Animation : Intro! My First Feature Animation Film by Uchenna Okoye

Welcome! What software do you use? Also where do you get your 3d assets from? I don't know if you have come across Daz 3D before, but I recently picked up some African dresses there.

I've been exploring Unity for feature animation, as I have some C#/game experience. I also get a lot of 3d assets from the Unity play store.

Neat! Never ever heard of Daz 3D before. This looks amazing. Thanks for sharing!

My biggest challenge is the animation piece. Not really dabbled in it yet beyond 2d animations. It feels like it could be intuitive, but I'm guessing the 3d model/rig has a lot to do with how easy it will be to animate. Trying to learn what I can about the animation stage before getting my 3d assets.

Unity has a good reputation, and if you've bought assets there I guess you are financially tied somewhat. However I am 12 years into my animation/script writing journey and perhaps I can give you a few insights to ponder.

1. If you are a programmer then Unreal engine can produce some great results. It's not easy to use. (I haven't used unity to compare against).

2. Daz 3d is the largest 3d asset store in the world. It can export to Unity and Unreal. My link with Unreal is that I use Twinmotion (which is a faster but simplified version of unreal for architects, but is becoming increasingly useful, and fast). Unreal/Twinmotion has a real time rendering engine!

3. Daz 3d is not great for animation, but I'm using it because it's the easiest package to understand and get going with. I also use Carrara an ageing Daz program which is rock solid and can render via an Octane plugin. Carrara is great for large scenes. Check out my website https://www.scififunk.com for (old) examples. (I'm currently working on daz scenes and I'm getting great results with IRAY renders, but don't have any animation examples to show, only stills).

4. If you are at the start of your 3d journey be under no illusion - it's a lot of work. It's a totally different skill set than writing of course, but combining the two means you are guarunteed a visualization of your project. This is why I've been developing both skills simultaneously. If I sell my scripts fantastic, if not they will live in 3d.

I hope this helps and sorry if I'm talking about things you already know.

Thanks for these insights! They're good food for thoughts. I haven't worked with Unreal but I hear it's pretty good. I find that Unity is relatively easier an intuitive. Unity is mostly for game development but it's growing its film capabilities, which could definitely democratize film making with its over 700,000 developers.

I totally agree on the ability to combine both of these skills. It's such a great idea to have 3d assets back your storyline. It sets your script apart and helps interested parties see your vision. I decided on starting out in 2d land with character design, and storyboarding. I'm considering settling with animatics as the visualization of my project. In the future, I can see if a larger production company could bring the rest to life in 3d. If not, I'll seek funding for the rest.

Good luck with your project. If you post updates on here I shall follow with interest.

Thank you! I definitely will.

I would love to see an animated feature where the art direction is taken from Ancient Africa. It would be bold, refreshing and stand out amongst most of the other animated features.

I love this mission behind your work, Uchenna Okoye! You should reach out to Cenack, an animator in France who takes inspiration from African history and artwork: https://www.stage32.com/profile/827992/about

Hehe Black Panther. Hope this goes well. Been in animation for a while 2D/3D over at www.wholebitmedia.com. I'm recommending Blender.