It’s hard to imagine what our lives would look like without animation. It is an integral part of the media we consume (including movies, video games, advertisements, software), so taking it away would feel akin to taking away all of these digital forms of media that we have grown so accustomed to. There is more demand for animation nowadays than ever before, and the current market is worth an estimated 270 billion dollars. Besides constant growth, one trend that is sweeping the market is animation outsourcing.
Because companies and organizations are not always able to fill their animation needs with talent from their local market, or the cost of hiring locally is too high, they often opt to hire 3D animation studio services. 3D-Ace is one such studio providing a wide range of animation services, and this article will cover how we tackle this complex but fascinating process.
2D or 3D Animation?
Many of our clients contact us with a good idea of the product they want (a video clip/game sequence/dynamic image/etc.) and its plot, but are less sure about the format – whether they should choose a 2D or 3D production. Throughout many years of producing both types of content, we have come to appreciate each for what they offer, and cannot bluntly say that one is better than the other. We always recommend that the client choose a format best suited to the parameters of the project.
For example, 2D sequences are great when they organically mesh with their medium. If this is an application with flat, colorful menus, then a 2D sequence added to the user experience should be a welcome and pertinent choice, while inserting a 3D clip in this application may come off jarring and strange. The same principle applies to mediums where objects and content are already solid-looking or computer-generated. Either way, we are happy to create both kinds of content, and can consult you about the most suitable option based on the project at hand.
The Main Types of Animation Content We Create
Though most people tend to think of animation as a singular video clip, at its core, it is comprised of many different elements. For example, the creation of a Disney cartoon may involve one group working on character models, while another does backgrounds, and a third manages colors and lighting. Lo and behold, different types of animation. In the context of 3D-Ace services, the main types we support are:
Characters
Characters tend to be animated mostly for entertainment purposes, being featured in movies, TV shows, games, and even advertisements. Our 3D character animation services consist not only of building the models but also making them move in a realistic and harmonious way through rigging. Naturally, the same level of care and utilization is applied when you outsource 2D animation.
For example, our Bumblebee model replicated the gorgeous appearance of the character from the Transformers movies and was imbued with movements befitting a robot.
Equipment
Sequences involving equipment are mostly used for training purposes by companies and corporations. As prevention of injury is a top priority for all enterprises, these videos can help workers learn the basics of operating equipment before they even physically touch it. As a rule, 3D productions are the most helpful, as they can showcase realistic equipment dimensions and human movement with a high level of accuracy. Equipment may even refer to vehicles, as exemplified by our military training video that puts the viewer in the passenger seat of a Humvee under attack.
Products and services
Businesses have been using digital mediums to showcase their products and services for decades, and the clips that are produced today sometimes astound with their sophistication. When you outsource product animation, computer graphics and sketch sequencing are used to visualize the objects in creative and fantastic settings, while industries like real estate can apply the technology to create virtual tours and dynamic presentations. You can see how it works in our virtual walkthrough of a skyscraper in a city center.
Education
You can only do so much with a whiteboard and paper. Such flat and static surfaces are not the best choice for teaching elaborate concepts, while animated clips are much more helpful. Our studio has worked on several education projects in the past, including the development of the Funny Math music video. It illustrates basic math operations for schoolchildren while a song plays and an adorable dinosaur roams in the background.
Assets
Though the term “assets” is often associated with game animation outsourcing, assets are used in a vast number of non-game applications. For instance, they may be added to help the user navigate the functionality of an app or to make traditionally unmoving objects look more exciting. Our Mirinda World application is a great case in point, as it is primarily an interactive VR experience, but we still needed to integrate animated visuals of the ride that users find themselves on.
Reasons to Outsource Animation to 3D-Ace
The market of art and animation is quite competitive, with hundreds of studios operating around the globe, but 3D-Ace offers several advantages that put us ahead of the pack.
Reasonable costs
Our pricing is quite accessible, especially when compared to most businesses operating in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. These low costs stem not only from our standard rates, but also from the speed with which we get projects done. We have several dozen artists and designers working in-house, and can easily tackle most projects in a tight timeframe. In comparison, learning animation and producing it yourself for the first time will take much longer and substantially drive up your costs.
Huge experience
Our studio has been active for over 2 decades, so you can imagine how much expertise we have accumulated over the course of hundreds of projects. We started with publishing ready content before going on to produce our own models, and eventually expanded our expertise to various forms of 2D/3D art, animation, VFX, game design, and video production. You will be hard-pressed to find another animation outsource company today with such a long history and so much experience under its belt.
Flexible cooperation
We understand that every project is unique and requires different amounts of work from animators and artists. Thus, we have molded our business to customers’ needs, and provide several business models. Chief among them are Fixed Price, Dedicated Team, and Time & Material, though we also support mixed and custom models. Working with us, you can easily modify the number of specialists working on your project based on changing needs and pick the most convenient option for cost tallying.
Additional services
Our studio operates as part of a larger Program-Ace company, and this allows us to offer a wide range of additional services. For instance, we can not only create some models for you and animate them, but also integrate them into software and build the software. We can even bring 3D models to life with VR, AR, and MR technologies. It is also worth mentioning that we have a large and capable team of business analysts on our payroll, so we can help your business research the market you are targeting and come up with business strategies.
Proven reputation
Before we begin our partnership, you have the opportunity to ascertain our reputation, and there are plenty of resources to do so. For example, you can check out our portfolio to find the types of projects we have worked on in the past. As for customer reviews, you can find them on the Testimonials page of our website or third-party resources like Clutch and Goodfirms.
What is Expected From You
Any partnership is a two-way street, so in order for us to help you, we will need some input and details from your side. Below, we have listed some of the basic things we will need to work productively. Don’t worry if you have not hammered out all the specifics of your upcoming project – we can help you fill in any gaps.
Animation list
We will need to know how many clips are needed for your project or which assets need to be animated. The best way to get this information is from a list with descriptions.
Style
If you want the animation to be done in a particular visual style (black & white, cartoony, kid-friendly, etc.), you can let us know, and we will factor it into our work.
Technical specification
Technical specification essentially refers to which platform you want the media to be made for, any software preferences for design, the approximate number of polygons, dimensions and runtime, and other technical details.
Cooperation model
You can choose which model of cooperation suits you best or suggest your own. We try to be flexible in all cases of 3D and 2D animation projects outsourcing.
Additional work
Let us know if you want us to add some additional visual effects, integrate the visuals into software or build the software, and we will assign the right specialists for each task.
Feedback and cooperation
We have many available channels of communication, and hope that you take advantage of them during our cooperation. Staying in touch, you can share your feedback about completed work and receive regular updates about how the remaining work is progressing.
Contact us
As you might expect from a 2D or 3D animation outsourcing company, we love building different models and giving them movement, so we are always on the lookout for new opportunities. If you have some 2D or 3D work that needs the touch of experienced animators and artists, we would be thrilled to help. Just contact us via any of the listed methods and we can start creating something spectacular together.
