2D Animation: is flat which means that if a picture is turned to the side then it becomes a line. Whereas 3D includes an extra dimension known as z coordinate which stands for rotation and depth.

• 2D animation is the traditional animation method that has existed since the late 1800s. It is one drawing followed by another in a slightly different pose, followed by another in a slightly different pose, on and on for 24 frames a second.

 

3D animation: consists of varying properties of a 3 dimensional scene defined in numerical quantities. A 3D model can change properties such as position, rotation, shape and surface style. An animated 3D scene is defined by the change of these numerical properties through time. Apart from 3D objects, a scene contains a camera (point of view) and lights which can also be animated. In order to create an animation each "state" of the 3D scene needs to be rendered to create a frame.

3D allows you to do things that simply are not possible in 2D animation.

• 3D objects, once modeled, can be treated almost as a physical object. You can light it differently, you can move a camera to look at it from above, or below. In 2D animation EVERYTHING is drawn. “Moving the camera” in 2D means drawing everything from another angle. “Moving the camera” in 3D is simply dragging it to another position to see if you like it better.

• 3D allows you to create realistic objects. You can use textures and lighting to create objects that appear solid, and can even be integrated seamlessly into live video elements.