4 Benefits of Using a Proxy in Animation Tools

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What is a Proxy in Animation

This is where proxies come in handy for animation tools. Proxies in animation tools have essentially similar roles with web proxies and web scraping proxies. These are tools that make the user's experience more comfortable. It is a tool that significantly cuts down the production process.

Proxies, per se, are duplicates of the original project file in lower qualities or resolutions. Editors and animators choose to work with these lower-quality files for several reasons that will be pointed out one by one below.

Ultimately, editors and animators work with these lower-quality project files before furnishing them in higher quality. Basically, the need for proxies equates to the efficiency of the production pipeline. What are the Benefits of Using a Proxy in Animation Tools?

Faster Post Production Process

Post-production timelines are robust and lined up with several deadlines. Little hitches along the way can significantly affect the overall timeline. Robust schedules are especially true for the demand for graphic designs which are used in the marketing and advertising fields. Using proxies during this part of the production stage speeds up the process.

Working with high-resolution files takes a lot of time. It takes time to load each image or video clip, making it difficult to manage in the long run. Your computer or laptop may not catch up with the demand of both the software and the files and crash in the middle of your work. That would be a total nightmare.

In working with the lower resolution duplicates, it does not strain your device as much. Aside from that, it is easier to jump from one reference to another because the loading speed for each file becomes shorter.

Adding effects, such as grains, are also processed faster. Undoing mistakes is also simpler. Working with proxies is like creating a draft for a drawing with a pencil before moving on to line art.

Easier for Offline Work

Choosing to work with proxy files means that you will not be rooted in your computer in a single office. Compact devices, such as laptops and even tablets, have the capacity to process and support animation software suites when using proxy files.

When your work involves a lot of traveling, you can continue with your editing or animation work while on the road. It's an efficient method of completing deliverables on time. There's no need to worry about going online to access the files too.

Since these project files take up considerably smaller memory, storing them in the unit's hard drive or in an external unit is easy.

Many animators take advantage of this benefit, especially freelancers. It provides them the freedom of working on a project anywhere as long as they coordinate and communicate perfectly well with their clients. With their laptop and an external hard drive to serve as backup storage, work can be done anywhere.

Collaborative Work-Friendly

It is a common practice within the industry where several editors or animators work on a single project. As a matter of fact, full-length animated films need more than ten animators working at once to complete said project in the expected timeframe.

However, there are instances where these animators who are working on a single project cannot work collectively in an office. Several methods counter this predicament and the use of proxies is one of those.

Proxies serve as the source of uniformity among the group. Each animator has its own set of proxy files to work on. In this manner, they know which parts of the project to work on and how to go about it.

As a result, there will be no overlap in the task responsibilities, and nothing will be left out too. When the final output is pieced together, it will seem like the handful of people working on it were always together during the production phase.

Creates Detailed Character Designs

With the presence of high-resolution games, gaming laptops, and consoles, the littlest details of the characters' design are visible. The use of 5K and 8K monitors provides users the full experience of the game. A simple lapse in the design doesn't go unnoticed.

Game developers and character designers are doubling their efforts in coming up with faultless designs.

Creating a character proxy mesh is one way of making sure that there are no loopholes in their designs is by creating a character proxy mesh. The proxy mesh serves as a draft of the final design. In real-life animation, it is similar to molding clay in different directions and using various tools before finalizing.

This lower-quality version of the final design receives all the possible ideas on how the character will look like. Undos and redos are uncountable on this project until the designers come up with the design that they are satisfied with. It's also easier to create multiple versions of the design when using proxies.

Once everything is in place, properly scale the proxy with the high-resolution design. The rendering process will now make the scale and design flawless and high resolution.