Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#1

Post by andrewnc » Wed, May 04, 2022, 2:04 PM UTC

Hello HN!

It's 2022 and I want to write a 2d animation program a la TVPaint. Is C++ and QT the way forward still, should I use something bleeding edge like sixtyfps and Rust?

Do I make a big ol' Electron app and call it a day?

What is the state of desktop development for graphics type applications?

I appreciate your help here - I have a bit over a decade of programming experience but mostly in HPC and Web domains.

Re: Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#2

Post by 8toast » Wed, May 04, 2022, 3:04 PM UTC

Check out Haiku Animator: https://github.com/HaikuTeam/animator (they decided on an Electron app)

Re: Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#3

Post by speedgoose » Wed, May 04, 2022, 4:41 PM UTC

I would use web tech with electron and call it a day. But if the plan is to have fun with a side project, rust is probably better unless you also want to finish the project.

Re: Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#4

Post by ffhhj » Wed, May 04, 2022, 4:44 PM UTC

HTML5 + {canvas/WebGL/some 2d engine} + WebView beats Electron

Re: Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#5

Post by stuckinhell » Wed, May 04, 2022, 5:20 PM UTC

For windows desktop I'd use C# and some Windows Forms.

Re: Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#6

Post by neonnoodle » Wed, May 04, 2022, 6:04 PM UTC

Hello fellow animation enthusiast. I'm curious about why you are writing a new program rather than working with the existing open source codebases of OpenToonz/Morevna/Pencil2D? (They are C++/Qt for whatever that's worth). Not to mention what Blender has accomplished with the development of the Grease Pencil module.

You might also look at what Niels Krogh Mortensen is doing with his Animation Paper software [https://animationpaper.com], fka Plastic Animation Paper.

Re: Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#7

Post by andrewnc » Wed, May 04, 2022, 7:38 PM UTC

neonnoodle wrote: post #6

Hello fellow animation enthusiast. I'm curious about why you are writing a new program rather than working with the existing open source codebases of OpenToonz/Morevna/Pencil2D? (They are C++/Qt for whatever that's worth). Not to mention what Blender has accomplished with the development of the Grease Pencil module. You might also look at what Niels Krogh Mortensen is doing with his Animation Paper software [ https:/…

Thank you for this list!

The grand vision is a reimagined interface (keeping some familiar things like keyframes and curves, but moving other things forward.) Without getting too deep into the buzzword weeds, I'm hoping to weave in more ML / generative modeling technologies.

I've thought about hacking around in Blender, but it seems a bit overkill for what I'm building - at least as an MVP

Re: Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#8

Post by midislack » Wed, May 04, 2022, 8:07 PM UTC

POSIX, C, and OpenGL.

Re: Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#9

Post by neonnoodle » Wed, May 04, 2022, 9:44 PM UTC

andrewnc wrote: post #7

neonnoodle wrote: post #6

Hello fellow animation enthusiast. I'm curious about why you are writing a new program rather than working with the existing open source codebases of OpenToonz/Morevna/Pencil2D? (They are C++/Qt for whatever that's worth). Not to mention what Blender has accomplished with the development of the Grease Pencil module. You might also look at what Niels Krogh Mortensen is doing with his Animation Paper software [ https:/…

Thank you for this list! The grand vision is a reimagined interface (keeping some familiar things like keyframes and curves, but moving other things forward.) Without getting too deep into the buzzword weeds, I'm hoping to weave in more ML / generative modeling technologies. I've thought about hacking around in Blender, but it seems a bit overkill for what I'm building - at least as an MVP

That is interesting and I wish you luck. Another cool demo you should look at is this https://dcgi.fel.cvut.cz/home/sykorad/monster_mash.html

Sykora’s work is huge in this space. https://dcgi.fel.cvut.cz/home/sykorad/

Re: Ask HN: What tech stack would you use to write Animation software?

#10

Post by kleer001 » Thu, May 05, 2022, 8:07 PM UTC

Do you have experience with animation programs? Have you talked much to animators about their frustrations in their current work flows?