Release. Pressure. Animate.

The style differences between rich textures and simple shading mainly occur because
of differences in difficulty of each in a medium. For example the difference in texture
between most cut out and frame-by-frame animations. The difference in time, complexity
and costs of adding details in texture is what seems to make the difference. It‟s possible
to add extreme detail and texture in the characters shading but if every frame the
texture has to be drawn again corresponding with the characters position is extremely
complex and would require an extensive focus on detail after detail to be able to pull it
off. Such an extremely tedious task would be utterly useless to try on longer – feature-
length for example – films. Within 3D animation the detail are in actual textures that
don‟t need to be redrawn each frame and thus can easily be applied. Thus it can provide
rather detailed environments and characters with little effort from the actual animators.
Frame-by-frame 2D animation can create depth in its animation, but the overall
motion can still be drawn in a simple 2D method and the perception of depth is done by
drawing such depth. The complex side with cut-out animation that creates such a depth
is the extra added axes, instead of drawing believable depth with a 2D image the depth
comes from added technical stuff that renders the perceivable depth. Often such added
complexity is being avoided and therefore cut-out is more often animated in a 2D fashion
to keep it simple. Animators will often go for the simplest solution, which is not
necessarily their own choice. Often a director or producer will go for the cheaper option,
thus easier option. In 3D animation you‟re bound to the complexity of all these axes
almost all the time, unless you go for a 2D style wherein you could limit the depth and
some rotation axes. An example of such a style where this is seen is South Park (1997,
Comedy Central).
Another difference in style is between animation that is fully redrawn frame-by-frame
and those where parts of the character (cut out) are repositioned frame by frame. Often
fully redrawn animation has no limit and total freedom and the possibility to go beyond
extremes whereas the other has limited deformation and motion – though Claymation
could provide rather cheap extreme deformations as well. Within 3D computer animation
a character‟s motion is often limited by the rig, just as with stop motion armatures.
Though the coming of more complex rigs give more artistic freedom and allow for
squash, stretch and even rather extreme deformations. Also additional digital deformers
can add additional deformation. Still real „free‟ deformation in 3D is significantly more
complex than the traditional 2D drawings that don‟t suffer from added technicalities and
data. You could consider 3D animation therefore more as a part positioning system
instead of a full redraw style.
The difficulty and complexity in techniques seem to result in stray of the animators‟
focus and interferes with his flow. Complexity in an animator‟s task makes it hard for him
to stay constantly intuitive, creative and motivated in the act of animating. Though,
2. The difference in Animation fields
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