Animation Pipeline
An animation pipeline is the sequence of stages a production passes through, typically pre-production, production, and post-production, coordinating writers, designers, animators, and technical artists.
Myth Studio operates with a flexible pipeline approach, adapting the workflow to suit each project's complexity and timeline. This allows maximum efficiency whether delivering a 2D explainer, a 3D brand film, or a broadcast title sequence.
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Sources
Academic papers, recognised industry standards, and canonical industry texts that back up claims in this entry.
- A2A: A Character Animation Pipeline for 3D-Assisted 2D-Animation. Dadfar, Pollard, Carnegie Mellon University, 2021Supports: Pipeline stages coordinate technical artists animators.
- Unified Animation Pipeline for 2D and 3D Content. Barbieri, Simone, Bournemouth University Centre for Digital Entertainment, 2020Supports: Pipeline coordinates production stages assets workflow.
- Tracking Character Diversity in the Animation Pipeline. Paul, MacMahon, Wilson, Nye, Cameron, Heidt, Minor, ACM SIGGRAPH, 2023Supports: Pipeline coordinates character production workflow.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main stages of an animation pipeline?
Most pipelines split into three big stages. Pre-production covers script, storyboard, design frames, and asset planning. Production covers animation, lighting, and (in 3D) modelling, rigging, and rendering. Post-production covers compositing, sound, and final mastering. The exact stages flex by technique, but the order rarely changes. You lock the story before you animate, and you animate before you finish the look.
Who owns the pipeline on a project?
On most studio projects, a producer owns the schedule and budget side, and a creative director owns the look and story side. They share the pipeline between them. On larger productions, a separate pipeline TD or technical producer takes care of file flow, naming, and handovers between departments. On smaller jobs, one or two people wear all those hats.
Can the pipeline be shortened to save time?
Yes, but only at the front. Skipping pre-production usually costs more time later, because problems get fixed in animation instead of in storyboard. Compressing review rounds and parallelising production stages are safer ways to shorten a schedule. Read how long does animation take for a more detailed breakdown of where time goes.