SIGGRAPH 2018 – AnimVR

AnimVR is an animation tool shown during SIGGRAPH 2018 that released later that year on Steam and their site. In the program, you can draw from scratch, set the keyframes, color, and storyboard, just as a start.

It looks like a great tool for anyone in animation, as it can be exported to a standard device.
But, you might ask, why in VR?

AnimVR was made with VR in mind to help make an easier transition into creating 3D production content. When something is already made in the desired platform, there is less of a need to fix it up for a new platform. Now, it is easier than before to create animated 3D films and shorts.

That being said, the reviews are mixed. The main complaint is that the controllers tend to register strokes when drawing, even though the users never inputted the command. Some other complaints are that the tutorials are almost non-existent and not helpful, leaving the user to attempt to learn the program by themselves.

However, seeing that AnimVR was publicized at SIGGRAPH 2018 and also has some larger studios using the program, such as Aardman Productions (of Wallace and Gromit fame), there is potential to this program. And it seems that there are continual updates to this program, at least to fix bugs, but also to try and streamline the creation process.

Since it’s the 1st of its kind, in terms of an animation program pre-made on a VR platform, there are bound to be bugs and missteps. But I think with time and continual updating, there could be something outstanding to work with here.
Below are links to the company site, Steam game, and SIGGRAPH article:
https://nvrmind.io/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/508690/AnimVR/
https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3226552.3226553

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