← Animation Glossary

3D Animation

3D animation is a type of animation that makes pictures look like they're popping out of the screen. It's like watching a movie, but everything you see is made on a computer. The characters and objects in 3D animation are designed to look like they have depth and can move in three directions - up/down, left/right, and forwards/backwards. It's like a virtual world that you can explore!

Please note that 3D Animation is not directly applicable to Brush Ninja.

The animation industry has seen a significant shift towards 3D animation in recent years. It has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for animators, allowing them to create visually stunning and complex animations that were previously impossible with traditional 2D animation methods.

One of the main advantages of 3D animation is the ability to create lifelike characters with realistic movements and expressions. Achieving this level of realism is made possible through rigging, which involves creating a system of bones and controls within the digital model.

Additionally, 3D animation provides flexibility in terms of camera movements and lighting. Animators can move the camera around objects, fly through environments, and change angles seamlessly. The ability to manipulate lighting in real-time also allows for different moods and atmospheres within a scene.

However, there are challenges associated with 3D animation that animators must overcome. One of the biggest obstacles is the time-consuming nature of the process. Creating detailed 3D models can take a significant amount of time. Additionally, rendering (converting the image from a 3d shape to a 2d image that can be displayed on a screen) the finished product can take hours or even days depending on the complexity of the scene.

Another challenge is maintaining consistency throughout the animation process. With traditional 2D animation, it is easier to maintain a consistent style. However, with 3D animation, there is a risk that different artists may create models or textures that don’t match the overall style of the project, leading to inconsistencies within the finished product.

To overcome these challenges, many animators use specialized software such as Maya, Blender, or Cinema 4D. These programs provide powerful tools for creating detailed models and allow for real-time manipulation during the animation process.

If you are interested in trying 3d art and animation then Blender is a great choice since it’s totally free. You can download it from blender.org.

3D animation has revolutionized the animation industry, providing animators with powerful tools to create complex and visually stunning animations. The ability to create lifelike characters with realistic movements and expressions, coupled with the flexibility in camera movements and lighting, has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for animators.

Animation Terms

2

2D Animation

3

3D Animation

A

Alpha Channel

Ambient sound

Animation

Anti-Aliasing

Anticipation

Aspect Ratio

B

Bezier Curve

Bitmap

Blue Screen

Bone Animation

Bounce

Broadcast Standards

C

Camera Angle

Camera Shake

Casting

Cel Animation

Character Animation

Character Design Sheets

Cinematic lighting

Claymation

Clean-up

Close-up

Color Correction

Color Grading

Compositing

Composition

Concept Art

Continuity editing

Cross-cutting

Cut

Cutout nimation

D

Depth of Field

Dialogue

Dissolve

Distributed Rendering

Dolby Atmos

Dope Sheet

Dutch Angle

E

Easing

Emitter

Exaggeration

Eyedropper

F

Foley

Follow through

Forward Kinematics

Frame Rate

Frame

Framing

Freeze Frame

G

Ghosting

GIF File Format

Golden Ratio

Graph Editor

H

High key lighting

Hue and Saturation

I

Inertia

Infographic Animation

Inverse Kinematics

J

Joint

JPEG File Format

Jump cut

K

Keyframe Interpolation

Keyframe

Kinetic typography

L

Layers

Lens distortion

Level of Detail

Lighting

Line of action

Lip syncing

Low key lighting

M

Match cut

Matte painting

Montage

Morphing

Motion blur

Motion capture

Motion graphics

Motion path

Motion trail

Mouth shapes

MP3 File Format

MP4 File Format

N

Network rendering

Non-linear editing

O

Occlusion culling

Onion skinning

Overlapping action

P

Pan

Parallel rendering

Particle system

Persistance of Vision

Phonemes

Playback speed

Plot

PNG File Format

Pose-to-pose animation

Props

Puppet animation

R

Render farm

Rendering

Resolution

Rigging

Rotoscoping

Rule of thirds

Run cycle

S

Safe zone

Scene

Score

Screenplay

Script

Shot

Silhouette

Skeletal animation

Slow Motion

Smears

Sound Design

Sound effects

Soundtrack

Special Effects

Split screen

Squash and Stretch

Staging

Stop Motion Animation

Storyboard

Straight-ahead Animation

T

Time Remapping

Timeline

Timing

Title Card

Title Sequence

Tracking shot

Tweening

V

Vector graphics

Visemes

Voice acting

Voice-over Narration

W

Walk cycle

WebM File Format

Weighting

Wide shot

Z

Z-depth

Zoom

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