Autodesk Animator

<h2 id="functionality">Functionality</h2>
Animator gave the ability to do frame-by-frame animation (creating each frame as an individual picture, much like <a href="/facts/Traditional_animation/CqPeCPBY">Traditional animation</a>) . Animator Studio also had <a href="/facts/Tweening/srIry6xL">tweening</a> features (transforming one shape into another by letting the computer draw each in-between shape onto a separate frame). Animator and Animator Pro supported <a href="/facts/FLI%2fFLC/PKnuDBUP">FLI and FLC</a> animation file formats, while Animator Studio also supported the <a href="/facts/Audio_Video_Interleave/2pr8AoRT">AVI</a> format. Animator was particularly strong in <a href="/facts/Palette_(computing)/xwFo1VUI">Palette</a> based editing, effects (like <a href="/facts/Color_cycling/ruakShEl">Color cycling</a>) and animations a favored technology in the time of <a href="/facts/Indexed_color/ljGwHMGE">indexed</a> <a href="/facts/List_of_8-bit_computer_hardware_palettes/1LYMHqPT">CGA and VGA</a> <a href="/facts/Graphics_mode/GsjCmahB">graphics modes</a>.
Unlike other DOS software from that time, Animator was not restricted by the <a href="/facts/640k_barrier/hLcfWzlB">640 kilobyte</a> <a href="/facts/Conventional_memory/hLcfWzlB">conventional memory</a> limitation as it utilized a <a href="/facts/DOS_extender/fhzoAhzm">DOS extender</a> by <a href="/facts/Phar_Lap_(company)/onpF69zJ">Phar Lap</a>. Animator's combination of twenty tools multiplied by twenty inks, 3D 'optics,' unparalleled palette handling, custom fonts and many other useful features (such as its own internal <a href="/facts/Scripting_language/8pF4ajBL">scripting language</a> POCO), put it many years ahead of better known animation tools of the time.

<h2 id="development-history">Development history</h2>
Animator originates back to its author's <a href="/facts/Jim_Kent/7pxoGWkm">Jim Kent</a> earlier program Cyber Paint for the <a href="/facts/Atari_ST/9GsYSlaM">Atari ST</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a> <a href="/facts/Jim_Kent/7pxoGWkm">Jim Kent</a> evolved in 1989 his software into Animator for <a href="/facts/Gary_Yost/vPQXuJAG">Gary Yost</a>'s "Yost Group" for <a href="/facts/80286/rucEU93g">80286</a> <a href="/facts/Personal_computer/koaYfNce">PCs</a> with <a href="/facts/MS-DOS/fVrrz1uN">MS-DOS</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> Animator was then licensed to <a href="/facts/Autodesk/6aydGFN5">Autodesk</a>, who published the software as Autodesk Animator.

<h3>Releases</h3>
Animator was debuted at <a href="/facts/SIGGRAPH/gmRKkIlG">SIGGRAPH</a> 1989,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> featuring a VGA <a href="/facts/Graphics_mode/GsjCmahB">graphics mode</a> of <a href="/facts/Mode_13h/6z1A9rUg">320×200</a> pixels with <a href="/facts/256_colors/KaQYeXC1">256 colors</a>.
In July 1991, the successor Animator Pro was released, with the significant improvement of allowing almost any resolution and <a href="/facts/Color_depth/0X7zI9BP">color depth</a>. The software was sold for approximately US$800 (US$1,800 in 2025), significantly more expensive than the previous version, addressing the professional audience.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a>
The 1995 released Animator Studio was a complete re-write for <a href="/facts/Windows_95/1E1L93qC">Windows 95</a>, but was not anymore developed by the Yost Group.

<h3>Discontinuation and legacy</h3>
Eventually <a href="/facts/End-of-life_(product)/LaKyw5RU">development of the product ended</a> and support was discontinued by Autodesk. The <a href="/facts/Trademark/B23H8IS0">trademark</a> for "Autodesk Animator", filed on December 18, 1989, expired on July 21, 1997.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a>
Jim Kent kept <a href="/facts/Copyright/7GHEWEx9">copyrights</a> to the 300,000 lines <a href="/facts/Source_code/o9J6Jv23">source code</a> base of Animator Pro, and allowed it to be made available publicly under the <a href="/facts/Open-source_license/FlFTwHmd">open-source</a> <a href="/facts/BSD_license/XLtmLp5x">BSD license</a> in 2009.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a> The original 256 color Animator version for DOS is also provided as a <a href="/facts/Freeware/c8oGA9ju">freeware</a> download.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a> After some initial <a href="/facts/Code_review/1I93ffGF">code review</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a> <a href="/facts/Source_port/6z2qbY4I">porting</a> to modern platforms was started on <a href="/facts/GitHub/n1hNCsc3">GitHub</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a> As of April 2014 most of the <a href="/facts/Assembly_language/7XuV0cla">assembly language</a> source code had been ported to <a href="/facts/Cross_platform/16zqdvNR">platform-agnostic</a> <a href="/facts/C_(programming_language)/Ky2No763">C</a> code and <a href="/facts/Simple_DirectMedia_Layer/9tSff0Lg">SDL</a> was used as the target back-end framework.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a>

<h2 id="reception">Reception</h2>
Animator was considered to be groundbreaking in the field of <a href="/facts/Computer_animation/rPW63nm0">computer animation</a> when it was initially released. In 1989 Animator won <a href="/facts/PC_Magazine/uPNIj5y0">PC Magazine</a>'s "6th Annual Technical Excellence Award for Graphics".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a>
Also, <a href="/facts/Video_game_developer/6gbHyvDu">video game developers</a> used the software for intros and other animated sequences in their games, for instance <a href="/facts/Formula_One_Grand_Prix_(video_game)/GMWuLKc9">Formula One Grand Prix</a> (1991, <a href="/facts/MicroProse/PfVMUsIV">MicroProse</a>), <a href="/facts/Cannon_Fodder_(video_game)/n97vfttN">Cannon Fodder</a> (1993, <a href="/facts/Virgin_Interactive/uthQHsCt">Virgin Interactive</a>) and <a href="/facts/Jazz_Jackrabbit_2/oGRdAUS6">Jazz Jackrabbit 2</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a> (1998, <a href="/facts/Epic_Games/aoS4cGsK">Epic Games</a>); animators used the software for animation for shows such as <a href="/facts/Dr._Katz%2c_Professional_Therapist/N8bGIpq9">Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist</a>.
Animator Studio attempted to do more than previous versions of the program, yet it had limited success. It also lost the ergonomic fluidity that the DOS versions had and was overshadowed by <a href="/facts/Toonz/C6X77RVX">Toonz</a> in terms of features and functionality. Animator Pro, though, was by far the most useful, and was exceptionally fast compared with today's animation programs.
The program worked so well and had enough of an impact, that it convinced <a href="/facts/James_Cameron/1U0X67Ib">James Cameron</a> that <a href="/facts/Computer-generated_imagery/ThJ2gh1X">CGI</a> can create a character in his next film, <a href="/facts/Terminator_2%3a_Judgment_Day/6vTUIGKM">Terminator 2: Judgment Day</a>; Autodesk did advertisement with this.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a>
There were also books written about Animator for instance "Inside Autodesk Animator: The Complete Guide to Animation on a PC" by <a href="/facts/New_Riders_Publishing/j9mbEWJB">New Riders Publishing</a> in 1990.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a>

<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/FLI%2fFLC/PKnuDBUP">FLI/FLC</a> Animator's file format</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Deluxe_Paint/XKPIeveX">Deluxe Paint</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/List_of_2D_animation_software/vchRvach">List of 2D animation software</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Autodesk Animator.

<ul><li><a href="https://github.com/AnimatorPro/Animator-Pro">Animator-Pro</a> on <a href="/facts/GitHub/n1hNCsc3">GitHub</a></li>
<li><a href="http://low.fi/~visy/fli/">Gallery with examples of Animator created animations</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Jecarci/videos">Examples of animations made with Autodesk Animator Pro by Jecarci</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Graphics - Winner: Autodesk Animator "Robert Bennett, Lewis Gartenberg, David Kalish, Jim Kent, Jack Powell, Gary Yost" on pcmag.com (1989) <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1167636,00.asp" target="_blank">https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1167636,00.asp</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">The Antic Cyber Graphics Software and the Pre-History of Autodesk 3D Studio and Discreet 3ds max. Asterius.com. Retrieved on 2013-04-22. <a href="http://www.asterius.com/atari/cyberpaint.html" target="_blank">http://www.asterius.com/atari/cyberpaint.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">jim_kent/Tesla on randelshofer.ch <a href="http://www.randelshofer.ch/animations/anims_atari/jim_kent/Tesla.anim.html" target="_blank">http://www.randelshofer.ch/animations/anims_atari/jim_kent/Tesla.anim.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">The First Pioneer in PC Animation: Autodesk Animator by Dr. Mussy "October – November, marks an interesting anniversary for animation: 21 years ago, animation became available for the PC platform." (November 8, 2010) <a href="https://drmussey.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/the-first-pioneer-in-pc-animation-autodesk-animator/" target="_blank">https://drmussey.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/the-first-pioneer-in-pc-animation-autodesk-animator/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Animation Software Companies and Individuals Archived 2016-12-19 at the Wayback Machine "At the 1989 SIGGRAPH in Boston, Autodesk unveiled a new PC based animation package called Autodesk Animator." by Wayne Carlson on Ohio State University <a href="http://excelsior.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~carlson/history/tree/ani-software.html" target="_blank">http://excelsior.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~carlson/history/tree/ani-software.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">The First Pioneer in PC Animation: Autodesk Animator by Dr. Mussy "October – November, marks an interesting anniversary for animation: 21 years ago, animation became available for the PC platform." (November 8, 2010) <a href="https://drmussey.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/the-first-pioneer-in-pc-animation-autodesk-animator/" target="_blank">https://drmussey.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/the-first-pioneer-in-pc-animation-autodesk-animator/</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">PC Mag Aug. 1992 <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=hqQJaNzN9IcC&dq=%22autodesk+animator+pro%22&pg=PA452" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=hqQJaNzN9IcC&dq=%22autodesk+animator+pro%22&pg=PA452</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">"Autodesk Animator". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved 2017-02-17. "Word Mark AUTODESK ANIMATOR [...] Serial Number 74011626, Filing Date December 18, 1989 [...] Live/Dead Indicator DEAD, Cancellation Date July 21, 1997" <a href="http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4809:eanu2z.2.1" target="_blank">http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4809:eanu2z.2.1</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">animator pro on GitHub "All source code (unless otherwise marked, or if better information becomes available) is ©1989-1994 Jim Kent and is available here under the BSD license" <a href="https://github.com/AnimatorPro/Animator-Pro" target="_blank">https://github.com/AnimatorPro/Animator-Pro</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">Breton Slivka (2009-05-08). "Autodesk Animator - UPDATE: New website, animatorpro.org, Source code now online". he kept his rights to the source code, and now, he is granting me access to the source code, to make it available to you all! Well not so fast. He also asked me to get in touch with Gary Yost to ensure that he didn't object. [...] But I managed, and I got his support too! So now that all the relevant parties are up to speed with my idea let's go <a href="http://bustingseams.blogspot.de/2009/05/autodesk-animator.html" target="_blank">http://bustingseams.blogspot.de/2009/05/autodesk-animator.html</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">downloads on github.com <a href="https://github.com/AnimatorPro/Animator-Pro/downloads" target="_blank">https://github.com/AnimatorPro/Animator-Pro/downloads</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">porting-autodesk-animator-pro-to-be-cross-platform on Stackoverflow <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/q/4911160" target="_blank">https://stackoverflow.com/q/4911160</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">Animator-Pro on github.com <a href="https://github.com/AnimatorPro/Animator-Pro" target="_blank">https://github.com/AnimatorPro/Animator-Pro</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">PJ: remove add_check_tflx_toram and rem_check_tflx_toram. by wangds on github.com/AnimatorPro (23 April 2014) <a href="https://github.com/AnimatorPro/Animator-Pro/commit/b63d1d862ec6ab45db776e69d58c970e7000e030" target="_blank">https://github.com/AnimatorPro/Animator-Pro/commit/b63d1d862ec6ab45db776e69d58c970e7000e030</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">Graphics - Winner: Autodesk Animator "Robert Bennett, Lewis Gartenberg, David Kalish, Jim Kent, Jack Powell, Gary Yost" on pcmag.com (1989) <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1167636,00.asp" target="_blank">https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1167636,00.asp</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">About - Creation of Jazz Jackrabbit <a href="https://www.jazz2online.com/35/visual/" target="_blank">https://www.jazz2online.com/35/visual/</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">Advertisement Autodesk Animator Pro on PC Magazine (May 26, 1992) <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=hnvCf6WlcYcC&dq=autodesk+animator+terminator+2&pg=PP129" target="_blank">https://books.google.com/books?id=hnvCf6WlcYcC&dq=autodesk+animator+terminator+2&pg=PP129</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">Inside Autodesk Animator: The Complete Guide to Animation on a PC. New Riders Publishing. 1990. ISBN 9780934035767. <a href="9780934035767" target="_blank">9780934035767</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Autodesk Animator open-in-new

Autodesk Animator