3D Animation Market Research Report Information by Component (Hardware, Software, Services), Technology (3D Modeling, Motion Graphics, 3D Rendering, Visual Effects) End-User (Media and Entertainment, Education, Healthcare, Architecture), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America) - Forecast till 2030

3D Animation Market Summary

As per MRFR Analysis, the 3D Animation Market was valued at USD 17.21 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow to USD 46.89 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 11.7% from 2022 to 2030. The market is driven by the increasing adoption of visual effects technology (VFX) in movies, rising demand for 3D visualization, gaming, and mobile applications, as well as the growing trend of digital marketing. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated demand for 3D animation in virtual and augmented reality, e-learning, and video conferencing, despite causing production delays in the film and gaming sectors.

Key Market Trends & Highlights

Key trends driving the 3D Animation Market include advancements in technology and increased demand across various sectors.

• 3D Animation Market Size in 2021: USD 17.21 billion
• Projected Market Size by 2030: USD 46.89 billion
• CAGR from 2022 to 2030: 11.7%
• Growing adoption of VFX technology in movies is significantly increasing demand for 3D animators.

Market Size & Forecast

2021 Market Size: USD 17.21 billion

2022 Market Size: USD 19.32 billion

2030 Market Size: USD 46.89 billion

CAGR (2022-2030): 11.7%

Largest Regional Market Share in 2021: North America.

Major Players

Key companies include Autodesk, Adobe Systems Inc., Maxon, SideFX, Toon Boom Animation, and Sony Corporation.

The growing adoption of visual effects technology (VFX) in movies, increasing demand for 3D visualization, 3D gaming & 3D mobile applications, and the growing trend of digital marketing are driving the growth of the market

Figure 1: 3D Animation Market Size, 2022-2030 (USD Billion)

Source: Secondary Research, Primary Research, MRFR Database, and Analyst Review

Covid-19 Analysis

Post-COVID-19, the 3D animation market size was valued at USD 17.21 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 46.89 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 11.7% from 2020 to 2030. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the 3D animation market. The shift to remote work and online learning has increased demand for 3D animation in virtual and augmented reality, e-learning, and video conferencing. Additionally, the increased amount of time spent online during the pandemic has led to a surge in demand for digital content, including 3D animated content. On the other hand, the pandemic has also led to budget constraints and delays in production for the film and gaming industries, which are major customers for 3D animation services. Overall, the market is likely to see growth in the short term due to increased demand for digital content, virtual and augmented reality, and a shift towards remote work, but may also face challenges in the long term due to economic uncertainty and production delays.

3D Animation Market Trends

Growing adoption of visual effects technology (VFX) in movies

The growing adoption of visual effects technology (VFX) in movies has led to a significant increase in the use of 3D animation. VFX allows filmmakers to create realistically and elaborate special effects that would otherwise be impossible or too expensive to produce using traditional methods. This has led to a growing demand for 3D animators and VFX professionals with the skills to create these effects. VFX has also allowed for greater creativity and flexibility in film production. Directors can now bring their most ambitious visual ideas to life, resulting in more visually stunning and engaging movies. This has led to an increase in the use of VFX in not only big-budget blockbusters but also in independent and low-budget films.

3D visualization is used in various industries such as architecture, engineering, and product design to create detailed and accurate representations of products or buildings before they are built. This allows for better communication and collaboration among stakeholders, and can also help identify potential issues early on in the design process. 3D gaming is a rapidly growing industry, with the increasing popularity of gaming on mobile devices and the increasing use of virtual reality and augmented reality technology. This has led to a growing demand for 3D animators and game developers who can create high-quality and immersive gaming experiences.

3D Animation Market Segment Insights

3D Animation Component Insights

The 3D Animation market segmentation, based on Components, includes Hardware, Software, and Services. Hardware plays an important role in the 3D animation market as it enables animators and artists to create and render 3D graphics and animations. The most common hardware used in the 3D animation industry include. High-performance workstations: These are powerful computers specifically designed for 3D animation and visual effects work. They typically include high-end processors, large amounts of RAM, and dedicated graphics cards to handle the demands of 3D animation and rendering. Graphics cards: These are specialized computer components that are used to render 3D graphics. They have their own memory and processing power and are designed to work in conjunction with a workstation's main processor to increase performance and speed up rendering times.

September 2022: Autodesk, Inc. launched Maya Creative, a more affordable and flexible version of Maya, making content creation and access to professional 3D tools more accessible for artists at smaller facilities.

September 2021: Toon Boom Animation has released the latest version of Toon Boom Harmony: Harmony 21, which includes feature-quality, 2D animations for video games, hence boosting paperless animation. A user can control the speed, pressure, and tilt position of their stylus by changing the brush size and bitmap.

3D Animation Technology Insights

According to Technology type, the overall market in the 3D animation market has been segmented into 3D Modeling, Motion Graphics, 3D Rendering, and Visual Effects. 3D rendering is the process of creating a realistic image or animation using computer software. In the field of 3D animation, it is used to create visual effects, characters, and environments for films, video games, and other types of media. The 3D rendering market is a large and growing industry, as the demand for high-quality visual effects in entertainment and other industries continues to increase. The major companies in this market are Autodesk, Adobe, SideFX, The Foundry, Maxon, and many others. These companies provide software and services for 3D rendering and animation and often focus on specific industries or types of content.

3D Animation End-User Insights

The 3D Animation market research segmentation, by End-User, the market is segmented into Media and Entertainment, Education, Healthcare, Architecture, and Others. In the healthcare industry, 3D animation is used in a variety of ways to improve patient care and education. For example, in Medical visualization: 3D animation is used to create detailed, anatomically accurate images of the human body. This can be used for surgical planning, patient education, and training for medical professionals. In the case of medical devices 3D animation is used to demonstrate the proper use of medical devices, such as how to insert a catheter or how to use a surgical robot. According to the MRFR, the reasons above will continue to fuel the segment's growth throughout the forecast period.

3D Animation Regional Insights

By Region, the study segments the market into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America. The United States and Canada are home to many of the world's leading animation studios, including Pixar, DreamWorks, and Industrial Light & Magic. These studios are responsible for producing some of the most successful animated films and visual effects in recent years. Due to the growing adoption of visual effects technology (VFX) in movies the market of North America is growing rapidly and is accounted for the largest share of revenue in 2021.

It is expected that the Asia Pacific region will exhibit the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. China and Japan has a well-established animation industry, known for creating some of the most popular anime and manga in the world. The anime industry is a significant contributor to the region's economy and the industry is expected to continue to grow in the future. For the purpose of heritage preservation, the 3D animation can be used to create digital reconstructions of historical buildings and sites that can be used for education and research purposes.

Further, the countries considered in the scope of the 3D Animation market are the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, Romania, Ireland, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Brunei, India, Australia & New Zealand, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and others.

3D Animation Key Market Players & Competitive Insights

Major market players are spending a lot of money on R&D to increase their product lines, which will help the 3D Animation market grow even more. Market participants are also taking a range of strategic initiatives to grow their worldwide footprint, including new product launches, contractual agreements, mergers and acquisitions, increased investments, and collaboration with other organizations. Competitors in the 3D Animation industry must offer cost-effective items to expand and survive in an increasingly competitive and rising market environment.

SideFX is a Canadian software company that develops Houdini, a 3D animation and visual effects software. Houdini is known for its powerful procedural animation tools and is used in the film, television, and gaming industries. Innovation-based strategies enable the company to stay abreast of the changes in the industry. R&D activities of the company focus on identifying 3D animation needs and works to fulfill those needs with innovative products and solutions. German company like Maxon is into the development of Cinema 4D, a 3D animation and visual effects software. Cinema 4D is known for its ease of use and is widely used in the motion graphics, architectural visualization, and product visualization industries. Strong R&D capabilities allow Maxon to attain a competitive advantage over its peers, maintain a technological edge over its competitors, and stay ahead of industry trends.

Key Companies in the 3D animation market include

• Autodesk, Inc.




• Image Metrics, Inc.




• Corel Corporation




• Pixologic, Inc.




• Maxon Computer




• NewTek, Inc.




• Toon Boom Animation Inc.




• SideFX




• Foundry Visionmongers Ltd




• Trimble Inc.




• Adobe Systems Inc.




• Sony Corporation




• NVIDIA Corporation




• Side Effects Software Inc.




• Zco Corporation, among others

3D Animation Industry Developments

• In January 2023, the BMW welt, located in Munich, Germany and known for its history of showcasing cars, ingeniously developed a technology that allowed visitors to utilize a mass LED screen to bring up their animated faces in three-dimensional form. This approach makes use of artificial intelligence while the animation model accurately relays the individual's actual likeness.


• January of 2023 is an important date for Sri Lankan animation films since it is the month that will mark the debut of a Sri Lankan 3D animated film, which is coined as “Gajaman”. The movie employs motion capture technology, which is a great leap for Sri Lankan films.


• In January 2023, the BigTank Company, which is located in Lancashire, England, turned on its new department of 3D animation. It was necessary because the research showed how big is the proportion of users nowadays engaging in watching videos. In order to get even more profit from this tendency, the firm intends to sell 3D animation three-dimensional animation projects and animation services as literature has it animation captures viewers' attention.


• In November 2023, DeepMotion introduced an incredibly novel tool called MotionGPT, which is based on Generative AI and enables the creation of 3-dimensional animated scenes from simple text descriptions. MotionGPT simplifies the animation process and broadens the scope for a wider audience and the animation industry as well thanks to enabling 3-dimensional animated scenes for a wider range of creators.


• December 2023 was terrific for Spaceblock as they launched a unique series of 3D animation packs on Unreal Engine Marketplace, making their work dynamic and multilingual. Spaceblock's addition to the collection will enhance gaming and live events by making them creative and realistic in a way that has never been experienced before.


• October 2023 was impressive as Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects were able to incorporate AI and 3D features within Adobe alongside expansions on Frame. Io’s storage capacities. Such features streamline monotonous work and enable video editing and motion design to be completed in a much shorter timeframe.


• A most interesting development in August 2023 was the release of a generalizable upgrade to the NVIDIA Omniverse platform, enabling it to use its new foundational applications and services. Such upgrades are targeted at assisting developers and industrial enterprises who are trying to streamline their 3D pipeline using the generative AI and the OpenUSD framework.


• In November 2023, in a joint statement made with the Joint Development Foundation, Pixar (The Walt Disney Company) along with Adobe and Apple Inc., as well as Autodesk and NVIDIA, formally announced the establishment of the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD). This new initiative to form such an Alliance is of critical importance in the quest to expand Open Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD) and the entire 3D ecosystem.

3D Animation Market Segmentation

3D Animation Component Outlook

• Hardware




• Software




• Services

3D Animation Technology Outlook

• 3D Modeling




• Motion Graphics




• 3D Rendering




• Visual Effects

3D Animation End-User Outlook

• Media and Entertainment




• Education




• Healthcare




• Architecture




• Others

3D Animation Regional Outlook

• North America




• US


• Canada


• Mexico




• Europe




• Germany


• France


• UK


• Rest of Europe

• Asia-Pacific

• China


• Japan


• India


• Rest of Asia-Pacific

• Middle East & Africa


• South America

Intended Audience

• Semi-Conductor Industry




• Animation Industry




• Healthcare Industry




• Technology Investors




• Regulatory Industries




• Government Bodies




• Education industry




• Gaming Industry




• Entertainment industry




• Architecture Planning industry

Attribute/Metric	Details
Market Size 2021	USD 17.21 billion
Market Size 2022	USD 19.32 billion
Market Size 2030	USD 46.89 billion
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)	11.7% (2022-2030)
Base Year	2021
Forecast Period	2022-2030
Historical Data	2018-2020
Forecast Units	Value (USD Billion)
Report Coverage	Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends
Segments Covered	Component, Technology, End-User, and Region
Geographies Covered	North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America
Countries Covered	The U.S, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, the UK, China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, UAE, and Brazil
Key Companies Profiled	Autodesk, Inc., Image Metrics, Inc., Corel Corporation, Pixologic, Inc., Maxon Computer, NewTek, Inc., Toon Boom Animation Inc., SideFX, Foundry Visionmongers Ltd, Trimble Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., Sony Corporation, NVIDIA Corporation, Side Effects Software Inc., and Zco Corporation
Key Market Opportunities	Use of 3D mapping technology for gps and navigation
Key Market Dynamics	Growing adoption of visual effects technology (VFX) in movies Increasing demand for 3D visualization, 3D gaming and 3D mobile applications Growing trend of digital marketing