Express Animator: Cartoon Maker

Is This 2d Cartoon Animation Software an Alternative to Flash?

Oct 7, 2008

Supporting 2d skeletal animation, pseudo 3d shapes and morphing, Express Animator can create interactive web content, games and cartoons. How does it compare to Flash?

Express Animator is an animation software package that can create interactive content for the web, animations and games. To make an animation in Express Animator, graphic images are created in or imported into the interface editor, and are animated using keyframes on a timeline. Not entirely unlike Flash.

Express Animator projects can be exported as .swf files for internet use, again, not unlike Flash. In fact, Flash users will be instantly familiar with the Express Animator interface, as the two programs share many similarities and features. However, Express Animator differs from Flash in a number of exciting ways.

2D Skeletal Animation Support

Express Animator supports puppet modelling, also known as skeletal animation. With this system, a cartoon character's body, head and limbs are linked to a jointed skeleton with bones, and can be animated by manipulating this skeleton rather than by moving each element of the character separately. This makes for a quicker, more intuitive animating process.

Flash CS3 does not support 2D skeletal animation, although the feature is promised for Flash CS4. Other animation software that does support puppet modelling include ToonBoom Studio which uses a comparable peg and forward kinetics system, and Anime Studio.

Affordable Cartoon Animation Software

Flash CS3 costs upwards of $400. ToonBoom Studio's Express version retails at around $150. Anime Studio has a “light” version that costs a little under $50. In comparison, Express Animator is $39, more than a tenth of the price of Flash. This does not mean that Express Animator is features-light. Express Animator supports:

This last feature, support for Microsoft Silverlight animations, is particular to Express Animator, as neither Flash, ToonBoom Studio or Anime Studio allow the user to make Silverlight projects.

Pseudo 3D Shapes

Express Animator has the built-in ability to create pseudo 3D shapes. These shapes are primitive geometries such as a circle or rectangle that are shaded by the software to give the appearance of being 3-dimensional objects. Again, this is not a feature found natively in Flash.

More Than Just Another 2D Flash Animator

Express Animator is not just another 2D Flash animator package. Rather, it is a cartoon creation environment in its own right. While it is perhaps not the best animation software available on the market today, it is certainly amongst the most affordable, most intuitive and most promising. Paul Bird of Express Animator told this reviewer that: “we are working on an update for December 2008 which will include full scripting support and sound and animation playback in the editor.”

With the addition of full JavaScript scripting support, Express Animator will become a serious option for those considering an alternative to Flash for their online content creation and animation needs.

To learn more or to download a free 2 week trial of Express Animator, visit the Express Animator website.

The copyright of the article Express Animator: Cartoon Maker in Computer Software is owned by Nicolas McGregor. Permission to republish Express Animator: Cartoon Maker in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.