People have been interested in animation as a form of art for a long time. People can now show new ideas and words more creatively and interestingly with the help of 3D animation. Therefore 3D animation software has become so popular nowadays since most of the content on the internet is 2D or 3D
However, you need a reliable 3D anime maker to create an engaging 3D or 2D animation. Lucky for you, we've put together a list of the best 3D and 2D animation makers you can rely on. There are free tools and paid tools. We also mentioned a great tool that can easily convert 2D and 3D videos. So, keep reading this article until the end to find out everything.
In this article
Part 1: Best 3D animation maker for free
1. Blender
Blender is a free, open-source 3D online animation maker. Blender is used to run many different kinds of things, such as visual effects, animated movies, video games, and more. Also, Blender supports the whole 3D tree, including rigging, modeling, animating, simulating, compositing, rendering, and tracking motion.
Official website: Blender
Features
- It has a path tracer that makes it look real.
- You can make models, change them, sculpt them, and edit them.
- Blender lets you see what the 3D scene and tracked footage will look like in real-time.
- It lets you turn characters that are still into cool animations.
Pros
Effective rendering support utilizing GPU and CPU.
Robust camera restoration and virtual reality (VR) rendering.
Cons
Doesn't get a regular update.
2. Daz Studio
Daz Studio was made from scratch with one goal: to help storytellers make visual stories. Daz Studio gets high marks for being easy to use and unique among animation tools. If you are just starting with 3D animation and want a simple tool, you should try Daz. By following the detailed tutorials on the software's wiki site, you should be able to make animations with realistic simulations quickly.
Official website: Daz Studio
Features
- You can import content into other 3D software tools like Maya, Mudbox, and 3DS Max.
- It lets you export the output in COLLADA, Universal 3D, BVH, and FBX formats.
- It syncs automatically with the character's lips.
- With this tool, you can make virtual lights.
Pros
Highly configurable interface.
It is free to use.
Abundant educational resources and models.
Cons
You can't create models to be used in animation with this tool.
3. Mixamo
Mixamo is a 3D animation maker online platform that can automatically make rigs for bipedal characters, which could speed up the process of making 3D animations. With Mixamo animation software, you can upload their 3D files and mark important parts like knees and elbows. Then Mixamo does its magic and makes a sophisticated skinned and weighted rig that is ready for 3D animation.
Official website: Mixamo
Features
- Mixamo sets up custom characters automatically based on a full human skeleton.
- You can take ready-made characters and turn them into your own.
- You can download animations in many different formats from Mixamo.
Pros
The user experience has been improved.
Animation packs can be changed in any way.
The search function is faster and better.
Cons
Steep learning curve.
Wondershare Ani3D - Convert from 2D to 3D videos, from good to great.
- Lets you create 3D videos in 5 minutes.
- The processing time of a single video is 1:1 to the video length.
- Convert any video you like to 3D and watch it on your VR device.
- Simple and convenient operation, completed within 3 steps.
- Support batch operation.
Part 2: Best 3D animation maker paid
1. Akeystu
The 3d animation video maker Akeytsu has been around for a long time. It has steadily improved, though, and now has a clean, uncluttered user interface that gives you the basics to get started in animation. A big reason why people like Akeytsu is how easy it is to use. Also, the software's "spinner," a floating circular widget that covers your model's transformation, is the other reason why people like Akeytsu
In the meantime, auto-Rig also lets you make a two-legged character in just a few minutes. All you have to do is set parameters, hot points, and joints, and then the Akeytsu will set up the skeleton, weights, and controls for you.
Official website: Akeytsu
Features
- Drag and Drop on the Akeytsu window.
- Move + rotate combo mode.
- Skinned mesh lock.
- Akeytsu allows you in Rigging mode when selection is composed of non-skinned meshes.
Pros
Import multiple characters.
Highly adaptable to both simple and complicated workflows.
It's one of the best animation programs available.
Cons
Lacks of user tutorials.
2. 3Ds Max
3Ds Max is one of the most popular commercial suites of 3D animation video maker. Its wide range of features makes it a popular choice for making games, making visual effects, and visualizing buildings.
3Ds Max has a particle simulation engine, a light simulation engine, and a cloth simulation engine. It also has its own scripting language (MAXScript). Its polygon, subdivision surface, and spline-based modeling tools can be used to make parametric and organic 3D objects. Also, point cloud data can be used to make models, which is one of the other techniques.
Official website: 3Ds Max
Features
- Optimize the geometry of high-resolution models automatically to make a clean mesh geometry based on quads.
- Experience streamlined, intuitive, and fully scriptable texture baking.
- Any supported renderer can be used to make procedural OSL maps or use ones that already exist.
- Use Safe Scene Loading to keep your work safe from scripts that could be harmful that might be in scene files.
Pros
Extrude faces on 3D objects intuitively and flexibly.
Arnold GPU renderer to view scene changes in real time, including lighting, materials, and camera.
Robust 3D anime maker.
Cons
Some parts of the interface can be a little difficult to use.
3. Terragen
Terragen is a powerful 3D modeling program that can also be used to animate and render complicated scenes directly. Almost any parameter can be animated, even basic ones like motion blur and camera movement. In keyframes, you can set the parameters for the sun, planets, clouds, and other things in the sky.
Also, the movement of the terrain can be changed along the timeline. It lets you make amazing time-lapse effects that show mountains growing and eroding, rivers forming and drying up, and so on. You can look at fly-throughs in real-time.
Official website: Terragen
Features
- Ray-Traced Preview (RTP) in Terragen lets you see how your objects, shaders, lighting, and atmosphere look as you change them.
- Ozone simulation features allow you to make the already realistic atmosphere model practically indistinguishable from reality.
- Improvements to the rendering engine make it possible for Terragen 4 to render scenes with objects more than twice as fast as Terragen 3.
Pros
Designing and rendering photorealistic landscapes.
A powerful shader system that lets you do complex things with textures and surfaces.
Clouds, fog, the sky, the sun, and the stars can all be controlled in detail.
Cons
Not suitable to beginners.
Part 3: Best 2D animation maker
1. Animaker
Animaker is a popular 2D animation program that lets people without any technical skills make amazing animated videos. You can make a storyboard to plan out how the scenes of the video will go. After choosing and putting out the characters, texts, themes, and other things in the video, you have to arrange the different scenes logically. Animaker has been used to make videos by even big companies like Pepsi, Verizon, and Google.
Official website: Animaker
Price: $19/month
Features
- More than 15 adjustable facial features and more than 10 slots for accessories.
- 20+ facial expressions.
- Add voiceovers to your characters.
- Provides 100 background music tracks.
Pros
Suitable with beginners.
It is one of the best 2D animation software
You can export video in full HD quality.
Cons
Sometimes it's lagged.
2. PowToon
PowToon is software that is easy to use and lets you make 2D animation videos online without having to learn a lot of new skills or spend much money on video equipment. PowToon is a free tool that lets you try out 2D animation.
Official website: PowToon
Price: Free
Features
- Supports full 1080 HD quality videos.
- Sophisticated animation tools to explore 2D animation.
- Gain access to various media materials, including stock videos, photos, and audio.
Pros
You can use presentation templates, Storyblocks, a resource library, and other things to make animated videos or "slides" that stand out.
Easy to use.
It's possible to connect with marketing software such as HubSpot or Wistia.
Cons
There is just one timeline available for editing, which can make it challenging to select objects.
3. CelAction2D
Using CelAction2D, you may produce animation videos that are genuinely unique and spectacular. Even if you are a complete newbie with no prior knowledge of animation, it is simple to learn and employ this software. Using CelAction2D, you can create a variety of videos, including short films, music videos, student films, and more.
Official website: CelAction 2D
Price: $75/month
Features
- Bitmaps or vectors can be used, or both can be used at the same time.
- It has floating and dockable panels and a workspace that can be set up by the user.
- the user can set up shortcut keys.
- You can choose from more than 16 million colors to make a palette.
- You can turn vector shapes into objects that can change shape and move.
Pros
CelAction 2D is easy to use and doesn't need a lot of hardware.
It updates regularly.
It records how a person's face changes in real time.
Cons
It's kinda expensive.
Related Content: Best 2D to 3D video maker
You might want to change the format of a 2D or 3D video after you make it. For example, you may want to turn your 2D video into a 3D one. With the help of WonderShare Ani3D, you can do that without much trouble.
WonderShare Ani3D is a program for both Windows and Mac that lets you change the format of a 2D, 3D video, or VR video. Also, WonderShare Ani3D allows you to adjust the resolutions, bitrate, or frame rate.
Bottom Line:
It's not easy to make animated videos. It takes effort and practice to make 2D or 3D animated videos. Indeed, the tools listed above for creating 2D and 3D animated videos are the best available at this time. Thus, the above tools can aid you in creating stunning 2D and 3D videos. Furthermore, if you need help converting 2D to 3D, you can use Ani3D since it just takes a few clicks to convert your 2D or 3D videos.
