Toon Boom Technologies recently released a new version of its 2D cel animation software, USAnimation, which is used by top animation studios all over the world (Walt Disney TV Animation, Film Roman, Warner Bros., Klasky Csupo, Paramount Pictures, Mercury FilmWorks, Sunwoo, Cuckoo's Nest, Cinar). Version 5.0 brings a wealth of new tools to animators, including the new 3D camera, or USAnimation's Real-Time Scene Planning module (which can be used at any time after scanning). Within this new module of the system, users can manipulate 2D elements in a 3D environment, changing positions and trajectories of elements and cameras, and then view the results in real-time. This means that complicated camera moves, such as multi-plane zooms, can be tested without waiting for the render results. USAnimation now also supports the Flash format, which means cel animators can take advantage of USAnimation's advanced features to produce animation for distribution on the Web. Toon Boom is pitching USAnimation 5.0 as the product that will not only increase productivity, but also the quality of animated productions. And with new features like the Real-Time Scene Planning module, it might just be able to do that.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
