Animation is a captivating and universal medium that is suitable for implementing the most complex ideas, telling beautiful stories, and crafting immersive experiences. From groundbreaking VR projects to tutorial videos that explain difficult concepts, there’s no shortage of answers to anyone asking “What is animation used for?”.
The post below will go over the best uses of animation that you can incorporate into your own workflow while exploring various creative animation styles and learning how they helped shape a multitude of mainstream industries.
Animation has a multitude of useful applications in education, as it’s employed by the most popular online learning platforms because people are usually about 90% better at comprehending and remembering visual information compared to plain written text. Animated tutorial videos designed in free whiteboard animation software, for instance, have been getting a lot of attention due to their ability to break down complex subjects comprehensively and entertainingly.
Such videos can be dedicated to any scientific idea or business topic while being employed in all sorts of environments, from corporate training to educational establishments.
Among the main benefits of animated educational projects is their ability to be adapted to all kinds of audiences. Animation artists can produce videos that are tailored to kids, teens, or adults while covering any topic engagingly and memorably.
Desktop VR software as well as virtual reality apps for iPhone employ animations to add motion to objects and character models, letting the player engage with them and get immersed in the scene.
Animations are also frequently used to make the environments themselves react to the player's actions in VR. Such technology can be employed to design objects that respond to touch and motion or to add weather effects like wind or rain.
Other than games, one of the best uses of animation is found in simulations that are used to prepare people for situations that can't be replicated in real-life training. Military simulations are a particularly important and useful aspect of this technology.
Pilots are also initially prepared using simulations, as such an approach allows them to avoid unnecessary risks. Lastly, some enterprises employ simulations to predict the effect of various activities.
Users usually approach 3D medical animation services to request the creation of visual aids and training assets for medical experts, which are used for breaking down advanced medical procedures and ailments. Animations allow aspiring doctors to simulate various surgeries and hone their skills in a safe environment.
Animations are often employed to showcase how medical equipment like implants or prosthetics are installed and used or to explain how various ailments and illnesses progress over time.
Patient education is another potential use for animated content, as it can comprehensively break down complex medical conditions and procedures to ensure there is no room left for misunderstandings.
One of the best uses of animation in architecture is related to the design stage. Architects employ it to produce digital property walkthroughs, letting people experience a venue from various perspectives. Developing animations in free architectural design software helps emulate the dynamics of natural lighting and shadows, meaning the architect can easily optimize their design for energy efficiency and aesthetics.
Animations can also be used during the construction stage. 3D modeling software allows users to produce animations that show the building process as well as the different ways materials and components are assembled and set up. Such content can allow contractors to understand the process to avoid costly mistakes.
Among the main benefits of using animation for advertising is the offered flexibility. Animations are frequently produced by top advertising agencies to deliver a broad range of videos from brief tutorials to lengthy brand stories. Animations are also employed to design characters, environments, and scenarios that can’t be done in live action, enabling companies to push creative limitations and produce unique content.
Animated clips featured on a landing page can boost the conversion rate by up to 80% while dropping the bounce-back ratio by 60%. Another crucial benefit of animations in marketing is their ability to establish an emotional connection with the audience.
Animated ads are especially efficient at attracting younger audiences who are much bigger fans of animations and cartoons. Companies like McDonalds, for instance, have a long history of employing animated characters like Ronald McDonald to produce fun and memorable ad campaigns.
Retail and eCommerce have some of the best uses of animation in the industry, producing content that is targeted at the specific needs of the customers. Product animations designed in free 2D animation software allow you to present every product from different angles and "in use" while providing various customization options and even digital "fitting rooms" that let customers visualize the product in their possession to make an informed purchase decision. One of the best samples of using 2D animation for retail is OutfitChanger. With this online tool, it is possible to try on different outfits virtually and pick the most fitting combinations.
Retail also employs animations for consumer education. You can animate tutorials that explain how to use different products or services or break down complex concepts and usage cases into simple steps.
Additionally, you can use animations for visual merchandising to produce captivating displays that attract the costumer and prompt them to purchase one of your products.
Animation can be employed as a data visualization tool to make data easier to comprehend and analyze. Such animations are frequently created in the finance, science, and marketing industries to visualize trends, patterns, and other crucial tendencies.
Animations that showcase how specific data figures fluctuate over time are particularly engaging and popular among non-tech-savvy users. For instance, such an animation can demonstrate the scaling of a company's client base over multiple years, while emphasizing significant milestones and trends that occurred along the way.
Lastly, you can produce interactive data visualizations that enable other users to analyze the presented data in real time.
Animations designed in 3D animation software are incredibly popular on various social networks like Instagram and TikTok, which are the biggest homes for short, engaging clips.
Animated GIFs, for instance, are frequently used to convey emotions and reactions to social network content, while short animations are employed for presenting products and services in a captivating manner.
One of the biggest advantages of using animation in multimedia or social networks is that it can help you set yourself apart from the competition. Animations are usually significantly more eye-catching compared to static photos or walls of text and can be employed to establish a defined visual identity for your personal or company brand.
Animations have been widely featured in the entertainment field, from traditional cartoons to creative stop motion animation ideas, and contemporary animated TV series and movies.
Probably the biggest advantage of animation in entertainment is its capability to create environments, settings, and characters that are extremely expensive or even impossible to implement in live action.
Animation artists can design fantastical creatures, whimsical settings, and stunning action sequences that would otherwise require millions of dollars to be recreated with practical effects and live actors.
Animated movies and TV series have become an inseparable part of pop culture, as both classic cartoons like The Little Mermaid and modern creations like Frozen continue to entertain audiences of all ages.
Animations are a crucial part of all video games, as they’re used to breathe life into both the characters and the worlds around them to ensure the player enjoys an immersive experience. Animation artists add movement and emotion to the characters while also offering visual feedback to the user.
Animations in gaming can be represented by either basic movement like walking or running, or more complex activities that can only be designed with the help of the best video game animation software like melee or ranged combat, environment interactions, or cinematic sequences that progress the main story.
Thanks to the huge strides that were made in improving motion capture technology (used for recording real-life movements and converting them to digital format using specialized tools), the quality and accuracy of animations used in video games have increased tremendously, immersing the players into the virtual world deeper than ever before.
