2D Animation
2D Animation is a type of animation that creates movement in a two-
dimensional space. It involves characters, creatures, objects, and
backgrounds that are created in a 2D environment (flat images with
height and width but no depth).
Features:
Works in two axes: X (horizontal) and Y (vertical)
Often hand-drawn or digitally created frame-by-frame
Common in cartoons, educational videos, and games
Techniques in 2D Animation:
1. Traditional Animation (Hand-drawn):
o Each frame is drawn by hand.
o Example: Classic Disney movies like Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs.
2. Digital 2D Animation:
o Created using software like Adobe Animate, Toon Boom
Harmony, or Synfig.
o Easier to edit and reuse components like characters and
backgrounds.
3. Cutout Animation:
o Uses parts of characters (like arms and legs) that are moved
independently.
4. Motion Tweening:
o Instead of drawing every frame, animators define start and
end points, and the software fills in the in-between frames.
o Saves time and effort.
Example of 2D Animation:
A simple bouncing ball animation:
A ball starts at the top of the screen, falls down due to gravity, hits
the ground, and bounces back up.
Each frame shows the ball slightly lower than the last until it hits the
bottom, squashes slightly, and then stretches as it bounces up.
This demonstrates principles like timing, squash and stretch, and
motion paths.
Applications of 2D Animation:
Television cartoons (e.g., Tom and Jerry)
Educational videos and e-learning
Mobile games and apps
Advertisements and explainer videos
2.5D Animation
2.5D animation (also called pseudo-3D) is a type of animation that
appears to have depth (3D-like visuals) but is actually created using 2D
elements. It combines 2D objects in a 3D space, giving the illusion of
three-dimensional movement without using full 3D modeling.
Features:
Illusion of Depth: Uses lighting, shadows, parallax, and camera
angles to create a 3D effect.
2D Elements in 3D Space: Characters and objects are still flat
(2D), but they are placed or animated in a way that mimics 3D.
Less Complex than 3D: Requires fewer resources and time than
true 3D animation.
Techniques Used:
Parallax Scrolling: Background layers move slower than
foreground layers to simulate depth.
Layering: Different parts of a scene (background, midground,
foreground) are placed in separate layers and moved independently.
Lighting and Shadows: Applied to give depth perception.
Advantages:
Cost-effective compared to full 3D.
Faster production time.
Unique visual style combining best of both 2D and 3D.
Applications:
Educational videos
Motion graphics
Video games
3D Animation
3D Animation is the process of creating moving images in a three-
dimensional digital space. It involves generating characters, objects, and
environments that can move and rotate in all directions, giving a realistic
depth and perspective.
Features:
Three Dimensions: Width (X), Height (Y), and Depth (Z).
Realistic Effects: Shadows, lighting, and textures enhance realism.
Camera Movement: Virtual cameras can pan, zoom, and rotate
around objects.
Steps in 3D Animation:
1. Modeling: Creating 3D models of characters, objects, and
environments.
2. Texturing: Adding colors, patterns, and surface details.
3. Rigging: Building a skeleton for models to enable movement.
4. Animation: Moving the rigged models using keyframes and motion
paths.
5. Lighting & Rendering: Applying lights and rendering the final
scenes into images or video.
Example:
Toy Story (1995) – This was the first full-length 3D animated film
created by Pixar. It featured characters like Woody and Buzz Lightyear, all
modeled and animated in 3D. Each character was rigged for movement,
textured to look realistic, and animated to express emotions and actions.
Applications:
Movies and Television
Video Games
Medical Visualization
Engineering Simulations
Virtual Reality (VR)
Animation Techniques
Keyframe animation
Keyframe animation is a technique where the animator defines the
starting and ending points (called keyframes) of any smooth transition.
The computer automatically fills in the frames in between. This
process is called interpolation or tweening.
Keyframe: A frame that defines a major change in an object’s
properties (position, size, rotation, etc.).
Tweening (In-betweening): The process of generating intermediate
frames between two keyframes to create smooth motion.
Morphing
Morphing is an animation technique that smoothly transforms one
image or shape into another. It blends the two visuals over time,
creating a seamless transition.
Source Image: The starting image or shape.
Target Image: The final image or shape to transform into.
Interpolation: The process of creating gradual changes between the
source and target.
Warping + Cross-dissolving: Morphing uses both shape distortion
and fading/blending to complete the transformation.
Warping handles the shape transformation.
Cross-dissolving handles the appearance transition.
Working
Identify key points on both the source and target shapes (like eyes,
nose, mouth in a face).
The software gradually warps and blends these points frame-by-
frame.
The result is a fluid transformation from the original to the final
image.
Inverse Kinematics
Inverse Kinematics (IK) is a technique in animation that allows a
character’s limbs (like arms or legs) to move naturally by controlling the
end point (like a hand or foot), and letting the computer calculate how the
joints (like elbow or knee) should move.
Instead of moving each joint one by one (shoulder → elbow → hand), you
just move the hand, and the software automatically adjusts the
elbow and shoulder positions to reach that spot.
Example:
Imagine a robot arm:
You want its hand to touch a cup on the table.
With IK, you just move the hand to the cup.
The software automatically bends the elbow and shoulder so the
hand reaches the exact point.
Hand Drawn Animation
Hand Drawn Animation, also called Traditional Animation, is a technique
where each frame of the animation is drawn by hand. When the drawings
are played one after another, they create the illusion of movement.
Each second of animation usually contains 12 to 24 drawings.
Artists use a light table or digital drawing tools to see and align previous
frames.
Often uses the principle of onion skinning to keep motion consistent.
Character Rigging
Character Rigging is the process of creating a skeleton (rig) for a 2D or 3D
character model, so it can be animated easily. The rig acts like bones and
joints that control how the character moves.
Steps:
1. Create Bones or Joints – Add a skeleton inside the character
model.
2. Attach the Model (Skinning) – Bind the skin (mesh) to the bones.
3. Add Controls – Create handles (controllers) for animators to move
the character easily.
4. Test Movements – Check if bending arms, legs, or head works
correctly.
