COMPUTER ANIMATION
Computer Aided Animation
Computer animation is simply animation done within a computer aided 3D environment. There are three 3D software packages that are normally used at the intermediate and professional levels. The first piece of software is called 3ds Max, the second is Lightwave and the third is Maya. They are all very powerful. Depending on the animation, an animator will feel more comfortable using one software package over another.
Normally the animation work starts out with a 2D drawing that is later imported into the 3D environment. It can have wireframes built around it and finally material and maps applied. Each section of work requires a dedicated team. For example, there is a materials team that is dedicated just to creating and manipulating the materials of the object.
At the same time an animation team gets to work on animating the object. There can be countless frames and rendering going on before the project is finished. Often times an animation project can go on for years before completing.
