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Creating a new world using Mac 3D animation software can be a complex process filled with tiny details – details that can make the difference between good and great 3D animation. These tiny details are like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that you have to put together one piece at a time. At first, the details seem to have no pattern, but when all the pieces are in place, it reveals a beautiful picture.

Sometimes creating a 3D animated world can be like trying to put a jigsaw puzzle together without having the picture on the box to go by. However, if you follow some of the same concepts you'd use to put a jigsaw puzzle together, the result will be a beautiful picture of your own making – a unique, animated 3D world.

First, find all the pieces of the frame or border of the puzzle and assemble them in order to understand the size and scope of the puzzle. Some puzzles are oriented as landscapes and others as portraits, and some are even three-dimensional shapes such as castles or globes. You determine the basic features of your world as you set the parameters and determine basic landscapes. Begin by finding the borders of your 3D animated world.

Next, group like pieces together. After examination, the pieces have color sequences and patterns that look similar. Once you separate the pieces into smaller groups, they are easier to work with and you can find the pieces' proper arrangement more quickly. Your 3D animation project is no different. You need to break the project into smaller projects and determine which tasks you need to do first to achieve the effects you are after. You need to build each character layer by layer, from the skeleton to the final features. Work on one character at a time, starting with your main character. Proceed until you've assembled each character and every aspect of their world.

The next task is to find the pattern. At first, smaller patterns will be more evident, but as you continue to look closely at the groups of pieces, a bigger picture will begin to emerge. Once you have all your characters and backdrops, you need a plot to tie them all together. This might include action scenes and dialogue voice-overs, for example.

Once you have connected all the pieces to make a coherent picture, you can choose to attach the puzzle to a board and frame it or to take the pieces apart and put them back in the box. Once your 3D animation begins to take form, you have to decide whether to edit your project and add the final touches or put the pieces aside for further development. You might feel that your project needs further development before it is ready to put on display, or you might feel that with a little polishing, your work will be ready for the world to see. Either way, you have created something new, which is an accomplishment in itself.

Just remember that completing your 3D animation project is just like putting together a puzzle with many pieces that form a beautiful picture when you arrange them correctly.

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