others modify existing image maps. You can find many websites where people sell pre-made objects that you can change and modify for your needs. If you don’t want to create a horse, then just buy a horse image map and most of the work will be done for you.

The third way that artists create objects (and motion paths) is to film actors moving around with special equipment that records their movements. This makes it easier to create the motion path, and artists can easily place the details and colors over the actor’s 3D representation.