Rene77 (9/7/2011)
Animation is redifined with the introduction of the kinect/mocap developments.
I do speculate that Adobe will cause a tsunami in animation.
To many different software developers with great ideas are splintered.
Adobe will bring the total concept to a new level.
Facial recognition is not a element of the future, it is already here.
Crazytalk was a great concept, back then. Crazytalk and it's extension animator is a dead street.
Bringing animation to the masses will be very simple within 1-3 years.
Just look at all the ideas and concepts, even toonboon will look prehistoric within a few years.
I put my money on Adobe.
Cheers,
René
Ps: when trying to post a new topic I do get a server error.
Sorry, but I completely disagree. Adobe makes (buys) great image and illustration software, and fairly good video editor (Premiere and AfterEffects), but it knows next to nothing about 3d or 2d character animation. Even Flash, which now features bones, was bought out by Adobe from Macromedia is limiting in many animation aspects, while it has some great animation and timeline manipulations.
While putting together custom characters in CTA is still a tedious process, it cannot be beat for animation. It has many useful automatic features for animations, and yet revelas the lower level keyframing animation techniques that are common in all animation applications. I've used a lot of animation applications, bth 2D and 3D, and by far CTA was one of the easiest to come to grips with and start using right out of the box. Try using ToonBoom or even Anime Studio Pro, and tell me that CTA is hard. Anime Studio Pro, in my opinion, would probably be the next easiest to use, then ToonBoom. But both of these latter programs are far more technical, while using CTA is just plain fun, quick, and easy.
The other applications are all about the technical aspect and process of creating animations, every aspect of it. Drawing, rigging, animating, etc... CTA is about animating, making movies. I don't think that niche will ever go away. Although CTA does need a bit more variety, but again, for quick animations, it cannot be beat.
Adobe can keep the image editing, illustration demographics, but it's very doubtful they'll ever be an animation powerhouse.