Animations
When a single image can’t tell your project’s story, an animation is a great option. And here’s the good news: if you’re already doing a still rendering, an animation is not that much more. The reason? We’ve probably already modeled everything you’re going to see in the animation; the only additional costs are related to creating the animated camera and compiling the animation.
Here’s a sample of some of the animations our team has completed:
How It Works:
Getting an animation is similar to getting still renderings. You’ll send your project files to us – plans, elevations, etc. – and the only additional information we’ll need is the location and type of animation or animations.
Here are the options:
Walk-Through – The camera is animated along a path at a pace similar to that of someone walking. Walk-throughs are great at conveying a very personal experience of a space and are well suited to interior tours and pedestrian-oriented exterior spaces.
Drive-Through – Same as a walk-through except the pace is similar to that of a car driving by. This is a good option for showing large developments quickly, yet still maintaining a personal connection to the design.
Fly Through – Similar to the two above, only the vantage point and pace is like that seen from a helicopter or crane shot. This is a good choice for showing the surrounding context of a large development.
Pan – The camera stays in a fixed position and rotates from side to side. This is a great option to show small interior or exterior spaces. It’s also a very economical option because there is often no extra modeling required beyond that prepared for a still rendering.
Tilt – This is the same as a pan except the camera moves up and down.
Zoom – The camera stays in a fixed position and the focal length of the lens is altered to move closer or farther from the subject. Like pans and tilts, this is an economical option for showing small interior and exterior spaces.
How long should animations be? We recommend a running time of between 15 to 25 seconds per space. While every design is different and requires a distinct approach, an animation longer than 30 seconds runs the risk of boring your audience. Our experience is that it’s better to break up large spaces into discrete, shorter shots. Animations can be delivered as stand-alone segments, or we can edit all of your shots together to create a single video. We also offer titling, animated graphics, voice over and sound design – see our Video Production section.
What about deliverables? The answer to this depends on how you wish to display your animation. Here are the most typical options:
Web – Your animation can be saved in a format that is suitable for playback on a website. There are several options available, all depending on how the host website is configured. We can guide you through these choices and pick the best format that combines quality and speed.
DVDs – This is a great option for displaying animation at meetings and presentations. It’s also good for distribution to audiences that would prefer to watch animated media on their TV rather than their computer.
PowerPoint and Other Presentation Software – We can save your animation file in a format that works within a PowerPoint or any other presentation software.
CDs – We can write your animation to a CD that can be mass produced and configured to play automatically when inserted into a user’s computer. CDs are also useful as additional media to supplement printed brochures.
Get a Free Estimate Here:
Ready to get started? Use our Get a Free Estimate Page to send us your project files. We’ll review your files ASAP and provide a no-obligation estimate to get your project underway. Or if you prefer, email us your project data, or call us toll-free at 1-800-750-2535.
