We’ve been working on 2D animation tools for Smack Studio’s character editor for more than 3 years, and we have some incredible news to share:
Smack Studio now supports full 3D rotation for 2D sprites, using some new graphics-processing technology. Check it out!
This will make Smack Studio the first animation software capable of rotating a sprite in 3D, without the need for a 3D model!
To make the character shown in the video above, we created a single sprite for each body part (head, torso, etc). Each image is mapped to a bone in a 3D skeleton called an animation rig. You can place the bones manually, or start with a preconfigured animation rig and draw images on top of it. It’s a bit like rigging a mesh to a skeleton for 3D animation!
Smack Studio’s exclusive technology redraws sprites for you automatically as you animate your character’s skeleton, meaning that you can easily create and tweak any pose in seconds – no redrawing required on your part at all!
We’re excited to see what this animation technology can do for characters in Smack Studio, but also for your other games and projects. When the game launches, all animations created in Smack Studio will be exportable as spritesheets so that you can use them in whatever apps you’d like!
With accessible tools and limitless creation possibilities, what will you make? We’re exited to see your creations! Join our mailing list to try the demo and see the new technology for yourself!