Hiiiii.... I hope you are well...

We are amazed with the awesome response we are

getting for Pixel Play... thank you!!!

Now that we have all been introduced to Animation, let us look a bit deeper in this
vast field. When speaking of Animation, the first term that we often come across is
2D which is for TWO DIMENSIONAL or 3D that is for THREE DIMENSIONAL.

For example, if we look at this piece of paper here, we can say that it is two
dimensional, that is 2D because practically, it only has a length and a width .
However, this Box is three dimensional because it has a length, a width and a depth
as well! So, this box is 3D.

Now in the context of Animation, objects that we work with in 2D animation are
merely flat, such as a picture or a photograph. Whereas in 3D animation objects are
like sculptures since they have a front, back, top and bottom.

Now, let's look at -

Traditional Animation -  
Traditional or Hand-drawn animation has its origins in the 19th century when the
folioscope and animated picture books called “flipbooks” were created. It makes use
of 2D hand-drawn frames. Therefore, the animator has to draw and colour each frame
manually. The original versions of many Disney films such as Jungle Book and The
Lion King were traditionally animated. It was also called Cel Animation because
animators used to place their drawings in chemical film sheets called cels, before
painting them. It’s only after the 1990’s that animators began digitally scanning
and colouring the animated frames, as the advancement in computers made the process
faster and easier.

Then we have Vector-Based 2D Animation -

Vector-Based 2D Animation makes use of digital puppets that can be manipulated and
changed to do an action, rather than drawing frames of the character’s action one-
by-one. Overall, traditional 2D Animation and Vector-Based 2D Animation can look
quite similar to the viewer, and certain software let people merge both hand-drawn
frames and the 2D puppets to make an animation.

Which brings me to 3D Animation -

3D Animation is also called CGI- Computer Generated Imagery. It is the most popular
style of animation in feature films currently, and is also extensively used in
video games. Characters in 3D animations aren’t drawn, but are digitally modelled
and manipulated by computers. These characters are posed at “key frames”, and the
computer then generates the images between two key frames to make the motion
smooth.

We also have Stop Motion Animation -

Stop Motion Animation involves the manipulation of real-world objects. Each object
is moved slightly and photographed one frame at a time. Playing these frames in a
quick progression leads to the illusion of movement. Clay models, puppets, Legos
and paper cut-outs are examples of objects used in stop motion animation.

And finally Motion Graphics -

Motion Graphics focuses on making interesting presentations with moving text and
illustrations. These animations can be both 2D and 3D and are made using special
software on computers that enable the animator to make smooth transitions between
the shape and movement of text and illustrations.

Animation sounds like a whole new world filled with imagination and creativity....
isn't it!!
And we feel really happy that we will be touching these basic Five Types of
Animation, thanks to some of the best mentors in India who have graciously agreed
to take time out especially for this!!

So... Join us on the 12th and 13th September for Pixel Play, a fun-filled action-
packed animation workshop online, and let’s explore this new dimension in learning.