First Impressions

[kori]

I down loaded demos of the animation software some of you suggested and tested each one for about an hour. I thought they would all be similar, but each one was very different. For this reason, I wanted to get some input from you on what are the strong points of each software package. I have my own ideas, but they are probably wrong, so perhaps you can help me with this. (I already own Anime Pro. I’m just looking at some other packages out of interest in a second program.)

DigiCel FlipBook 5
I like the simplicity of the layout of FlipBook and it’s ease of use. It is a very simple program. It’s so simple that it had me thinking that it was only made for the first rough sketch of an animation. Perhaps it is used to rough out the movements of the characters, a sort of test program. Or perhaps this program is made for young users.

TAB 3.0
This program looks very professional unlike FlipBook. It seems to be dedicated towards vector animation drawing. It is sleek and uncluttered like Toon Boom. It has many vector drawing tools, which seems to be the solo purpose of the program.

Toon Boom Studio 4.5
Toon Boom I had mixed feeling about. It was more professional than FlipBook, but not as professional looking as Tab 3.0. It did not seem to specialize in any one area like FlipBook or TAB. The layout was a bit more cluttered than both of the others, and I had the feeling that it was like a Swiss army knife and did a little bit of everything, but did not specialize in any one area.

TVP Animation 9 Pro
I did not know what to think of this program. It was so different from the others. It had a maze of color fills and drawing tools. Tools and buttons were everywhere. It looked very professional. Unlike TAB which is dedicated towards vector drawings, I had the feeling this program is made for drawing backgrounds. It reminded me of Coral Paint with all its Wet Brushes, Oil Brushes, etc.

I’m probably wrong about my first impressions of these programs. I only spent about an hour with each one. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. I did test a few other programs, but they did not interest me.

Are my impressions of the programs above correct? And would any of them make a good second animation program to use with Animation Pro?

Thanks Kori

[jahnocli]

It depends what you want from a second program. If you want to add interactivity, you'll need something like Flash. If you are interested in a digital equivalent of traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation, Toon Boom is probably the way to go. You don't say *why* you want a second program...

[kori]

I’m looking for a traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation software to compliment my Anime Pro software. I think any of these I tested will work, but I am wanting to know what each one is especially targeted for. They are all very different, so it stands to reason that they each must be targeted for a special kind of animation stage or work. That is what I want to know. What part of the animation cycle is each one created for? Its strengths.

[synthsin75]

Toonboom probably has the best feature set for doing frame-by-frame animation. That, and it's basic version is probably the cheapest of those you mention.

But most of us are diehard AS users, so I doubt you're going to be able to get very indepth reviews of all of these. You might Google for reviews of each.

[dm]

It probably comes down to more of how you feel about the software.

Look at their sales pitch, that's probably a good indication of what each is geared toward. (which is reasonably close to your descriptions)

TVPaint is bitmapped, has lots of features and capabilities. Ends up with more of the 'look' of traditional animation. If you like the interface of Anime Studio, you'll probably get along fine with TVP.

I use TV Paint, and the interface and way of doing things has been driving me nuts consistently for about three years now. But, it does some things well that I want to do.

I also use Toon Boom, and it's the interface that I prefer. Anime Studio generally takes about three times the clicks and keystrokes to do the same thing relative to Toon Boom. But, for the things that AS does that Toon Boom doesn't-the time and effort savings add up fast. So, I generally start in Toon Boom, then bring it into AS for when I need that functionality. Toon Boom has it's annoyances too, but they tend to be less than the other 2D software that I use.

Animo is quite nice, if you can afford it. Toon Boom Digital Pro mostly adds in the things that Toon Boom Studio is 'missing' (what I use ASP for-and will probably move to in time).

Your intended 'style' should probably be taken into account too. I'm sure it will be easier to achieve in some packages than others. Any inclination as to what you want it to look like?

Incidentally, most of my animation is still done with real plastic cels and ink and paint. I haven't found anything better (yet).

[realsnake]

I’m looking for a traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation software to compliment my Anime Pro software. I think any of these I tested will work, but I am wanting to know what each one is especially targeted for. They are all very different, so it stands to reason that they each must be targeted for a special kind of animation stage or work. That is what I want to know. What part of the animation cycle is each one created for? Its strengths.

Don't forget celsys retas! pro its an alternate ver. of TV paint, the way i see it!

[dm]

I was under the impression that Retas! pro was primarily vector based? (intended to be, anyway-with trace functions, and nifty stylized lines).

Regardless, it's also fine software, and not terribly expensive (relative to Animo, anyway).

I guess if you look at the higher end, you could consider Toonz (makers of Tab) as well.