Popular Software for Freelance Animators

The pursuit of 3D animation careers is no longer just a pipe dream. If you’ve ever harbored a fantasy of joining the ranks of freelance animators who make their living doing something few people like yourself ever dreamed would be a practical reality, now’s the time to strike. If you need a reminder of how lucrative animation employment can be, look no further than the slew of animated feature films, video games and computer simulations that are on the market today.

There are many corporations and studios out there that are looking for talented freelance animators, but the reality is that even the greatest talent in the world will only take you so far if you don’t have any experience or know-how with respect to the software programs that are regularly used. To help get you started, here’s a list of some of the most popular software for freelance animators for both 2-D and 3-D rendering.

2-D Rendering Software

• DigiCel Flipbook – This is a popular program among professional animators that enables you to illustrate images directly onto your computer using a mouse or stylus. You can also draw your illustrations directly to paper and then scan them into the program.
• Adobe Illustrator – One of the most popular names in visual software, Adobe has a great reputation for quality that’s made even stronger through Illustrator’s ability to help freelance animators create stunning images utilizing a number of effective drawing tools.
• Toon Boom Studio – One of the highest quality 2-D animation programs for aspiring artists hoping to find animation employment, Toon Boom Studio lets you draw digitally or scan paper-drawn creations. You can even import existing art or capture live images.

3-D Rendering Software

• Poser – In use by a variety of industries including TV, film and video game creation, Poser is an affordable software program that can be used by beginners and experts.
• Autodesk Maya 3-D – Operable on Windows, Mac or Linux, Maya is capable of recreating three-dimensional humans or animals to precise details. It’s well known for its fluidity of motion and can be used for TV, movies, video games and architectural renderings.
• Houdini – A far more complex and high-end software program when compared to many others on the market, Houdini lives up to its name by delivering a superlative – if not difficult to master – end product that’s been seen on a variety of TV ad campaigns.
• Cinema 4-D – Having a working knowledge of modeling and rendering is critical to using this highly functioning software, which has been used in such Hollywood productions as “Beowulf,” “Spider Man 3” and “Inception.”

Those seeking animation careers can make significant headway into developing an impressive portfolio by mastering the use of some of the above listed animation programs.

Vince F is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.