The Animation Pipeline: Modelling, Rigging, and More

i2.wp.com/allpcworld.com

The economic principle I’m exploring is “Because of scarcity, people choose. All choices have an opportunity
cost.”

My research question to help me study the economic principle is “what is the production process of animation like
and how is it done most economically?”

The article published in Blender Unleashed titled “Making Sense of the 3D Production Pipeline” demonstrates this
economic principle because it shows that specific parts of producing an animated film are broken down into
entire specialized careers of their own; a studio hires animators (and invest in specific software) that can
accomplish very specific tasks very well, such as 3D modeling or voice acting, so they can get the most out
of the production process.

First, animation studios always prefer to hire artists that have an understanding of all parts of the pipeline.
Communication and teamwork is a big part of working on film projects, so even someone specialized must be able to
work ideas out with someone from a different specialty.

The parts of the pipeline include voice recording on top of the rough storyboards; concept design, which means
creating illustrations of characters, scenes, and props to help the animators animate these in the software; modeling
and texturing, which is how animators “sculpt” characters and scenes in the software they use; rigging and creating
extreme expressions, which is how animators figure out all the different kinds of movements and facial expressions
a character can make; the actual animation of characters moving around; special effects, like making water and
nature movements look lifelike; lighting and rendering, which gives an animated film a life-like atmosphere and a
painterly appearance; editing and final troubleshooting, simply touching up on the film.

Second, while animation used to be 2D - meaning feature-length films used to be entirely hand drawn - the fairly
recent transition into 3D has allowed the production process to be significantly shorter and more efficient. As of
2011, animation studios invest in computer programs like Autodesk Maya and Maya Software and Hardware
(animation), 3D Studio Max (rendering), Mental Images Mental Ray (special effects), and Final Cut Pro (final editing)
- each dedicated to specific parts of the pipeline of 3D animation.

Third, many highly experienced animators choose to specialize in certain steps of the pipeline so that they can
contribute their best work to an animation studio, and a studio can get the most out of this artist. Some specialized
animators call themselves texture artists or 3D modelers. For animators starting out, it’s best to be good at everything
to increase chances of being hired. Specialization can be important for big studios like DreamWorks and Pixar - but
for smaller studios where just a handful of (or fewer) animators are working on a project, multiple or most parts of
the timeline will be distributed amongst these artists.

In my next blog post I will research: How has the animation industry changed since its start in the early 20th century?
How is it a growing field?