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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye

In recent times animation, especially 3D animation, has become a vogue. Lots of students aspire to be a 3D artist. But repose assured it is not a cake walk. You want sincere hard work and dedication. One really needs too know the basics of 3D animation.

For now their are two established ways of 3D animation production namely:

• Keyframe Animation
• movement Capture

Let us learn more about these 2 techniques:

Keyframe Animations

It is the oldest technique of 3D animation production. It could be dated back to somewhere 1600 B.C Egypt. We take some frame-by-frame masterpieces of so preserved. In modern times this technique could be dated back to Walt Disney and Winsor McCay. Though, not much has been changed since 1900's. Almost the same old principles are applicable, without any amount new additions. Keyframes essentially involves changes in shape, position, space and timing of the object in consecutive frames. each the changes are created significantly in the object being in the key frames.

Keyframing software has significantly made the process simpler and effective. This helps the animators accomplish there task in less amount of time with increased efficiency. 3D software makes employ of 'tweening' or 'interpolating' the in-between frames. The software working could be understood by the following example:

While animating a falling object, one frame should be object in the mid-air and the next would be the thing touching the floor whereas its key frame should be object getting squished and getting deformed. The software so calculates the in-between frames automatically. With the software now animation is only a matter of creating not much but immense key frames.

Motion capture

It is as well popularly known as mocap. This technique were used initially because of the technological limitations. But in present times it is usage has been accepted at a vast platform as a result of technological advancement. It is instantly brought in employ of CG effects, video games and numerous more. In comparison too Keyframing, motion Capture is swift and offers immediacy. This technique is effective as subjects of Mocap are made too wear specially produced suits with sensors too copy their limb movements. This data is so related too the rig of 3D character what in turn is translated by a 3D software into animations.

But this technique is not fit for the beginners. The 1st and foremost limitation is its cost. its cost can run down to a number tens of thousands dollars. Utmost too create most of this technique, you could conveniently import Mocap data from a commercially available Mocap library. The other limitation being the output is never perfect. Keyframe finishing is perpetually required too impart to it a finished and a realistic appear. It becomes all the more necessary in case the body of the thing to be animated in unlike person beings.