Wintermute Engine Forum

Game development => Game design => Topic started by: Tosek on September 27, 2010, 03:14:27 PM

Title: Creating 2D Animations
Post by: Tosek on September 27, 2010, 03:14:27 PM

Hi there,

I am looking for a good (and cheap because I only want to use legal software and cannot effort expensive tools) tool to create 2D animations (backgrounds, cut scenes and sprites).
I found a few, but I cannot evaluate them all in deep.

So my question is: which one do you use und why?

I found the following tools:
- GIMP (colorization, image processing)
- MyPaint (digital drawing)
- Synfig (2D vector animation tool, seems hard to handle)
- Pencil (2D Animation programm, outdated)
- Paint.Net (image processing)
- Inkscape (Vektor graphics (but no animation))

Some of the best tools (but very expensive) seem to be:
- Toonboom (2D animation)
- Anime Studio (2D animation)
- Adobe After Effects (2D cutscenes)

Some hints?

Title: Re: Creating 2D Animations
Post by: SiriusCG on September 27, 2010, 04:09:21 PM

For sprites we've used graphicgale: http://www.humanbalance.net/gale/us/ and really like it.

For doing larger work like cut scenes and background, it's hard to beat Synfig along with Inkscape.

Cheers.

Title: Re: Creating 2D Animations
Post by: Tosek on September 27, 2010, 07:05:05 PM

Hmmm, Synfig in combination with Inkscape? Do you know any tutorials/ other knowledge sources about that?

What about video composition?

Title: Re: Creating 2D Animations
Post by: Tosek on September 28, 2010, 03:02:16 PM

Synfig seems very hard to handle. There are only very basic tutorials and the are nearly no very impressive animations done with it (except the small prologue video from the makers).

Hmmmm. Wandering if there is really no alternative tool for making 3d animations with tweenig and bone support.  :-[

Title: Re: Creating 2D Animations
Post by: maze on September 28, 2010, 07:08:11 PM

Hi,

the Animie Studio Debut Version is available for 19,99$. Is this too expensive? Are there needed features missing? I'm not really familiar with Animie Studio. Some time ago they gifted the previous version, maybe it's still available. I downloaded it, but didn't use it since then. My preferred tool for 2d Animation is Adobe Flash.

cheers

Title: Re: Creating 2D Animations
Post by: eborr on September 28, 2010, 08:28:15 PM

I have used Anime studio debut, and I am a total klutz when it comes to graphics, seems easy enough to use and the animation works well enough - I have not tried the lip synching yet

Title: Re: Creating 2D Animations
Post by: Tosek on September 29, 2010, 08:21:56 AM

@Maze: On the Anime Studio Website it costs 49.99 $. Where have you found it for 19.99 $ ?

Title: Re: Creating 2D Animations
Post by: eborr on September 29, 2010, 10:02:36 AM

I paid 19$ for it they had an offer I guess

Title: Re: Creating 2D Animations
Post by: maze on September 30, 2010, 08:48:49 AM

Sorry Tosek. I overlooked that the 19.99$ thing is not the full version. Instead it's an upgrade offer. So if you have had downloaded the gifted version a year ago or so (which is no longer available) you would be eligible for the upgrade-offer. Maybe there is a new offer in the near future. If I see one, I will post it here.

Another option for you would be if your are enrolled at a university or a school. Then you are eligible for education versions.