Which is better: to learn 2D or 3D animation?

[LVUER]

Recently, I'm considering to learn (and eventually switch job, though still long time to do that). After giving a lot of thought, the skill (and job) I want to learn is animation (to become an animator). Now another question pop out: 2D or 3D?

Here's some of my thought:
- 2D: Have some basic from flash. Could draw a little. No need for heavy spec PC. And also I think I have all neccessary tools to begin (and learn) immediately (PC, laptop, scanner, printer, Premiere, Flash, Photoshop, Corel Draw, Graphic Tablet... what else?).

- 3D: Know the basic theory, but never actually create anything 3D (except some building blocks in SketchUp). Still need to buy some heavy duty PC (my old PC just not enough anymore). Already have 3DSMAX 9 (not mine though, it's expensive you know), or I could just use Blender (hey, it's free).

The market is also to consider. I want to make animation for anime market in Japan (it's alright to dream, isn't it?), not for Hollywood. So 2D is perhaps better since I don't know if 3D see much use in anime (though more and more 3D is used in anime, but still quite rare)...

Would you please post your opinion or thought? Perhaps that could help me to decide which one to take. I don't think I could do both since both of them have quite different foundation.

[Taleweaver]

The market is also to consider. I want to make animation for anime market in Japan (it's alright to dream, isn't it?), not for Hollywood. So 2D is perhaps better since I don't know if 3D see much use in anime (though more and more 3D is used in anime, but still quite rare)...

See, and that's where you are wrong. Even though there are not that many anime series and movies that look 3D, 3D animation is used in many places where you don't suspect it. Most fast paced action scenes, for example, already use a 3D polygon model to keep track of where the beating takes place, and the animators merely draw over these polygon models. Even Studio Ghibli don't do everything by hand any longer: entire flight scenes or extended shots over detailed terrain is created digitally... in 3D.

3D saves a studio time, and time is money. Draw your own conclusions.

[Adorya]

The best way would be 2D then 3D but if you only have one choice go 3D. Knowing both would open to you all opportunities

You will gain a lot of bonuses from knowing the basics of 2D though, because an animator is not only using 2D/3D programs, he is also a wizard on real life animation and its projection on a flat space (in France, one of the entry exam of famous Gobelins animation school ask you to draw an bouncing ball and all of its animation key sequence by hand).

[Samu-kun]

In general, you need to learn to draw 2D before you can finish 3D pieces by yourself, or else all you'll be able to make will be clay models without any textures on them.

[afu]

I think usually animation courses start with a mix of both, don't they? (at least in my institution they did) Then you can branch out and see which you like best.
From experience, learning the basic skills of 2D animation WILL help you tons when moving over in to 3D.
On the other hand, if you don't know the basics and find animating with 3d hard then you could always just become a 3d modeler or some thing.

Good luck

[Adorya]

You need basic drawing knowledge but the most important is basic animation knowledge, both require a perfect space visualization but 2nd doesn't require you to know drawing technique. Of course, animation school require you to draw but you can skip the 2D part.

In general, you need to learn to draw 2D before you can finish 3D pieces by yourself, or else all you'll be able to make will be clay models without any textures on them.

Worse, in 3D animation you have the "off model" case where animating 3D that way completely break it because someone played too much with "emo sliders", and sometimes it's the opposite, the model given is so bad that you have to off model it in order to make it "visually acceptable".

A typical bad management in 3D occured in Basquash, animator Romain Thomas admitted that there was those kind of errors in ep 5 because they ran out of time (animator director skipped some essentials check-up but ended up doing more retake works at the end). Of course it's redone for the DVD release but still, a fail is a fail

[LVUER]

But I still fail to see what the connection between 2D and 3D... I mean why you have to be able to animate in 2D if you want to make something 3D? Since the software will calculate all the animation (and you only need to make the keyframe). And sure you need to be able to visualize what you want to draw, but for 2D you draw it with hand and for 3D you sculpt it from basic blocks (like rectangle).

Well, may be it's the curriculum in my country that's wrong, but I think I didn't found anything related to 2D in 3D animation/design school/university in my country. Too bad it's almost impossible for me to take school abroad...

[DaFool]

Animating 3D is more like animation Flash 2D rather than frame-by-frame 2D. However before you even get a 3D model you'll have to sketch it out first to conceptualize it, hence you still need drawing skill.

[LVUER]

Drawing skill and conceptualizing skill is a different skill (luckily, I can do both). In 3D, you could do without a pen tablet. But in 2D, you could get RSI if you try to draw with a mouse (only)...

[Adorya]

Your 2D skill is needed to share your conceptualizing skill to your teammate while doing the project (and also the investors unless you work all alone with your own budget).

Ever heard of a preprod storyboard? You can't just directly animate in 3D, you need to show how animation will be done before rendering, and a rough storyboard made in pencil is way much faster done than 3D pre-rendering.

[Samu-kun]

Actually, in most traditional art programs, you probably won't even be allowed to touch most 2D or 3D works without first knowing fundamental art techniques. That means you'll probably spend the first semester drawing cubes and squares and the second semester drawing apples and bananas. Then you'll eventually graduate to still lives, etc, etc, then human anatomy. So to answer the question, you'll probably need to practice 2D for years before you're even allowed to touch your first 3D model!

[Adorya]

/agree though you can skip up to body anatomy, graphical perspective and colors, all relatives to eye training is essential before moving to 3D.

[Maverynthia]

Since the software will calculate all the animation (and you only need to make the keyframe).

Ahahahahahahaaaaaa xD!!!!!!!!
And it'll look WRONG!!!

That is the most WRONG concept that students have, is that "the computer will do everything" and their animations will look fake and horrible. I've seen so many people in the computer animation course fail because "the computer would do it"

When you are working in 3D animation you STILL NEED to think of it like in 2D animation. The only thing the computer allows you to skip is the drawing the character over and over, all you need to to is just pose it. The in-betweening is still there for you the human to do.

[georgmay]

Better? ggg xD
Author, sorry please, but this a stupid question.
Better / worse than you can compare different works on 3D and 2D graphics.

[LVUER]

Better? ggg xD
Author, sorry please, but this a stupid question.
Better / worse than you can compare different works on 3D and 2D graphics.

The right one is this is the dumbest answer I've received. Do you really know the meaning of your answer? Since I'm not (since there are less than 30 words in your post). Talk about lazy.