The animation process is a path through which a video goes from a maker’s brain to the screen to be seen by the whole world. Understanding the elements involved in this process is the foremost step in getting your vision on the screen.
Before you start working on your animation, you should to have a plan that includes the team, the scope of the project and the budget, will require to bring your production to life.
Understanding the work flow of your animation is important to successfully manage your production and team to complete the video timely manner and within budget.
To help you understand better, we have broken down the process of animation into steps associated with each phase. This will help you create a better production plan and a smoother experience.
Pre-production
1.Story
The story is the backbone of the video you are going to make. It the idea in your head about the movie. During this stage, the makers write and develop the video script. It acts as a reference point for the other elements involved in the 3D animation production process.
2. Storyboarding
This is where the script gets broken down into different scenes and drawn into separate panels just like a graphic novel. It allows the director of the animation to envision the progress of the story so she or he can decide what works and doesn’t work in the movie and take creative decisions appropriately with other artists involved in this production stage.
3. Editorial
Once the creator finalizes the storyboard, it is sent to the editorial team who create an animatic out of it. By closely working with the director, editorial team show the different beats of the story and including rough timing and dialogues wherever necessary. The reel created by the editorial team includes the scratch voices, temporary music, sound effect and storyboard images. This becomes the movie’s foundation.
After the animatic is complete, talents record the dialogue for the movie. The editorial team replaces the scratch dialogue with real dialogue.
4.Look development/Visual Development
Concept artists and the visual development team make what the movie will really look like but including backgrounds, color pallets, props, environments, and characters. This provides the director and the team a clear way to proceed as they go further into production. They know what the final look is and what they are shooting for.
5.Pre-Visualization
Pre-visualization, also known as previs, is a stage where artists work with the storyboard and script to develop the film in a 3D (3-dimensional) environment on the screen. This is the entry into industrial animation production .
Production
6. 3D Modeling
Modelers converts 2D concept art to 3D models. They sculpt the characters, props and sets in 3D. They are then refined until the director is satisfied with the result.
7. Surfacing
Surfacing artists develops textures, shades and colors, for the character’s, sets and props. They ensure the textures are matching the concept designs and art made by the visual development team.
8. Rigging
Rigging is where you build 3D skeletons and attach them to the characters. The skeleton becomes a “puppet” which will be used by the animators to instill life into the character. Riggers develop and place controls which move the ‘puppet’s’ joints and enable the animators to move the body and face. This way, the character can emote and act according to the story’s needs.
9. Animation Prep/ set dressing/ layout
Animation Preparation is where the artists place the artwork into a 3-dimensional environment. Also, they do stereo composition and set dressing, when necessary.
10.Character Animation
Character animators help put life into the characters. 3D animators/technical animator add pose the character using the computer and the rig which was developed during the rigging stage. Character Animators are the animation’s actors who tell the story via expressions and movements. They will sometimes act out scenes through a video that is then uses as a reference for the animation.
11. Character stimulation/ Effects
Artists working on character effects are responsible for anything which is has movement on the character like hair, clothing, feathers or fur. They also develop the interactions of the animated character with other objects. For instance, If the character sits on a sofa, these artists will also make the sofa’s cushions bulge.
12. FX
FX artists add little details like what happens during an explosion, or a scene where the character leaves traces like footprints.The FX artists need to make sure that these details give support and realism to the story.
13. Lighting
Lighting is an important element that takes gives the all the 3D elements of the movie look and tone. A great amount of technical direction happens during this stage.
Post production
14. Compositing
Compositing is where the animators bring the additional elements together with rendered final frames from lighting like atmospheric elements. Color tweaking and refining depth of field happens in this stage. The film finally comes together.
15. Sound and Music Design
Final visual edits are locked before these any sound element is added. Changing things even by a couple of frames can throw the score and sound design off. This is why sound inclusion is left for the final production stage.
16. Color Grading
Color grading is most of the times the production’s last stage. While compositors and lighters will continue to work to get consistency, they usually only work on a small portion of the video. The color grader ensures the video has consistent elements through each scene sequence and that there are no jarring changes of looks and light.
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