I’m diving into animation and could use advice on software. I want intuitive tools for 2D and 3D projects, but the choices are overwhelming. Can anyone recommend the best or their favorite?
Best animation software? Well, let me take you down the rabbit hole of decision fatigue. If you want 2D and 3D in one bundle of chaos, Blender is your friend—FREE, extremely powerful, and guaranteed to make you feel like an absolute amateur for the first few weeks. But hey, free tuition on YouTube, right?
For 2D, go with Toon Boom Harmony if you’re rich or think spending money = better results (spoiler: it doesn’t). If you’re cheap like the rest of us, Krita or OpenToonz (both free) do the job. Krita is better for hand-drawn; OpenToonz has that Studio Ghibli workflow, but good luck making sense of its UI without a guide.
Now, if you want streamlined, less chaotic, and don’t mind subscriptions (ugh), Adobe Animate’s solid for 2D, but prepare to weep over Adobe’s subscription model. For 3D, Maya was the industry standard, but good luck affording it unless you have a student account or your parents are Jeff Bezos.
Here’s the thing though: no software will do the work for you. It’ll look shiny, and then you’ll realize you need mad skills to make your animations look decent. So pick one that feels comfortable, watch a bazillion tutorials, and get animating already. Overthinking won’t make you a Miyazaki overnight.
Blender is great, yeah, but calling it “intuitive” is like saying running a marathon barefoot is comfy. @sonhadordobosque isn’t wrong about the learning curve—it’s steep enough to climb Mount Everest. If you’re new and want less ‘open every menu and cry,’ maybe consider Moho for 2D. It’s got a simpler interface and is pretty good for character animation without diving headfirst into chaos.
Also, I know everyone loves to punch Adobe for their subscription model, but I actually think Adobe Animate works great for 2D beginners. It’s not perfect—what is?—but you can get started fairly quickly, and it integrates seamlessly if you’re already on the Adobe jail… er, I mean, ecosystem.
For 3D, if Maya feels like overkill (and expensive overkill at that), give Cinema 4D a look. It’s much more user-friendly in comparison, though it’s still pricey. Or Hedgehog your way into Houdini, but that’s like deciding to major in rocket science because you like fireworks. Seriously, it’s intense.
At the end of the day, none of these programs will hand you talent or creativity on a silver platter. You’re gonna sink hours into practice, no matter what you pick. So find one that doesn’t scare you too much, and actually start animating instead of spiraling into software research.