Industry Overview
Change is Constant! Media and Entertainment industry follows this rule diligently whether it's in Technology or in Talent Skillset. Small yet rapidly growing arm of Media and Entertainment Industry is "Animation". Earlier it was limited to small targeted audience of film making but now its presence can be seen across boundaries of MandE, supporting creative needs of Print Media, Gaming, Advertising, Education, Social Awareness, etc.

Digitisation is the common goal, which every Industry is moving towards. Animation is vaulting in this space too. Animation Industry is always on the move as far as new technological developments are concerned, ranging from cloud-based technologies to new age software.

Important aspect of this Technological paradigm shift is Talent advancement. As technology is growing, so is Talent Skillset. Animation is Talent Driven Industry. It has Creativity at its heart, which can only be supported and directed by "Creative Talent".

“Animation Industry is always on the move as far as new technological developments are concerned, ranging from cloud based technologies to new age software”

Technological Journey and Trends: 2D to 3D ­
Critical transformation has been seen into Animation Industry. Past era of Animation was majorly into 2D. There was a time when Animation was present in the form of Disney's Flip Books. Technology grew, and it got converted into digitization of hand drawn images/objects. To support this, automation rollers also came into picture. In current scenario with all technological advancement, past looks like long lost era. There is no doubt that we have covered long positive miles towards the direction of steep technological changes.

Current time is of 3D realistic images created and produced by highly creative talent, by using New Age Animation Software.

·Tools for fast track growth - New Age Animation Software
Earlier one animated film used to get created and produced in the time span of 3 to 4 years. Now with the development of new tools and software, production time has reduced drastically. These supporting tools and software are being used in different aspect of Animation. For example, Maya for rendering, modeling, simulation, Nuke for compositing, V-Ray for rendering, After Effects for special effects, ZBrush for digital sculpting, Motion Builder for 3D character animation, Golaem for Crowd Simulation, etc.

·GPU
Transition from Central Processing Unit to Graphic Processing Unit for renders:

"Graphic Processing Unit", as name suggests is the new generation technology creating a stir in Animation Industry. GPU supports in boosting the performance of video and graphics and accelerate output in rendering images.

·Cloud Based Technology –
Animation Industry used to be infrastructure heavy. To create a studio, people needed space, multifold storage to capacitate extra content and much more. Now with the help of Cloud Technology, a studio can use cloud infrastructure to go live at the shortest time possible and at lower costs. It has provided a next generation platform, where Talent can create content at the comfort of their home. On the other hand, Animation studios are able to instantly outsource to cloud connected partners. Investment on Infrastructure can be reduced drastically through these services. Cloud Technology is the connective technology and makes offshore outsourcing possible and effective. Few major players in this space are Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, IBM cloud, Cisco Cloud, etc.

·MachineLearning/AI
Machine Learning has brought revolution to almost all growing industries. Animation is also not left behind, and it is getting transformed through this new technology. This drive is giving talent opportunity to focus on creating exquisite animated artwork by eliminating repetitive work. It is also allowing software to adapt to user preferences, while maintaining the original quality of work of an artist.

In future, Machine Learning will be adapted for intelligent rendering too.

·New Distribution/ Delivery Platforms
These platforms are supporting variety of Animated content. Delivery Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vimeo and more are providing opportunity to animation studios and artists to host their content.

Through the support of these online delivery/distribution platforms, market penetration of animated content has increased and reached to Smart TV, Mobile Phones, Tablets, Laptops, etc. Simultaneously, these platforms have triggered the increase in audience base too and they helped in Grading by allowing users to rate the content. These Distribution Platforms/Channels created the awareness about good content which are available on them.

·Content is the new Fuel
In current time, Content is fueling economy, consumer base, research and more. Content is Technology driven. Good content depends upon good technology and Talent.

·Virtual Reality(VR)- In current times, Virtual Reality is the new Reality. This animated technology is being used in Flight Simulation Programs, Space Simulation Trainings at NASA, Surgical Simulation Procedures in Medical industry and at many other places.

·Critical Combination - Creative Talent and Technology”
Technological advancement is moving with a fast pace so is Talent Skillset. If Technology is the "Mind" of Animation Industry, then Talent or Creative people are the "Soul". Good Technology is supporting artists in achieving Love of their Life i.e. "Story Telling through creating work master pieces". Good Talent needs good Technology to create state of the art work and Good Technology needs good Talent to utilize technology to its full capacity and to develop it further.

That's how Technology and Creative Talent is a crucial combination for driving tomorrow's animation.