Blender add-on ClayPencil turns 2D animation into 3D ‘claymation’
Animator and educator Daniel Martínez Lara has released ClayPencil, a free Blender add-on that can be used to convert 2D animations to claymation-style 3D.
The Geometry Nodes set-up fills outlines created using Blender’s Grease Pencil 2D animation toolset with 3D geometry, making it possible to create 3D animation using 2D techniques.
Convert Grease Pencil outlines to animatable 3D geometry
ClayPencil – according to Martínez Lara, the name really refers to the animation technique rather than the add-on itself – makes use of the recent changes to Grease Pencil in Blender 4.3.
In particular, it is now possible to modify Grease Pencil objects using Geometry Nodes, Blender’s node-based 3D modeling framework.
The ClayPencil Geometry Nodes set-up makes it possible to convert Grease Pencil strokes from 2D to 3D, or to fill Grease Pencil outlines with solid geometry.
That means that – with manual refinement, and after applying a suitable clay shader – it can be used to convert 2D animations to 3D animations that resemble traditional claymation.
How far can the new ClayPencil workflow be pushed? Turns out, pretty far. Dino-might!#Blender #GreasePencil #stopmotion #2D #2Danimation pic.twitter.com/OvaXaAWDg1
— Ron Letkeman (@letkeman) December 9, 2024
An experimental – but promising – initial release
Martínez Lara describes the initial release of ClayPencil as “highly experimental”, so users are warned to expect glitches.
However, early adopters are already getting good results with it, as you can see from demo videos like the one above from animator and illustrator Ron Letkeman.
The download comes with the base Blender .blend scene file, plus two demo scenes, including the cowboy character shown in the video at the top of this story.
System requirements and release date
ClayPencil 0.1 is compatible with Blender 4.3. It’s a free download.
Download free Blender animation add-on ClayPencil from Gumroad
See more demos of ClayPencil on the Pepe School Land YouTube channel
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