Browsing Tag
animated film
159 posts
Berlin’s Animation-Only Festival FAB 2025 Returns: Japan, Stop-Motion, and 132 Films
FAB returns to Berlin in September 2025 with 132 films, Japanese guests, a stop-motion symposium, and six competitions at silent green Kulturquartier and City Kino Wedding.
Shadow play in Blender
Even though it is one of the youngest VFX degree programmes, the HFF already has a lot to show - and if we remember what we did in the second
what we did in the second semester, "Das Schattenspiel" is already worthy of note. But how did it come about?
Flight of fancy | Retro article
Review: In DP 06 : 2014, the second instalment of Planes rotated its way into the inbound flight path. Disneytoon Studios increased the budget for software licences and personnel at the time - but does the film come close to Disney-Slash-Pixar major productions such as Frozen or Brave?
The New Digital Production Is Here!
DP 01:2023 explores Star Trek VFX, virtual production, mental health, hardware, software and major film projects.
Adobe’s Character Animator now includes a Motion Library!
There are over 350 full-body mocap movements in the library - these have now been added with the release of Character Animator 23.0.
Adobe releases Character Animator 22.5!
The convenient software for anyone who wants to enhance their content with animated cartoon characters. The latest version of the real-time tool for motion capturing and character animation.
ITFS decision-makers comment on Germany as a centre for animation
Are German animated feature films still internationally competitive when it comes to adult themes? A plea from the people behind the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film.
Vivi – Full of life | VFX Breakdown
No, that's not a hipster monkey with a straw hat. This is Vivo, the swaddling bear, with a licence to be a love ambassador - and with a straw hat on his head.
Discover the International Festival of Animated Film!
With a competition between young animators, female power from the industry, but also the inventor of Wallace & Gromit, the festival attracts visitors to Stuttgart. Will you be there?
Noisy Night, Senseless Stuff
Review: In DP 01 : 2017, we discovered the true spirit of Christmas with the animated musical "More Stuff" from London. But how is Brexit affecting everyday animated life?
Weathering with You: Worldbuilding with Hiroshi Takiguchi
Art director Hiroshi Takiguchi explores the worldbuilding and environment design behind Makoto Shinkai’s anime feature Weathering with You.
Festival of Animation Berlin 2021 Presented 186 Projects
Festival of Animation Berlin 2021 combined cinema screenings, online competitions, masterclasses and workshops from 1–3 October.
Tangent Animation Halts Production, Affecting Around 400 Staff
Canadian studio Tangent Animation ceased production in 2021, affecting around 400 employees and several projects.
das element Launches Offline VFX Library and Asset Management Tool
das element organises VFX assets, textures, references and sequences in an offline library designed for production pipelines.
Lightworks 2021.3 Adds Cloud Storage and Improved Onboarding
Lightworks 2021.3 introduced cloud-storage integration, a startup wizard, guided interface tips and a redesigned local-files library.
Six Animation Books Highlight Art, History and Filmmaking
A reading list surveys six books on animation artists, pixel history, Disney television, British animation, Mamoru Hosoda and decorative arts.
Autodesk Renames Shotgun as ShotGrid
Autodesk rebranded production-management platform Shotgun as ShotGrid, moved it to Autodesk licensing and introduced monthly, annual and three-year subscriptions.
Autodesk Releases Public Beta of USD for 3ds Max 2022
Autodesk’s public-beta USD plug-in brought Universal Scene Description import and export to 3ds Max 2022 for cross-platform scene exchange.
ITFS 2021 Streams Animation Programme and Awards Live
The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film streamed family and adult animation programmes, interviews and an awards presentation from 4–9 May 2021.
Sunrise Productions Releases Node Execution Tree
Sunrise Productions releases NXT, an open-source Python-based tool for layered scripting, visualization and sequential execution.
SynthEyes 2102 Adds Apple M1 and Neural Engine Support
SynthEyes 2102 brings Apple M1 support, access to the Apple Neural Engine and interface improvements for high-DPI displays.
Ftrack Studio Receives Academy Technical Achievement Award
The Academy recognised Ftrack Studio and its production-tracking developers with a Technical Achievement Award.
Arnold 6.2 Adds Light Mixing and OpenColorIO 2.0
Arnold 6.2 introduces light mixing, expanded GPU rendering, USD improvements and OpenColorIO 2.0 support.
FMX 2021 Announces Its First Online Edition
FMX 2021 announced an online programme focused on remote work, virtual workflows and animation and VFX production.
Shutterstock Acquires 3D Marketplace TurboSquid
Shutterstock acquired TurboSquid, adding a major 3D-model marketplace and cloud-based digital asset-management technology.
Connecter 3.0 Expands Asset Management Integrations
Connecter 3.0 adds Revit support, improved 3ds Max and Blender integrations, PBR previews, image comparison and backup tools.
Push Pro Improves 3ds Max’s Push Modifier
Push Pro adds intersection avoidance, improved detail preservation and vertex-colour control to 3ds Max’s Push workflow.
Animcraft 1.1 Brings Reusable Animation Workflows to DCCs and Game Engines
Animcraft builds reusable animation libraries and transfers keyframe or motion-capture data between major DCC applications and game engines.
Grid Modeler Speeds Up Hard-Surface Modelling in Blender
Grid Modeler offers Blender artists a fast draw-and-click workflow for creating hard-surface 3D models.
KeenTools 2021.1 Expands FaceBuilder and FaceTracker Support
KeenTools 2021.1 adds Nuke Indie support, new FaceBuilder topologies, ARKit-compatible blendshapes and tracking improvements.
Cyberpunk 2077 Technical Art Director Discusses the Game’s Texturing Pipeline
CD Projekt Red technical art director Krzysztof Krzyścin explains how Substance tools supported Cyberpunk 2077’s material pipeline.
V-Ray 5 Benchmark Update Introduces Three Hardware Tests
Chaos updated the V-Ray 5 Benchmark application with a redesigned interface and CPU, CUDA and GPU testing modes.
Ignite: More Than 200 Production Tools for 3ds Max
Sini Software’s Ignite suite consolidates more than 200 scene, modelling, diagnostic and Unreal-preparation tools for 3ds Max.
Tutorial: Creating Groomed Fur for a 3D Chipmunk
Student artist Seonghyeon Park explains the grooming workflow behind a detailed 3D chipmunk character.
Canon EOS R5 Brings 8K RAW Recording to the Mirrorless Line
Canon’s EOS R5 was introduced with an 8K sensor and RAW video recording, alongside demonstrations of high-resolution footage.
Digital Production Welcomes 2021
The Digital Production editorial team returned for 2021 with New Year wishes for its readers and the production community.
Akeytsu 2020.3 Adds Space Switching and a Unified Timeline
Nukeygara’s Akeytsu 2020.3 update introduces dynamic parenting through Space Switching and parallel character animation.
Happy Holidays from Digital Production
The Digital Production editorial team signs off for the 2020 holiday break with seasonal greetings and plans to return in January.
Flicker Free 2.0 Adds GPU Acceleration and Improved Motion Detection
Digital Anarchy’s Flicker Free 2.0 promises faster processing, improved motion detection and new presets for removing video flicker.
Rumba 1.0 Introduces Real-Time Character Animation for VFX Pipelines
Rumba 1.0 offers geometry-based character manipulation, onion-skin posing and integration with existing Maya pipelines.
Assimilate Scratch 9.3 and Play Pro 9.3 Add NDI Remote Workflows
Assimilate’s 9.3 releases integrate NewTek NDI, ColourSpace CMS and Nobe OmniScope for camera-to-post and remote workflows.
DragonFly 2.0 Improves Virtual Camera Tracking and Live Motion Capture
Glassbox Technologies’ DragonFly 2.0 adds better camera tracking, live motion-capture support and more flexible licensing.
Aardman Academy Launches 12-Week Online Stop-Motion Course
Aardman Academy announced a three-month online programme covering the craft and production workflow of stop-motion animation.
What the 2021 EU Drone Rules Meant for German Pilots
An archived guide to the EU drone regulation that took effect in January 2021, including operating categories, competence requirements and transitional rules.
Digital Production 01/2021: Inside the First Issue of the Year
Digital Production 01/2021 covers character art, creative hardware, high-end CPUs, mobile workstations, Flame and automotive CGI.
OctaneRender 2021 Preview Adds Hydra Support and Ampere Improvements
OTOY previewed OctaneRender 2021 with a revised AOV system, improved Nvidia Ampere performance, Hydra rendering and an RNDR+ bundle.
Chaos Vantage Launches for Real-Time Exploration of V-Ray Scenes
Chaos Vantage uses Nvidia RTX hardware to display and edit large V-Ray environments with real-time ray tracing.
Zeitfeld: Martin Hoppe’s Camera Arrays Freeze Time
Martin Hoppe explains Zeitfeld’s scalable bullet-time rigs, LuxMatrix lighting system and high-speed camera experiments.
Mari 4.7 Adds Procedural Masks and Material Workflow Improvements
Foundry’s Mari 4.7 focuses on collaboration, procedural masks, a redesigned Shelf palette and easier layered-material authoring.
V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D Launches with Light Mixing and GPU Rendering
Chaos released V-Ray 5 for Cinema 4D with Light Mixing, Adaptive Dome Light, GPU rendering and distributed-rendering tools.
Hardmesh Brings Advanced Boolean Modelling to 3ds Max
Hardmesh for 3ds Max offers advanced Boolean modelling, rounded intersections and tools for building complex forms from simple geometry.
FMX Spotlight Examines Reusable Assets in EU Project SAUCE
FMX Spotlight presents EU Project SAUCE research into reusable creative assets, light fields, asset pipelines, semantic animation and crowds.
Isotropix Unveils Angie CPU/GPU Renderer
Isotropix previewed Angie, a CPU/GPU renderer planned for integration with Clarisse iFX and Clarisse Builder.
Jonathan Winbush Discusses Motion Design and Unreal Engine Workflows
Motion designer Jonathan Winbush shares experience from projects for Marvel, Warner Bros., Hasbro, Discovery and virtual-reality productions.
Tutorial: Stacking Modelling Deformers in Maya
3dWithAnAccent demonstrates a Maya workflow that recreates stacked 3ds Max modelling deformers using shape nodes and mesh connections.
Tutorial: Recreating Stacked 3ds Max Deformers in Maya
3dWithAnAccent demonstrates how Maya shape nodes can reproduce a stacked-deformer workflow familiar from 3ds Max.
Orhan Sayin Shares 3D and Motion Design Workflows
Cream Studios director and lead 3D artist Orhan Sayin discusses motion graphics, commercials, experience design and projection mapping.
Yambo Shares Motion Design and Cinema 4D Workflow Advice
Yambo Studios’ creative director discusses CGI, colour, texture, motion, composition and his work as a Cinema 4D trainer.
Radeon ProRender 3.0 Adds RX 6000 Ray Tracing and UDIM Support
AMD’s Radeon ProRender 3.0 for Blender adds hardware-accelerated ray tracing, contour rendering and UDIM workflows.
Tutorial: Creating Hair Textures for Games in Maya
Sathish Koththolla presents a one-hour Maya tutorial covering a hair-texture workflow for game characters.
Shams Meccea Discusses Creativity and Motion Design
Vancouver motion designer Shams Meccea explores abstract ideas, spirituality, self-discovery and experimentation across media.
ZBrush 2021.5 Adds Thick Skin and Surface-Sculpting Tools
Pixologic previewed ZBrush 2021.5 with Thick Skin, new surface tools and updates to ZModeler and Sculptris Pro.
Tutorial: Baking and Exporting Custom Assets in Blender
A Blender tutorial covers normal-map baking, cages, material IDs, ambient occlusion, curvature maps and export for Quixel Mixer.
German Film Academy Establishes Animation Film Section
The German Film Academy created a dedicated Animation Film section to recognise and support German animated feature filmmaking.
Arnold 6.1 Reduces GPU Texture Memory Use
Arnold 6.1 adds partial texture loading on the GPU, new light-path features, imager nodes, USD improvements and faster Windows rendering.
Netflix Targets Six Animated Feature Films per Year
Netflix planned to release six animated feature films annually alongside its animated-series slate, with projects from major filmmakers.
Four Animated Features Nominated for European Film Awards
The 2020 European Film Awards nominated Calamity, Josep, Klaus and The Nose or the Conspiracy of Mavericks in animation.
Titmouse Vancouver Animation Workers Vote to Unionise
Titmouse Vancouver employees voted overwhelmingly to form a union with IATSE, citing unpaid overtime and pressure to work additional hours.
VIEW Conference 2020 Streams Online for Free
VIEW Conference made its 2020 programme and Business Innovation Summit free online, with 160 speakers led by Ed Catmull.
Autodesk Explains Perpetual Licence Trade-In
Autodesk outlined the benefits of moving from legacy perpetual licences to its subscription model.
Autodesk Releases Maya 2020.3
Maya 2020.3 adds Bifrost 2.1, Motion Library updates, Script Editor improvements, revised painting and skinning tools, and FBX Standard Surface import.
Tangent Labs Opens Loupe Production Platform Beta
Loupe combines asset and project management, media review, collaboration, render management, reporting and analytics in a browser-based service.
Studio Suite 13 Adds Gantt and Kanban Interfaces
Studio Suite 13 introduces an interactive Gantt chart, Kanban interface, faster calendar, approval controls and Active Directory support.
Studio Ghibli Releases 400 Film Stills
Studio Ghibli released 400 still images from eight films, including Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo.
Don Bluth Launches New Animation Studio
Don Bluth Studios launches with Bluth Fables, livestreamed development and a stated focus on new hand-drawn characters and stories.
How Aardman Took Flushed Away into CG
Aardman and DreamWorks built Flushed Away in CG, combining stylised water simulation, custom splash tools and clay-like character rigs.
Camp Cretaceous Teaser Arrives
The first Camp Cretaceous season sent six teenagers into Jurassic World's dinosaur park across eight CG-animated episodes.
Building Claymation with ZBrush
Alexander Lee's 45-minute tutorial covers Maya blocking, ZBrush sculpting, blendshapes, retiming, shaders and lighting.
Animated Shorts Created During Lockdown
Cartoon Brew's second lockdown collection gathered animated shorts made in varied styles, from isolation studies to toilet-roll horror.
Vicious Circle: Robot in Great Distress
When robots take over repetitive tasks and evoke emotions, a motion designer is not far away—Industry 5.0?
Submit Projects to Animation Production Day
Still need to acuire important financing components for your own project? Until February 27, 2017, animation projects from film, TV series, mobile content, games, cross-media, and transmedia can be submitted to APD.
Call for Entries for ITFS 2017!
The 24th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, which will take place next year from 2 to 7 May, is once again looking for entries. Animated films completed after 1 October 2015 may be submitted until 1 December 2016.
ITFS Opening in the Live Stream
Stuttgart becomes the centre of animation again tomorrow as ITFS begins. Watch the opening and Friday’s Animated Com Award presentation online.
Sci-Tech Oscars 2016
Ahead of the Oscars, the Academy again presented its Technical Achievement Awards, honouring inflatable greenscreens and the Image Shaker.
“The Present” in Full
After “The Present” completed its festival tour, Jacob Frey's animated short from Filmakademie is now online in full, with a making-of download.
All These Critters Everywhere!
Of course countless animated films return to cinemas and screens in 2016. Especially popular this year: animals in the leading roles. A preview.
The 2016 VFX and Animation Oscar Nominees
The nominees for this year’s Oscars have been announced: “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Revenant” have a chance of winning numerous golden boys.
Warner Plans Speedy Gonzales Film
And another hero of our childhood gets hit! The writers are still on strike, there are hardly any new ideas for films, so now they want to drag Speedy Gonzales in front of the 3D cameras.
New Reel from Sony Pictures Imageworks
Oscar-winning CGI giant Sony Pictures Imageworks presents its winter reel, featuring work for “Pixels,” “Hotel Transylvania 2” and and and ...
Animation Production Day 2016
On April 28 and 29, the animation industry will meet in Stuttgart for the 10th time to negotiate new ideas and formats. Projects can be submitted now.
Only the Best for Animators
If your Christmas gift for an animator wasn’t such a hit: here are a few more tips to make things right again. You can bring one along on New Year’s Eve. Or simply treat yourself.
The Lost Mariner
A case from neurologist Oliver Sacks’ studies: amnesia patient Jimmie G. mistakes his wife for a hat. Tess Martin turned it into an award-winning animated and cut short film—ambiguous in the literal sense.
First Selection of Animated Films for the Oscars
What, is it already Oscar time again? Indeed, things are getting started for 2016. These 16 animated features were submitted to the Academy.
Old-School Halloween
Deli Creative Collective has released a short Halloween animated film that once again brings the good old days of the 8-bit gaming era to mind.
Entries Can Be Submitted to ITFS Again!
Entries can now once again be submitted for the 23rd edition of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film.
Making-of the Christmas FrootFly
Christmas is long over, so now you can finally take a calm look at a CG project on the subject and its detailed making-of.
The Best Oscar Presentations for Animated Films
Lots to watch: Cartoonbrew has taken the trouble to find the best presentations of animated films at the Academy Awards.
20 Animated Films in the Oscar Race for 2015
The range of films shortlisted by the Oscar Academy for an award in the "Best Animated Feature Film" category is broad.
Winners of the 17th Savannah Film Festival
The Savannah Film Festival took place from October 25 to November 1. "The Looking Planet" by Eric Law Anderson won the award for best animated film.