Monday, September 26th, 2016 Posted by Jim Thacker

Autodesk releases Sketchbook Motion


Autodesk has released SketchBook Motion, a new iPad app for creating simple 2D animations without the need for a conventional animation timeline or graph.

The software is intended to make animation “as easy and fluid as sketching”.

Create simple 2D animation using an intutive sketch-based workflow
SketchBook Motion began life as Project Draco, Autodesk Labs’ experimental technology for adding moving elements to sketches.

Accordingly, it uses an intuitive sketch-based workflow, enabling non-technically minded artists to create simple animations by drawing motion paths on the screen of their tablet.

As well as making objects follow linear paths, it’s possible to make them rotate.

There is also a Particle tool for creating effects like rain or wind-blown dust, and a Grow tool for multiplying elements of a sketch – for example, to create a chain of objects.

Animation is applied on a per-layer basis, and can be modified by masking areas of the layer. There are also a standard range of drawing tools, which you can see in action in this video.

Although it isn’t designed for full-blown animation production, the app looks a quick, intuitive way to create animated GIFs, or even animated logos or motion comics.

Pricing and availability
SketchBook Motion is available for iPads running iOS 9.0 or higher. The full version is free to anyone with a current SketchBook subscription.

If you aren’t an existing SketchBook user, you can share finished animations as GIF or MP4 files, but not save projects unless you take out a Pro subscription, which costs $29.99/year.


Read more about SketchBook Motion on Autodesk’s SketchBook blog

Download SketchBook Motion from the iTunes Store