Skip to main content

Concise Step-by-Step Guide to Create an Awesome 3D Animation Video



The 3D animation video is beautiful; the process and the end product! Animation production is all about pipelining the path between what goes on in the creator’s mind to the screen which the world can see! Understand all the elements of 3D animation making; that indeed is the first step to creating your very own video or judge one as well. Or, look like a pro in front of a 3D animation company in USA, Canada or any other location!

Step 1: Pre- Production

A.Story - This is the base of any video animation. The vision of the movie or film is what the storyline is all about. Creators generally develop the script at this stage. The reference point for any production-related queries is resolved via this step.

B.Storyboarding - Here, the script is beautifully broken down into clusters, also known as scenes. It’s almost like a 90s 3D animation; graphic enough!

C.Editorial I - The editorial team comes in here and together, they’ll create an animatic, derived from the boards. Aspects like sound effects, temporary music and so on are taken care of here. Post that, the dialogues are worked on; the old dialogues from the scene are scraped out and re-recorded, which are used for the video.

D.Visual Development - Concept artists come in here and create the visuals of the film. Characters, props, scenery and so on are created here. The director and team can now work on the shooting.

E.Pre- Visualization - Also known as previs, here, the artists work rigorously with the script and storyboards in order to create the film in a 3D environment. This is done using the computer. Here’s the real video animation taking place, mostly!

Step 2 : Production

A.Modeling - Transformation of 2D concepts into 3D models. Refinement is done until the director feels satisfied; very crucial step.

B.Surfacing - Surfacing artists are the professionals who work on this; colors, shaders, textures and so on are created here. The objective is to find the right texture which is approved by the art director.

C.Rigging - 3D skeletons to characters are built and attached here. It acts as the puppet which animators can use to bring the character to life! The riggers build the skeleton such that it can move joints and so on with the control of the controller. 

D.Set Dressing - Stereo composition, 3D set preparation and other aspects are looked into here. Another crucial production step. Without this the shooting just can’t happen; it’ll look like a 2D video, otherwise.

E.Character Animation - 3D animators use computers to pose characters via the rig which was created by the rigging department. The job here is to tell the story via expressions, movements and related aspects. 

F.Crowds - This department takes care of the ‘extras’ in a crowd. There may be scenes in the movie wherein, crowds are required. These professionals take care of realism in the shot for the best outcomes.

G.Simulation - character effect artists come here. The props on a character like feathers, fur and so on are created by these professionals.

H.FX - FX artists are known for their fine motor skills. Leaving traces to post a bombing scene, for instance, is what they expertise in. In simple words, the fine details are what they take care of.

I.Technical Director - The heroes here take care of troubleshooting aspects in the production pipeline.

J.Matte Painting - Anything outside the set like mountains, vistas, skies and so on are created here. This is the job of the art department.

k.Lighting - One of the key elements in custom 3D animation. Where the light needs to come from for 3D effects and so on is what is taken care of here

Step 3 : Post- Production

A.Compositing - Here, additional elements like color tweaking, depth of field and atmospheric elements are looked into. It can make a shot look outstanding!.

B.Music and Sound Designing - The sound effects and music throughout the short animated videos are added here. It’s pretty fun to see how these voices are created.

C.Editorial II - Editing is done here post-film compilation. It’s amazing and extremely time-consuming, if not done right!.

D. Color Grading - Coloring throughout the movie is done here. Color graders ensure a particular color theme is maintained throughout the film.  

To end with…
It is definitely recommended for you to hire a video animation company to help you develop a film as per your requirements. However, give it a shot and see if you’re made for it!

Comments