Like first time new car buyers, Asian studio owners and executives looked under a number of hoods, and kicked a good many tires. In the end, decisions were made based upon solid business concerns. If a studio, for example, had contracts for a large number shows with a French producer who used the PixiBox software, it made no sense to go with another system. On the other hand, if a great deal of their work came from Japan, it would be foolish not to consider going with the Retass Pro, software designed in Japan to run on a Macintosh platform. Some studios opted for the shotgun approach: license a few seats each of different software, and announce they could work in any system a potential client wished. Other studios simply passed, deciding to stick with traditional ink and paint and film for as long as they could. As in all periods of major change within an industry, there was a blend of opportunity and risk. The opportunity was to become established as a leader in this new technology and get in on the ground floor. The risk was that you could spend a great deal of money on a system, that only a small percentage of your clients would allow you to employ -- and which could be obsolete before you even got it paid off.

The dynamics of change are often more plodding than dynamic. As more clients become comfortable and secure with new technology, the more Asian studios are joining the parade and making a full change-over to digital production. Few clients now question the benefits of digital ink and paint over traditional means of production, but some still have elected to wait for the reasons I've noted above. This caution however, is clearly waning. The majority of producers now sending their work to Asia, favor digital production as it greatly reduces retakes stemming from technical errors. This reduction in the number of retakes is a benefit to the Asian subcontractor as much as it is to the client. It now seems that it is only a matter of time until all animation is produced with some form of digital technology.

Presently, nearly all large animation studios in Asia offer digital ink and paint using one or more software packages. Media Pegs, US Animation and Animo seem to have emerged as the clear winners in this market. All three have their supporters and detractors but it is not in the scope of this article (or ability of this writer) to examine the strengths and weaknesses of each system.

3D and Motion Capture

Evan Ricks, Sinbad's motion capture director, kept the film's motion capture production in the States to have tighter quality control. Courtesy Improvision.

3D Television Series Animation
A few traditional Asian animation studios have made some exploratory commitments to 3D animation, but the key word is exploratory. As with digital ink and paint, studios are cautious. As of now there is very little business in television 3D animation being subcontracted to Asia. The series that have aired or are currently being produced, have not strayed offshore into Asia. There are several reasons why these shows, as of yet, have not followed the well traveled path of 2D animation to Asia.

To begin with, the production techniques and tools used for 3D animation are still evolving. Everyone is still trying to figure out how to best utilize the software and hardware that is available, and how to organize and develop efficient methods for mass production. Producer/clients have felt that they need to work with specialists in this new medium, and so far, have favored experienced digital/CGI houses over 2D animation studios trying to break new ground in 3D.