For the Reallusion 2024 Animation at Work Contest, artist Riyad Rahman won second place in the “Business & Commercial” category. In this article, he walks us through the workflow behind his winning entry, 2D Explainer Video for Car Insurance.
Riyad Rahman
Hello, I’m Riyad Rahman, a Cartoon Animator and Motion Graphics Designer with five years of experience. I specialize in creating 2D explainer videos, business promos, and animated content that captivates audiences and simplifies complex ideas. My passion lies in bringing concepts to life through engaging visuals.
With expertise in character animation, motion design, and storytelling, I craft high-quality animations that help brands and businesses connect with their audience. Whether it’s an explainer video, a commercial, or social media content, I focus on delivering creativity, clarity, and impact.
My Experience with Cartoon Animator
I’ve been using Cartoon Animator since 2021 and have worked on commercial projects with it. For this contest entry, it took me approximately 2 weeks to plan, design, and animate the video. The process involved storyboarding, character design, animation, and final edit to make it smooth and engaging. Using Cartoon Animator makes this process smooth and efficient!
- Easy Character Rigging: This allows me to quickly turn any image into an animated character and apply smooth movements.
- Motion Capture & Facial Animation: Let me bring characters to life with natural expressions and movements.
- Smart IK Animation: I like using the 2D Motion Key Editor to flexibly pose the characters and make their motions more realistic.
“Cartoon Animator makes animation easy and fun! Its powerful tools, like motion capture and Smart IK, help bring ideas to life quickly and smoothly. Whether for business, education, or storytelling, it’s my go-to software for creating professional 2D animations.”
Riyad Rahman, Motion Graphics Designer
Story Background & Concept
I chose a car insurance commercial for my entry because it’s a practical and relatable topic that many people need to better understand. My goal was to create a clear, engaging, and visually appealing explainer video that simplifies the concept and makes it easy for viewers to grasp. Using Cartoon Animator, I was able to add fun visuals and smooth animations, transforming a complex subject into something simple and interesting. Here are some key tips I consider important when making a car insurance explainer video. Using Cartoon Animator makes this process smooth and efficient!
- Keep It Simple – Use clear visuals and easy-to-understand language to explain key points.
- Use Engaging Characters – Animated characters can make the topic more relatable and fun.
- Smooth Motion & Transitions – Utilize CTA 5 features like 2D Motion Key Editor, SVG Color Adjustment, Spring Editor, etc, to make the animation feel professional.
- Add Visual Storytelling – Use scenes and props that show real-life situations, like accidents, claims, or benefits, to make the message stronger.
- Keep It Short – A 1–2 minute video works best to keep viewers engaged.
Character Design
I chose the Content Store for characters because it easily combines with other G3 characters, allowing you to mix and match clothes to create your own unique styles. The benefits of choosing G3 characters are clear.
I can easily switch clothes for different styles using the included AI files. By showing and hiding layers, I can create different fashions, and adding props is simple—these can be created in Illustrator and exported back into Cartoon Animator.
I use the swapping technique to customize the character, making it look more unique and distinct. By simply exchanging the eyes, brows, mouth, and adjusting the hair and skin color, I can create a more personalized appearance.
Character Animation & Scene Animation
I spent around 14 Days on character animation, focusing on smooth movements, expressions, and natural interactions. By using Cartoon Animator’s tools like IK animation and face key editor, I was able to speed up the process.
Next, I plan with a storyboard and sketch out key scenes to maintain a clear and structured flow. After that, I focused on character design and background scenes. Then, I animate scene by scene using CTA features. I also applied the 12 principles of animation to ensure the scenes were clear and smooth.
VFX and Video Editing
To create a smoke effect, I use a particle playground, gaussian blur effects and wiggle expression.
By using the default parameters in After Effects, I created car movement, transitions, and so on. In Adobe Premiere, I added all the SFX, the scenes, voices, transitions, and more.
Closing Thoughts
This competition was an incredible experience that challenged me to enhance my storytelling and animation skills. Winning Second Place was an honor, and I gained valuable insights from seeing the work of other talented creators. For future contestants, my advice would be as follows.
Tell a clear story by mastering the basics, and focusing on smooth movements, expressions, and timing. Take full advantage of Cartoon Animator’s features to save time and improve quality. Lastly, experiment with new styles and effects to make your work stand out.
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