In 2023, 3D animation can be spotted almost everywhere online and offline, from animated movies for kids to games, apps, art exhibitions, social media and commercials. But why it’s like this? How is 3D animation used in marketing and brands advertising?

The essential marketing advantage of this animation technique is its ability to make imaginary things look realistic, which works perfectly when you want to sell something that not yet exists (like designed apartments in a new house) or quickly immerse audiences in a particular atmosphere, grab their attention, and let them memorize your messages (example: educational videos or advertisement). On the other hand, a video featuring 3D objects in motion is still one of the most resource-consuming animation types; that’s why it’s better to think carefully while planning 3D project production. To help you distribute your budget effectively, in this article, the Blue Carrot team explains in which cases 3D is the best solution and how to choose a reliable 3D animation company.

What is 3D animation?

3D animation is about producing motion graphics that depict 3-dimensional objects and environments. The approach creates an illusion that scenes audiences watch on flat screens take place in an imaginary 3D space or even the real world. In simple words, 3D animation makes digital images look like they have weight and volume and can exist in an environment similar to the one we live in. There are several types of 3D animation you can use in your marketing, educational, or creative projects. Here are the most popular of them:

• Stop-motion 3D, based on shooting real objects and creating videos using frame-by-frame animation techniques;
• Computer-generated (digital) 3D, used widely in films and advertising;
• 3D for virtual reality;
• Cel-shaded 3D animation where certain filters are applied to classic computer-generated 3D images to create a «flat» effect;
• 3D lettering, applied commonly in ads, apps, presentations, and websites.

Not all the techniques mentioned above are expensive and time-consuming in production. For example, you don’t need profound motion graphics skills to create a stop-motion 3D animation because all you need is a camera and a set of objects to move in from it. In turn, some animation techniques may become budget-consuming only if you are working on short content forms. In another case, you can use your 3D models for the following videos without spending extra budget on modeling.

Top reasons to use 3D in communication

Among the key advantages of 3D animation, you’ll find high fidelity potential, an opportunity to repurpose your models and assets and create more similar content with low budgets, and much higher credibility of your animation compared to 2D or whiteboards. 3D also provides endless possibilities for showing things that can’t be captured with a camera. For instance, you can use 3D to explain a cell structure and changes that occurred to the Solar system over the past billions of years.

In which areas can 3D work best? We advise you to leverage this approach if your professional area is architecture, product design, or engineering. Create 3D models of future objects and use short films to present your ideas to your team, investors, or citizens. Consider that in your case, 3D modeling is also about improving your final result since it’s not just your audience and clients but also you who can evaluate a future object and see its weaknesses and strengths. And, yes, realistic 3D visualizations will help you sell your solution before you start bringing it to life! Other business fields where companies can benefit from 3D animation are products for kids (from purely digital products like a TV series to product packaging and educational apps) and medicine. In the last case, ads and explanatory videos featuring 3D can explain customers’ health issues and let them understand how certain therapy works.

Summary: Using 3D animation in your communication is a promising way to stand out and help your audiences get into your messages faster and better.

Consider that producing 3D graphics requires significant time and budget—especially, if you are doing it from scratch. But if your idea is to create a content series or you plan to repurpose generated 3D elements for branding, the approach can save your resources in the long run.

When choosing a 3D animation company, pay attention to factors such as client reviews, the level of their portfolio, the company's experience with topics close to your business area, and the team’s work style.