3D computer animation involves creating and manipulating a digital model in a 3D graphics program. Keyframing is a common method used to create animations, and separate elements are often animated and composited together to create a final scene. The process begins with modeling an object and applying textures, then creating keyframes and adding details to create a realistic animation. The final scene is often created as individual pieces that are composited together.
3D computer animation is a type of animation created by creating and manipulating a digital model in a three-dimensional (3D) graphics program. There are several ways this animation can be created, although it often includes somewhat similar keyframing methods to those that have been used in traditional two-dimensional (2D) animation. When a 3D computer animated scene is viewed in its entirety, it is very likely that separate elements of a scene were individually animated and rendered, and then composited together to create the final animated sequence.
Creating computer animation usually begins with modeling the object that will be animated. Modeling is the process by which an object is created in virtual 3D space, using shapes and various tools to create the mesh for an object, and then applying different textures to that object. Once the model is created, it can be used to create 3D computer animations. Different methods can be used for this type of animation, often depending on the particular program being used, but there are certain approaches to such animation that are common regardless of the software.
One of the easiest ways to create 3D animation is through a process called keyframing. This involves creating keyframes, which are edited and adjusted to create a final animation. Someone who wants to roll a ball across a table, for example, could create a first keyframe of the ball at its initial position, re-time the animation, and then create a second keyframe of the ball at its final position. When the animator previews the animation, the ball will start at the first keyframe, then move to the second keyframe at a speed based on the time it set the second keyframe.
Adding details, such as spinning the ball as it rolls and changing the ball’s speed to make it appear more realistic at the start and finish, would be done in subsequent steps until the final 3D CGI was completed. This process, of course, gets more complicated based on the complexity of the animated object. Animating a person to smile is much more complicated than rolling a ball across a table, but similar methods are still used.
A final 3D computer animation scene is often created as individual pieces which are then composited together. If a scene consists of a man jumping up and down while a hose is spraying water behind him and a dog is nearby wagging its tail, each element can be created and animated separately. These three pieces will then be rendered, along with a separate background, and the various layers can be composited together to create a final scene.
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