5 Types of Computer Animation

Computer Animation

Computer technology changed the animation world. Computer Animation introduces a very wide range of techniques, but in reality is any animation that is created digitally using a computer.

While forms of computer animation have been around since the 1960s, it came into general use in the 1990s when animators created using it alongside traditional animation. It is more controllable and faster than traditional animation.

5 Types of Animation

1. Traditional Animation

Traditional animation is one of the older forms of animation. Traditional animation is sometimes referred hand-drawn or cel animation and, for most of the 20th Century, many modern animated films were created this way. It was a very lengthy process.

Thousands of images were drawn totally by hand on acetate sheets, or cel, with each cel being somewhat different from the one before it. Each cel was photographed onto a separate frame of the film so that when the film reel was played, the animation moved.

2. 2D Vector Based Animation

2D Animation style has very popular in the last decade due to the accessibility of the technology. The growth of online video is increasing. Flash is easy to use, as are other vector-based animation programs.

2D animation is the term often used when referring to traditional hand-drawn animation, but it can also refer to computer vector animations that adopt the techniques of traditional animation. Vector-based animations, meaning computer generated 2D animations, uses the same techniques as traditional animation.

3. 3D Animation

3D animation works in a totally different way than traditional animation. Both require an understanding of the same principles of composition and movement, but the technical skill set is very different for each task. While in traditional animation requires you to be an incredible draftsman, computer animation doesn’t.

3D animation, also referred to as CGI or CG. It is made by generating images using computers. That series of images are the frames of an animated shot.

The animation techniques of 3D animation have a lot of similarities with stop-motion animation, as both deal with animating and posing models and however conforms to the frame-by-frame approach of 2D animation, but it is a lot more controllable as it’s in a digital workspace.

3D animation is digitally modelled in the program and then fitted with a ‘skeleton’ that allows animators to move the models. A 3D animator spends most of their time looking at curves which represent the movement of different body parts over time.

4. Motion Graphics

It is considered a form of animation. Motion graphics is little different from the other types of animation. Unlike the other types on our list, it is not character or story driven. It is the art of creatively moving graphic texts or elements, usually for commercial or promotional purposes.

Think animated logos, app commercials, explainer videos, television promos or film opening titles.

The process of creating Motion Graphics depends on the programs used since video editing software often has different UI or settings, but the idea is the same. Motion Graphics usually involves animating images, texts or video clips using key framing that is tweened to make a smooth motion between frames.

5. Stop Motion

The process of Stop motion is done by taking a photo of an object, and then moving a little bit and then taking another picture. The process is repeated and when the photos are played one after another they give the illusion of movement.

Stop-motion is a simple but time-consuming, as each object has to be carefully moved frame by frame, while it is being photographed every frame, to create a fluid sequence of animation.

This is similar to traditional animation, but it uses real life materials instead of drawings.