...and I want to get in to animation. 3d and 2d. But hey, the journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. That step was taken the moment I got the tablet. And I plan on going slowly, so Im going with 2d first. Any ideas for good [free] 2d animation software?
Just so you know, 3D animation softwares can do 2D too. Who can do more can do less. Besides personally I would argue that animating 3D is simpler, more intuitive. The only softwares I' ve used are 3DS Max and Maya, both are professional. If I was you I' d pick one of the best softwares out there, no matter how complex it is, and resort to tutorials to learn the ropes without feeling overwhelmed. If you were to jump from a simple software to increasingly complex ones you' d waste a considerable amount of time getting familiar with each interface. When I jumped from 3DSM to Maya I spent weeks learning how to do the stuff I already knew how to do with 3DSM.
Wow, my special effects class yesterday just went over 3D animation. XD Not only do you have to take the software in consideration, you also need the right hardware especially if you intend to animate in 3D. My professor's laptop, which is pretty powerful, took hours just to animate a 3D water effect that lasted about five seconds.
Yeah the school I was in had Silicon Graphics stations, I had an entry price computer from 20 years ago. It took 15 min for my computer just to open or save my biggest files, and it took it a whole week to render my 3 minutes long final project. That being said, it' s the special effects like particles and reflections that will really bring your computer to its knees. Stay away from those and you should be fine with a modern computer.
