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Nov 18, 2020 Part 2: Best Free Animation Software for Windows. Below are free animation software on Windows. DAZ Studio - Free Software for 3D Lovers. Difficulty Level: Difficult. Pro: You can make game animation for fun. It also supports GPU accelerated real-time rendering. Con: It has a high demand for the device, but owns a steep. 2D animation is one of the oldest form of animation, it is created when multiple drawing frames are represented one after another to create an animation. There are many different methods available for making 2D animation. One of the effective and modern method for making it is by using a software. These five free 2D animation software are. Free 3D animation software for beginners. Available Synfig Studio offers professional edition for developing high quality animation content. It is more friendly for those with the prior knowledge of animation making software for pc. Windows, Linux, and macOS X Pencil2D: Pencil2D is a free animation software for beginners.
Let's look at the best FREE animation software that you can download and start using today. Featuring 10+ software options!
Anyone interested in diving into animation may be shocked to see just how many free software options are available these days. And these aren't cookie-cutter programs — many of these free applications are frequently used by animation-industry pros!
If you are still looking for feature-rich animation software for free, then Clara.io can be a good pick. Access a full range of incredible features including multi-user editing, collaboration, review tools, easy embedding and sharing, sub-object editing, blazing speed, and flexible lighting setups. Initially released in 2016, OpenToonz is a free 2D animation software program. Since it is an open-source software tool, any developer can edit and modify its code to make it better and customize it to suit their needs. Its main aim is to link academic research and animation to facilitate ideas and research.
SketchBook's free animation program is easy to use, even without the tutorial. Image via SketchBook.
Let's look at the selling points of each free animation program, where to download them, and where to find some beginner tutorials.
Pencil2D
Pencil2D is a simple, user-friendly 2D animation app, widely considered to be a perfect starter program for beginners and ideal for frame-by-frame animations.
Pencil2D is a free, open-source animation program — even for commercial use. It supports both bitmap and vector graphics, and has features like onion-skinning.
Onion-skinning allows you to keep track of each frame in the drawing process. Image via Blender.
FYI, onion-skinning refers to the ability to see previous frames of your animation while you create the next frame. Check out the Pencil2D Tutorials page to get started.
Krita
Krita is probably one of the most highly-regarded free animation applications. Ideal for hand-drawn animation, Krita includes over 100 pre-loaded brushes, each with a wide variety of effects.
Krita is great for hand-drawn animations, has built-in brush stabilizers, and a wide variety of effects. Image via Krita.
Krita also has built-in brush stabilizers that can smooth out the effects of shaky hands, making it great for tablet use. Really, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what Krita has to offer. Want to learn more? Check out this amazing starter tutorial from kdsketch!
SketchBook
How to change download location on macbook air. SketchBook was previously a paid animation app from Autodesk, but now it's completely free! Similar to Pencil2D, SketchBook is a perfect starter program. It has a beautiful user interface that's easy to pick up and understand — even without a tutorial. The brushes also feel really natural when you're drawing on the canvas.
SketchBook's user interface has a wonderful layout and is user-friendly. Image via SketchBook.
SketchBook was the first free animation app I tried out, and I wasn't disappointed. As a filmmaker, I could see myself using it to create write-on text or animation arrows. It also has features like onion-skinning and allows you to rearrange the UI to suit your needs. Check out Autodesk's Sketckbook Starter Tutorial playlist to learn more.
Blender
Blender's recently overhauled drawing tool — known as Grease Pencil — allows you to draw in a 3D environment. It's perfect for creating traditional 2D animation, cut-out animation, and hand-drawn motion graphics.
This tool allows you to draw in a 3D environment, create hand-drawn motion graphics, as well as traditional 2D animation. Image via Blender.
If you're already familiar with Blender's 3D tool set, then you should be able to dive right in. If you're totally new to Blender, check out this beginner Grease Pencil tutorial by Dedouze.
OpenToonz
OpenToonz is another popular 2D animation application, and it's widely accepted as a free substitute for apps like Adobe Animate. It may have more of a learning curve than other beginner apps, but it has a host of professional features — onion-skinning, bone rigging, node-based editing options, and more. OpenToonz also supports bitmap and vector images.
For a closer look, check out this beginner OpenToonz tutorial by NobleFrugal Studio.
Synfig Studio
Synfig Studio is an animation app similar in depth to OpenToonz and Adobe Animate. While the user interface looks a bit sterile and comes with a bit of a learning curve, it does have many advanced features.
One of those advanced features is vector tweening, which allows layers to automatically transform into other shapes. The software also includes layers, filters, and bone-rigging, and it supports both bitmap and vector images.
Other Free Software
There are a few other free software apps that may be helpful in your animation journey. Take Inkscape, for example, which is an open-source illustration application. It allows you to create vector graphics, which can be ideal for animated character designs.
Inkscape is a perfect tool when creating character designs for animation. Image via Inkscape. Imovie download apple.
Want a more advanced video editor that lets you cut animation clips together or add post-effects? Check out DaVinci Resolve and HitFilm Express. Both of these free video editing apps include a plethora of effects.
Cover image via Krita.
For the most part, animation is not an expensive craft to pursue but it does come with some fairly pricey overheads when you're first getting started out.
If you're in animation school, chances are you've got access to all of the equipment and software you could possibly need. But if you're interested in kitting out your home setup with animation software, the price tag can quickly rack up. Luckily, there are some free animation software alternatives which are good enough to see you through the majority of animation projects you'll undertake.
Presenting…
Pencil
OS: Mac, Windows, Linux
Krita also has built-in brush stabilizers that can smooth out the effects of shaky hands, making it great for tablet use. Really, this is just the tip of the iceberg of what Krita has to offer. Want to learn more? Check out this amazing starter tutorial from kdsketch!
SketchBook
How to change download location on macbook air. SketchBook was previously a paid animation app from Autodesk, but now it's completely free! Similar to Pencil2D, SketchBook is a perfect starter program. It has a beautiful user interface that's easy to pick up and understand — even without a tutorial. The brushes also feel really natural when you're drawing on the canvas.
SketchBook's user interface has a wonderful layout and is user-friendly. Image via SketchBook.
SketchBook was the first free animation app I tried out, and I wasn't disappointed. As a filmmaker, I could see myself using it to create write-on text or animation arrows. It also has features like onion-skinning and allows you to rearrange the UI to suit your needs. Check out Autodesk's Sketckbook Starter Tutorial playlist to learn more.
Blender
Blender's recently overhauled drawing tool — known as Grease Pencil — allows you to draw in a 3D environment. It's perfect for creating traditional 2D animation, cut-out animation, and hand-drawn motion graphics.
This tool allows you to draw in a 3D environment, create hand-drawn motion graphics, as well as traditional 2D animation. Image via Blender.
If you're already familiar with Blender's 3D tool set, then you should be able to dive right in. If you're totally new to Blender, check out this beginner Grease Pencil tutorial by Dedouze.
OpenToonz
OpenToonz is another popular 2D animation application, and it's widely accepted as a free substitute for apps like Adobe Animate. It may have more of a learning curve than other beginner apps, but it has a host of professional features — onion-skinning, bone rigging, node-based editing options, and more. OpenToonz also supports bitmap and vector images.
For a closer look, check out this beginner OpenToonz tutorial by NobleFrugal Studio.
Synfig Studio
Synfig Studio is an animation app similar in depth to OpenToonz and Adobe Animate. While the user interface looks a bit sterile and comes with a bit of a learning curve, it does have many advanced features.
One of those advanced features is vector tweening, which allows layers to automatically transform into other shapes. The software also includes layers, filters, and bone-rigging, and it supports both bitmap and vector images.
Other Free Software
There are a few other free software apps that may be helpful in your animation journey. Take Inkscape, for example, which is an open-source illustration application. It allows you to create vector graphics, which can be ideal for animated character designs.
Inkscape is a perfect tool when creating character designs for animation. Image via Inkscape. Imovie download apple.
Want a more advanced video editor that lets you cut animation clips together or add post-effects? Check out DaVinci Resolve and HitFilm Express. Both of these free video editing apps include a plethora of effects.
Cover image via Krita.
For the most part, animation is not an expensive craft to pursue but it does come with some fairly pricey overheads when you're first getting started out.
If you're in animation school, chances are you've got access to all of the equipment and software you could possibly need. But if you're interested in kitting out your home setup with animation software, the price tag can quickly rack up. Luckily, there are some free animation software alternatives which are good enough to see you through the majority of animation projects you'll undertake.
Presenting…
Pencil
OS: Mac, Windows, Linux
When it comes to free and open-source 2D animation programs, Pencil is by far the most well-rounded and comes with a surprising number of features given that it comes with no charge.
Although it looks simple from the clean interface, it is packed with all the main tools you'll find in some of the Pencil's paid counterparts. It supports both vector and bitmap images, multiple layers and has its own in-built illustration tools (so you can either import graphics or create them right there and then before animating them).
Synfig Studios
OS: Mac, Windows, Linux
Right up there with Pencil, Synfig is very similar in design but arguably comes with a steeper learning curve; reason being, it throws in even more advanced features, and the results which can be achieved once you master them border on the professional level.
Stykz
OS: Mac, Windows, Linux
Given the above two open-source suites which offer an impressive level functionality, why are we featuring a simple stickman animation tool?
Simply put, Stykz has got a lot of use for anyone who likes to draft things out before getting down to fully-fledged artwork and animating. It's completely free with no strings attached, works on any platform and can produce fluid .GIFs incredibly quickly (which will no doubt lead on to bigger things).
One particularly neat feature is that it also integrates with Pivot, another node-based (and free) animation tool.
CreaToon
OS: Windows
An entry-level animation program, CreaToon is cut-out based (all graphics are imported) that takes a lot of the headache out of creating cartoon-esque animation. While it isn't quite as polished as some of the other names on this list, the real-time editing, auto in-frame filling and versatile file format support are real pulls.
Ajax Animator
OS: Windows, Mac, iPad
Not to be confused with the coding language, Ajax started life back in 2006 and was developed by a 6th grader as a replacement to Adobe's expensive Flash MX. From such auspicious beginnings emerged a robust and fully functional animator that is well worth checking out despite its primitive look, especially if you're an iPad user.
Blender
OS: Mac, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD
If you've heard of Blender, that's because it's one of the most widely-used free animation softwares still in active development (even professional animators and video game developers turn to it from time to time). Although it may take some time for beginners to get to grips with, those who manage to put even half the features Blender offers to use will be able to produce very impressive results.
Bryce
Free Animation Software Download
OS: Mac, Windows
Although it's not strictly an animation suite, free terrain generation software (of decent quality) is hard to come by. Bryce has really stepped up to the plate in this department – as a terragen, it's both as simple and as elaborate as you need it to be depending on the scale of your project and works seamlessly with most other modeling software.
Incidentally, Bryce is developed by DAZ 3D, who are also responsible for:
DAZ Studio
OS: Mac, Windows
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This fantastic modeling and animation software wasn't always free, but as of 2012, the professional version of DAZ is yours simply for signing up for a free registration account. The rendering engine is lightning fast, and the huge library of pre-created component content will have you creating in no time.
Clara.io
Free Animation Software
OS: Browser-based
Not only is Clara free, but it's the only web-based one we can think of that is fully functional (and you don't need any browser plugins to get it going). Not only does it feature a good system for polygonal modeling and skeletal/keyframe animation, but due to its 80,000+ user base there's a strong community feel and plenty of people with which to chat shop.
Know of any great free or open source drawing animation software/tools which we're missing? Do help the animation community out by leaving your suggestions in the comments below. And, if you're interested in learning more about 3D animation and visual effects, check out NYFA's 3D Animation & VFX School to begin your journey.
