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/