The 3D animation market is expected to grow from USD 12,010.0 million in 2017 to USD 21,050.0 million by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.9%.

The most obvious difference between the two genres of animation is the three dimensional characteristics or the appearance of depth. 2D animation is created by drawing almost every frame of the animated movie and is the base of 3D animation. 3D animation is created by changing the poses and the placement of already created 3D models. It has more depth and is more realistic, it is a series of images/ objects created using computers or any other digital media.

Growing adoption of visual effects technology in movies. Entertainment industry is rapidly adopting the VFX, which is commonly known as visual effects, for creating visually enhanced imagery with the help of animation and computer graphics. Animators, game developers, and moviemakers prefer VFX in the scenario where they technically want to depict something that cannot be shot in a live environment and that should be simulated in a virtual world or in animation software. In this scenario, 3D animation software or tools play a vital role to depict the required scene that needs to appear real. VFX is a broad term like animation, which majorly uses camera mapping technique of creating visual effects for getting the desired output. A 3D animation software plays a crucial role in this scenario, in which still images are taken and processed using various 3D animation tools. In addition, the adoption rate of VFX technique is growing at a faster pace and offering the new professional opportunities for the animators and visual effect artists. This majorly provides the traction to the use of 3D animation technique in the entertainment industry, thereby driving the overall 3D animation market growth.

In the service segment, the education and training services segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the 3D animation market. There are a number of educational institutions and software training centers worldwide offering full-time training courses, certifications, and seasonal camps for artists, gamers, and animators. This is because there is a huge demand for professional 3D animators, modelers, graphic designers, and gaming developers.

On the basis of regions, the global 3D Animation market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America. North America holds the largest market share and APAC is growing at the highest CAGR in the 3D animation market, however MEA and Latin America are still in the initial phase of growth stage. Lack of government initiatives and poor finance are some of the major factors, which are restraining the growth of 3D animation in these regions.

The major vendors in 3D Animation market are Adobe Systems (U.S.), Autodesk (U.S.), AutoDesSys (U.S.), Corel Corporation (Canada), Maxon Computer (Germany), NewTek, Inc. (U.S.), NVIDIA Corporation (U.S.), Pixologic, Inc. (U.S.), SideFX (Canada), and Toon Boom Animation, Inc. (Canada).