What is the difference between Animation & VFX?

Animation and Visual effects (VFX) are seen mostly in films especially Hollywood superhero pictures. Of course, the world of motion media is not limited to only international films. Now, it has spread its wings towards domestic films too. The two terms- Animation and VFX -may seem similar but they have some key differences. Most common perception is that animation is a part of VFX. Nothing can be far from truth than this perception. Despite their differences both are categorized under the fine arts section of the Media and Entertainment industry. Before getting to know the difference between Animation and VFX, read on to know what are animation and Visual effects with some examples.

Animation:
Animation is the technique of applying illusions on the painting/ sketches/ drawings of puppets or human being pictures so that they can move and act as we see in the cartoon series. Or it is also defined as “animation is motion graphics that are applied to the pictures or sketches in order to create characters and motion”.

It uses the existing frame or footage and applies animated or imaginary using computer software to make it a real scene. It can be done by sketching by hand or through a computer or the combination of sketching and computer-generated images.

It takes more time to produce an image but the existing cells or frames can be re-used in this technique to save time.

Like most art forms, animation too grew from a rudimentary stage. The evolution catapulted with the onset of computer software such as Autodesk Maya.

Example:
1) Cartoon pictures have been childhood favourite time pass and entertainment for most.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power:

the current famous Netflix series for children and relished cartoon pic. All the roles in the episodes are human puppets. If we take the lead role She-Ra – a warrior girl. When we look at her, it was a drawing, not a real girl. That means we draw one puppet or image and make it move and act through illusions.

We give life to that role through animation technique.

2) The titles, modelling, texturing, rigging are other examples of Animation.

Besides, Animation has moved on from two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) through ever-growing technological advancements. The core differences between 2D and 3D are software used, frame rate, and the cost of technology. Obviously, 2D animation is relatively economical than 3D.

In 2D animation, you just draw images with different postures. If in the image, he/ she has folded his/her hand back side, the artist need not draw the total hand, instead he can draw just the outline.

However, in the case of a 3D image, the third “D” – that is, DEPTH- too gets hilighted which lends life-like experience. That means with 3D we can explore all dimensions of an image.

The example of 2D animated films are Aladdin, The Princess and The Frog; whereas the 3D animated films are Kung Fu Panda, The secret life of pets and Zootopia etc.