Take the leap into the world of 3D animation.

Just as Pixar changed the look of animated features with Toy Story, 3D animation can change the way customers perceive your products and business — and you don’t have to spend millions of dollars and years of development to make it happen. It will just look like you did.

Simply put, 3D animation elevates your brand by showcasing your products with a more high-quality appearance than photo moves or flat animation can provide. There are varying styles of 3D animation, but a prime use is that it can provide a photo-realistic look that helps products stand out. In fact, if 3D animation is done right, the untrained eye can’t distinguish it from photography.

Whether you need a clip for a sales or training video, want to promote a product at a tradeshow, wish to elevate the look of your website or want to take your website visuals to another level, 3D animation literally adds depth to your offering.

More cost-effective than you think

Yes, 3D animation costs more than traditional flat, or 2D, animation, but it’s far more affordable than most people think. Rather than use 3D animation for an entire video, save the 3D animation for specific clips.

For instance, if you want to highlight different features of a product, you can use 3D animation to rotate the product so that each side can be seen. That can be significantly more impactful than using photos of each side, yet you’ve only paid for a short video clip. This 30-second 3D animation video produced for Victory (shown below) Innovations is a great example of multiple animation techniques, including realistic product visuals and a product rotation.

In addition, 3D animation gives you flexibility to amortize the cost over multiple projects. A clip used in a video can also be used in social media posts, to spice up a sales presentation, to add visual interest to a tradeshow booth, to enhance blog posts and more. You can also save individual frames as high-quality images for use in literature, signage and other printed materials.

Production flexibility

With a full video shoot, you can get attractive product footage with motion and different angles. But you’ll pay for a video crew, lighting, studios and more, plus you’ll be limited to the footage that you captured.

3D animation software changes that. Because it’s based on CAD drawings or detailed specs, you can get the exact look you want from any angle and create almost any motion. You can also “explode” products if you want to show individual pieces or highlight different configurations, something that’s impossible to do with traditional video and ineffective with flat animation. You won’t have to worry about color limitations, either. You’ll have full control of the color, so you can easily show different model options or update a piece if a color changes in the future — all without needing to reshoot footage. This video for American Eagle shows different angles, color changes and more.

Think beyond products

3D animation is an outstanding way to show product features and possibilities, such as these assets for Bedford Reinforced Plastics:

And that’s just the beginning. 3D animation can be used to punch up graphics, create interactive backgrounds, create character animation, and much more. It’s also a great choice for creating short, eye-catching commercials without breaking the bank.

Add dimension to your marketing plan

From videos for tradeshows and presentations to 3D imagery for sell sheets and sales support, 3D animation gives you the opportunity to break the mold and make your materials more memorable. We’re here to help. Contact us to talk about turning ordinary into extraordinary with 3D animation.

This article was published before January 2024 and does not reflect the consolidation of Performance Marketing, Vector Haus, and Blue Traffic into Anthologic.