Animaj launches AI tool that turns rough sketches into fully-rendered 3D animations

Animaj has launched its AI tool "Sketch-to-Motion" that turns rough sketches into fully-rendered 3D animations with one click. Attendees of Web Summit 2024 (Lisbon | November 11-14, 2024) will have exclusive access to a demonstration of this game-changing AI tool, which promises to unlock unprecedented creative freedom and set a new standard for animation production.

Until now, animation has required immense effort and time. Each frame, every movement, had to be meticulously crafted from the ground up. What was once a manual, labor-intensive process now becomes automated, but with full creative control left in the hands of the artist. With Sketch-to-Motion, artists can now iterate freely from the earliest stages of production, drastically improving the quality of their work within the same timeframes and budgets. Built on Animaj’s advanced AI models, the tool operates in a fully editable 3D environment—similar to Animaj’s previous AI model, Motion-to-Motion—enabling seamless creative adjustments at any stage of the process.

TWO MODELS
Animaj's system is built around two main types of models: sketch-to-pose and 3D motion in-betweening. Sketch-to-pose models use ResNet50 architecture and are trained on hundreds of thousands of pairs of sketches and their corresponding 3D poses for each character. These models can accurately predict the rig controller values of a character from an input sketch, even if it’s just a rough one from a storyboard.

Motion in-betweening models focus on predicting the intermediate poses between the key poses of the characters. Key poses are typically spaced a few frames apart. These models leverage LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) architecture to ensure the movement remains consistent over time.

"Sketch-to-Motion changes everything about how we create animations. It’s not just faster; it’s smarter. Artists now have the freedom to iterate endlessly and see their ideas come to life instantly. This tool isn’t replacing creative artists—it’s empowering them,"  said Sixte de Vauplane, CEO and Co-founder of Animaj.

For the industry, the implications are vast. Whether you’re a creator working on the next global high-end production or an independent artist bringing a passion project to life, Sketch-to-Motion redefines kids’ animation production. The tool allows creators to keep up with demanding schedules while producing high-quality work in a fraction of the time. This time-saving capability enables creators to finally move away from a one-size-fits-all approach, allowing them to develop tailored content for various platforms and operate on distinct touchpoints that resonate with their target audiences.

Tailored for high-end projects like the upcoming "Pocoyo" Season 6—a globally beloved children's series with over 40 billion views on YouTube—this innovation highlights AI's powerful potential to streamline top-tier productions with demanding quality standards.

Animaj is not licensing this technology but is keeping it exclusive to accelerate the growth of IPs they acquire, create, or co-create, ensuring that Sketch-to-Motion drives the creation and expansion of world-class franchises.

To put the creative back in the driver’s seat, Animaj is currently developing an entire set of AI tools designed to transform artists into all-in-one creators—visionaries who can orchestrate every aspect of their work, from camera positioning and lighting to facial expressions and nuanced character movements.