3D Animation has changed over the year greatly. The way we look at movies now, everything is becoming 3 dimensional. It is the only way to capture images that can only be seen in someone’s imagination or dreams. You can’t fly on a make believe animal, or live on the moon, or have super powers. That’s all captured in a 3D world. Mostly every movie that is being put out has some sort of 3 dimensional works on it. 3d animation has become more realistic than ever over the years. For example if you look back at the movie “Terminator” and you look at the enhancements that they’ve made in the new “Terminator” you can tell how much it has expanded. There’s also other movies quite like Terminator that has shown improvements of 3D animation. One of the biggest movies coming out soon is “Toy Story 3” on 3D at IMAX Theater. Another movie that made a great hit was Wall-E followed by others.

Here’s a list of Movies that have made great hits of 3D Animation

The Polar Express
Production costs: $170 Million (USD)

Final Fantasy: Spirits within
Production Costs: $137 Million (USD)

Dinosaur
Production Costs: $128 Million (USD)

Monsters Inc
Production Costs: $115 Million (USD)

Treasure Planet
Production Costs: $100Million (USD)

Finding Nemo
Production Costs: $94 Million (USD)

The Incredibles
Production Costs: $92 Million (USD)

Toy Story 2
Production Costs: $90 Million (USD)

The Wild
Production Costs: $80 Million (USD)

Shark Tale
Production Costs: $75 Million (USD)

3D animation will never stop increasing its ability to capture unbelievable scenes.. Here is a video of my favorite animated character demonstration its beauty: (Parental Supervision is Advised) Hope you enjoy!

Does one need to be really good at free-hand drawing & sketching in order to be a good animator?

Well actually you don't really have to be a pro artist in order to become a good animator, but you d need artistic background. With out being able to draw to good you will struggle with your projects. You might even have to ask others to help you in the artistic department. "Given the motivation there is no reason you cannot learn to draw it is a skill frequently learned through nurture rather than nature"(Tim D).

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090124021737AAzvqWC



Would 3d animation be a good career for me?

Becoming a 3D animator is something most people think is easy when in reality it isn't. 3D animation takes time and can be very hard and frustrating at times. You have to have lots of dedication in odder to get into the business. It is a great career for various reasons. One, you work at your own pase, but you have to make sure u qualify the deadlines. Your not working alone most of the time, your not doing a full project on your own. You have other members that will help you manufacture the different scenes or images. The money is always great depending on what type of animation you create and what company you work for. There are different branches that you can pick. Some better than others. Median annual earnings of 3D animators ranged from $33,970 and $61,120 in 2002. Now imagine in 2009. Game-design 3D animators tend to earn more than their industry counterparts in other sectors of the profession. Average annual wages for game animators come in at the $45,000 to $70,000 range. Animators-turned-producers can earn into the six figures and those project design managers will a stable of successes can earn upwards of $130,000. So yes! Becoming a 3D Animator is a great career for an individual, you just need a heart for it!

http://www.animationarena.com/animation-career.html http://www.skulpt.com/animation-salary-range.htm
http://www.theschoolfinder.com/articles/a-3d-animation-career-could-be-right-for-you.php

What’s the difference between 2D and 3D?

Well 3D means 3 dimensional and 2D means 2 dimensional. The 3D and 2D in animation refer to the dimension in which the animation was created. For 2D animation, everything happens on a 2 dimensional platform. Pictures are flat, without depth and offer only one perspective. In 3D animation, everything happens on a 3 dimensional platform. Pictures have depth and offer multiple perspectives just like in real life. For Example look at the difference between a painting and a sculpture. A painting is 2D and a Sculpture is 3D. In a 2 dimensional world you can only have access to one view, when 3 dimensional lets you see everything from top view to bottom view to behind the object or beneath it.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aldric_Chang

Special warning by another Blogger:

Several design agencies have jumped on the band wagon promising 2D to 3D conversions. Beware: most of these conversions are mere flat cut-outs that are shifted to create an illusion of 3D and do not have the roundness and depth inherent in realistic 3D images.

http://www.erich3d.com/

This Video is a great Example of 3D animation. This individual has created a character of his own providing him life in an environment much like our homes. The way he composed these scenes exchanging different views and using his lighting correctly has provided him with a great 3D world. Adding music and sound gives the animation an extra affect making it comfortable for the viewer.

3D Animation Terms

These are some of the latest terms used in the 3d computer graphics area.

Algorithm

A set of well-defined instructions given to the computer for accomplishing some specific task.

Ambient Occlusion

Is a shading method that is often used as a replacement to Global illumination. It can be much faster to render and easier to control. Not that accurate though. It adds extra soft self-shadowing, which gives the image more realism.

Cautics

The light patterns that are generated on a surface that reflect or refractor light rays. For example Photton Mappign is a form of this.

HDR Rendering or HDRR / HDR LightingHDR

Stands for High Dynamic Range. It is the rendering of 3D computer graphics scenes by using lighting calculations done in a high dynamic range. It specifically refers to the new lighting model used to illuminate 3D worlds. It creates realistic scenes for movie makers.

Keyframe

A frame from an animated sequence, at which an animation event or change takes place. In Computer Animation the animator defines the keyframes and the computer generates the intermediate frames (process called tweening).

Normal Mapping

Another application of the technique known as bump mapping. While Bump Mappign shows the way the surface is facing of a model, normal mapping replaces the normal entirely. It is used to add details to shading without using more apps.

Pixel Shader

A real-time shader application. A graphics processing function that calculates effects on a per-pixel basis. Pixel shaders are used to compute properties which most of the time are recognized as pixel colors.

SSS
Stands for Sub-Surface Scattering. The effect of light penetrating a surface and illuminating the inner layers. Very important to consider when trying to simulate realistic skin and other normal materials.

Voxel

A cubic unit of 3D volume defined at a size appropriate to the required resolution. Sometimes described as the 3D equivalent of a pixel.

Z-buffer

Z-buffering is the management of image depth. Coordinates in 3D graphics, usually done in hardware, sometimes in software. It is one solution to make it more visible. Z-buffering is also known as depth buffering.