3D animations for videos and pictures are a growing trend in today’s world. From video games to television advertisements and series, there are a plethora of arenas where 3D animations have shown their magic. Three-dimensional art forms originated in the 1960s but grew popular after their application in Toy Story. 3D animation is an increasingly rapid genre, a highly competitive field to get into!
If you’re wondering where to get started and how to create the most realistic 3D animations, we have mentioned simple steps to get started in this article!
Steps to make 3D Animations
Concept
Nothing can be built without a concept, and the same principle is applied to 3 animations as well. The storyline of the original piece is key to building the best concepts for animation. For instance, famous companies like Pixar spend 2-3 years building the right script and drawing sketches before they begin production.
Storyboarding
Once the script and concepts are finalized, storyboarding is essential to know the story’s sequence of events. Generally, a professional storyboard artist is hired to get the job done with a cinematic direction. This step is like a blueprint that governs the creativity and production process.
3D Modeling
Modeling is the process followed to construct characters and objects with the help of a mathematical representation of all or certain elements of the sketch. For example, software tools like Autodesk Maya, Blender, and Z-brush are sued to create a mesh and generate rudimentary shapes like spheres, cubes, planes, and so on.
Texturing
Texturing refers to the outer finishing of the object, which can be anything from skin or clothing to brickwork or metal, depending on the object under consideration. Again, hiring a texture artist at this stage of 3D animation is recommended.
Skinning and Rigging
Rigging mainly refers to developing pictures and skeletons in character for animation, which allows for their movement and interactions. Once this is done with the help of riggers, skinning is performed to smoothen out all the mechanics present underneath the object.
Animation
This is the main part where the created storyboard is made to line with the characters created. Since the 3D character is created from scratch, it is important to do the right animations for the characters to look realistic. Therefore, a 3D animator will generally go through a series of options before delivering the final look.
Rendering
Rendering, also called image synthesis, refers to generating a 3D animation with the help of a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). By putting the developed render equation into the software, it can develop a 3D animated scene.
VFX and composting
After the image and animation go through multiple processes of rendering, a final draft is ready, which is called composting. This process will take care of fine elements like shadows, lighting, and others! In addition, VFX effects are added to the animation at this stage, along with music and foley.
Final output
Once all the editing and re-editing are done for the final 3D animation, the final 3D animated output is ready for use.