3D Motion Design Explained


3D Motion Design (also known as Animation & CGI) is the process of creating three-dimensional moving images in a digital environment, where objects, characters, and environments are modeled, textured, lit, and animated to bring a scene to life.

It allows for the creation of highly realistic (but also stylized) visuals that can be manipulated from any angle, offering endless creative possibilities for storytelling and visual communication.

The Process

The 3D animation process is designed to minimize wasted effort by getting approval on each step of the process before beginning the next one.

Pre-Production

Pre-Production is designed to create a blueprint for what we will build.

Production

Production is executing that blueprint step by step.

Post-Production

Post-Production is taking what we’ve made and polishing it into a finished product.

Pre-Production

  • Script

    Nothing is more important to creating a great video than nailing the story. The script phase forms the foundation of the video, aligning your message before we dive into visualization.

  • Storyboard

    The storyboard phase provides a visual outline of each shot. The goal is to rapidly sketch out concepts to find the best ideas as quickly as possible.

  • Styleframes

    Styleframes are mockups designed to preview the final visual quality. They’re key for aligning on the overall look & feel before production begins, ensuring we’ll be building exactly what you want.

  • Animatic

    The animatic is a rough edit of the final video using a mix of reference images and the styleframes we’ve created. Combined with voiceover of your script and music, this step lets you review the flow and pacing of the video before committing to building it.

After Pre-Production, Changes Get Expensive

  • Production Is Labor Intensive
    Unlike film, in 3D every element of the world needs to be manually curated or created, requiring time and effort.

  • Render Times
    High-quality renders can take a long time to export, which may bottleneck revisions. The more complex the scene and higher the size & quality of the images you need, the longer the render takes to export.

  • Revision Delays
    Revisions depend on render times, so it’s essential to account for this in planning. Re-rendering individual shots at full-quality can take a matter of days instead of hours.

Production

  • Asset Creation

    The creation of 3D shapes and geometry of objects in the scene.

    Custom Modeling vs. Sourced
    Purchasing pre-made models can save time, while custom modeling is necessary for proprietary or unique designs that can’t be found elsewhere. Custom modeling can either require significant time, or outsourcing depending on the complexity.

  • Motion Tests

    Bringing objects to life by adding animated movement. Character animation can be challenging, whereas mechanical and abstract objects are generally easier to animate.

  • Animatic: Low Res Previews

    Once we have our geometry & movement, we design their aesthetics. When we send first tests with all these elements, it’ll usually be a smaller resolution or render quality so that we can show you what it looks like quickly without wasting time rendering scenes that are still in-progress.

    Texturing
    Texturing objects allows us to define their materials, like this rough rock material or shiny car paint. Texturing can be a time-intensive process, especially for detailed objects that need a specific look.

    Lighting
    Lighting allows us to add lights to the scene that functional like they do in real life. Whether it’s studio lighting or natural daylight, this allows us to mimic the way light works in the real world on the computer.

  • Full Quality Renders

    Rendering is the act of exporting the animation from the software we’re working into a video format that we can manipulate outside the software.

    The final image quality (e.g., 1920x1080 or higher) affects the render time. Fast renders sacrifice quality, while high-quality renders are time-intensive, but have more detail and less artifacts like noise.

    Rendering is resource intensive and may impact what other processes the computer can do at once. To minimize the impact of this, we often render videos overnight so that it doesn’t hinder productivity.

Rush Render Fees

  • Render Times
    To get a final render, we usually use our internal computers at no additional cost to you. If you need something rendered fast and we’re not given appropriate heads-up, we can expedite the process using Render Farms.

  • Render Farms Cost
    We rarely need to render every shot on a render farm because our computer will always be doing something as long as we work together. But if we need to use a Render Farm, each shot can cost roughly between $200-$1200. (This completely depends on the shot’s content & render quality) This is contingent on how fast you want it prioritized. If we don’t need it in a hurry, the computers on the farm can get to it when they’re available. If you pay more though, you make them all available to you on-demand so we can get it done in record time. (Ex: An hour versus a day) The only caveat is that these files can get large and it can take an hour or two to download them.

Post-Production

  • Compositing & Color Correction

    Now that we have our rendered images, the next step is making them as beautiful as possible.

    Compositing
    Compositing gives us second layer control, allowing us to adjust every element of a render outside the 3D software. We can even add additional images or video elements, choosing between hundreds of different special effects for maximum impact.

    Color-Correction
    Color-Correction is the process of balancing the color of every element in the frame. The goal is to create a cohesive, cinematic look across the video.

  • Sound Design

    Visuals are only one element of creating impactful video content. Sound is just as important.

    Unlike film, any sound effects need to be added manually to 3D animations. The up-side is total control. By carefully crafting audio to match, sound design makes the experience much more immersive & engaging.

  • Music

    If sound design creates immersion, music creates engagement.

    Whether relying on sourced stock music, or composing music from scratch, music has the power to truly transform a viewer’s experience. A well-crafted score complements the animation's pacing and action, guiding the audience's emotional response and helping to tell the story.

  • Final Delivery

    With visuals & sound as polished as can be, the video is finally complete. Congratulations, we did it.

    From this point, it’s common to create variants in different aspect ratios for social media platforms of choice. Vertical or square video formats can require altering the compositions depending on the shot. Usually it’s possible to create alternates with only a shot or two needing a re-render.

Why 3D?

  • Infinite Possibilities
    3D animation is the only tool that allows you to visualize anything you can imagine, at photorealistic quality, from any angle, in motion.

  • Infinite Flexibility
    In the world of film, you’re stuck with whatever footage you capture the day of the shoot. 3D animation allows you to amend, update or redesign any element of your creative at any point in the process.

  • Cost-Effective Production
    Animation has no hard production costs like location rentals, gear or large crews. Digital assets are time-consuming but much, much cheaper than creating physical assets.

Get Started Today

Now that you've seen how our 3D animation process brings your ideas to life with precision and creativity, it's time to take the next step. Whether you're looking to enhance your product pitch or captivate your audience, we're here to make it happen. Book a free consultation call with us today and let’s explore how we can transform your vision into a compelling, high-quality animation that drives results.

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