Demand for newer software versions by animation production houses and advances in technological infrastructure and quality control has led to a healthy and a robust animation software business in 2008.

The Indian animation industry is estimated at Rs. 1740 crore in 2008 and grew by 20.1 percent from the period 2006-08. The industry is projected to grow to an estimated Rs. 3940 crore by 2013 at a CAGR of 17.8 percent over the next five years. The animation production services segment is estimated to grow the fastest with a CAGR of 17.8 percent in 2009-13.

Major players in the segment include Autodesk, Newtek, Visual Computing Labs, Toon Boom, Pixion, and Pinnacle Systems. Majority of software manufacturers are strengthening and streamlining their existing business operations during the present economic downturn and expect that with more animation films in pipeline for 2009, the software business is bound to grow. Local animators using the latest software/models have acquired international processes and systems, quality control methods, and technological infrastructure to build intellectual property comparable to international benchmarks.

With Asian competitors making significant investments to develop the animation sector, the Indian animation industry should be able to attract local as well as foreign investors in order to boost infrastructure development. Many small and medium companies are unable to attract institutional funding or bank lending due to the nature of the animation industry where projects stretch for longer durations.

Indian studios are developing rapidly and a trend being witnessed is modularization of animation where experts from multiple animation companies come together to execute specific functions in the production value chain. Indian animation companies are garnering larger chunks of the animation outsourcing pie and are also moving up the value chain by co-owning IPR, co-producing animation products for television or home videos or theatrical releases. Given the large domestic demand, India is also likely to evolve into a significant animation consumption country and the demand for local animation content will rise.The key challenges faced by this industry are lack of a robust and nationwide training infrastructure. A concerted effort led by the industry in close association with the academia and supported by the government is required to address these issues.

India is gaining ground in the animation software business and is surely to reach greater heights in the coming time.

MAJOR PLAYERS

AUTODESK

Autodesk in India is represented by Rahul Commerce. Rahul Commerce sold 400 units of Autodesk Maya Software valued at Rs. 3.5 crore. The Autodesk Maya 2009 version is a 3D modeling animation software. The company also sold 100 units of 3DS Max valued at Rs. 1.5 crore. The total sales were valued at approximately Rs. 5 crore for Rahul Commerce from January-December 2008. The 3DS Max is also 3D modeling and animation software.

Maya 2009 .The Maya 2009 version integrates few features from its sister product MotionBuilder and adds support for basic animation layering. Rendering in layers and passes have now been simplified as a new render layer palette which allows artists to simply select objects that they want to include in a render layer. Thus complex render set ups that allow different objects in a scene to be placed in different render sequences can be created. The theme of simplification is carried forward in the render menu item, where the last menu option allows artists to render the currently selected render layer with any of the rendering systems supported by Maya.

Recently, Autodesk also acquired all assets of Avid's Softimage business unit. Softimage develops 3D technology for the film, television and games markets. Its flagship product is Softimage|XSI, an extensible 3D animation software solution. Autodesk will continue developing and selling Softimage's core product line, while integrating certain Softimage technology into future versions of Autodesk solutions and products.

NEWTEK

Newtek in India is marketed and represented by Avtech Digital. The main software of the company, LightWave is a complete modeling, rendering, and animation system. LightWave is used extensively in broadcast television production, film visual effects, video game development, print graphics, and visualization.

PIXION

Pixion has recently been able to expand its offerings to include full digital intermediate (DI) services for feature film projects, in addition to the telecine, editing, and visual effects services. The facility is outfitted with a slate of Autodesk media & entertainment products, including three Autodesk Smoke editing and finishing systems, two Autodesk Flame visual effects and compositing system, and an Autodesk Lustre digital color grading system. Other Pixion strengths are specialized visual effects and animation. Pixion offers pre-visualization, visual effects research, on-set supervision, and photorealistic CGI integration and final finishing, taking advantage of Flame and Smoke for superior-level resolution-independent compositing and detailing.

TATA ELXSI

The Visual Computing Labs (VCL) of Tata Elxsi offers world-class 3D animation services to a diverse client list, from production houses in Hollywood to Bollywood, ad filmmakers, and TV producers. VCL has the creative edge to meet the challenges in the 3D animation world.

VCL has successfully delivered international as well as domestic projects involving diverse styles of animation (photorealistic animation, classical animation, and stylized animation). Services include 3D character modeling, texturing, compositing, visual effects, and content creation for films, television, and Internet.

TOON BOOM

Toon Boom in India is represented and marketed by Rahul Commerce. The company sold a total of 40 units of Harmony, Digital Pro, and Story Pro 2D animation software valued at Rs. 1 crore.

Harmony. Harmony is a team-based infrastructure for animation production. Its array of cutting-edge features increases productivity and encourages creativity. Developed in conjunction with the leading studios worldwide, Harmony is specifically designed for long-term episodic and feature-length projects, providing a true animation pipeline. Several animators can work simultaneously on the same scene while the asset library provides users with easy access to up-to-date media assets.

Digital Pro. Digital Pro is the only complete paperless animation software. Designed for professionals and freelancers, Toon Boom Digital Pro offers high productivity with low operating costs. It combines superior vector technology for content creation, real-time animation and compositing stages, all set in a multi-plane 3D space environment. Productivity tools such as palette management, lip-sync, morphing, and inverse kinematics enable users to unleash their creativity.

Storyboard Pro. Toon Boom Storyboard Pro helps users to take an idea and translate it into a visual story that will become a complete production, whether animated or live-action. Developed in conjunction with expert storyboard artists, Storyboard Pro speeds up production planning and enables users to reach new heights with increased production integration. Its advanced features make it the tool of choice to create an entirely digital storyboard.