As more and more artists use computers to create animations, 3D animations are becoming quite popular. Previously, only artists at a few large companies had access to the software needed to create a 3D animated movie. However, today more people have access to this software and more companies use it for various reasons. Currently, even mobile phones with 3D screens are being developed.
To understand how 3D animation is created, you’ll need to understand how 2D animation works. Before the computer age, artists drew slides with slightly modified images and then displayed the series of slides one after the other. For example, if the artist wanted to show a falling ball; then they would draw the ball a little further down the second slide, and even further down the third slide and so on. When the slides were presented at a certain speed, the illusion of a moving ball was created.
The problem with this method was that it was very time consuming and tedious. The time required to create the frames was soon reduced because computers could be programmed to create the frames between the start and end positions of objects. The artist would only have to make corrections if necessary or add other elements to the frames. The copy and paste option also ensured that much of the work could be done quickly.
However, the moving images created with the 2D techniques were not really up to the task because they did not look realistic enough. 3D animation made it possible for movies to look more natural and thus this technology was adopted even though it is more difficult to make such a movie.
The first step in 3D animation is drawing characters. The artist sketches images of the characters from as many angles as possible so that the character modeler can create the 3D model. The character modeler then chooses from a variety of methods to sculpt the model in much the same way that a sculptor uses clay or stone to make an actual sculpture. The only difference is that this is done on a virtual platform.
After this, the scene is built and the characters are set in motion by the animator who uses software to create the illusion of movement by giving the starting and ending positions of the desired movements.
Since this creates a more realistic movie, people like to watch it. Naturally, it is becoming one of the most popular ways of making movies.