Adobe has just announced that they have acquired Mixamo, a San Francisco based company that produces a broad range of quality 3D animations and characters. This is a step in the right direction for enabling 2D designers with the tools and skills that allow them to be competitive in the emerging 3D design market. Mixamo’s 3D technology will be integrated into Adobe Photoshop, increasing what users and designers can do with 3D content and Photoshop and at the same time simplifying the process. Designers will be able to use the new Mixamo-Photoshop fusion to create and animate 3D content that they can manipulate and rig. They can also take advantage of several thousands of high quality, ready-made 3D models. These stock characters available from Mixamo can very easily be integrated into projects.
Creating photo-realistic scenes using the latest in design technology is something designers are increasingly being asked to do. By integrating 3D technology into a designers Photoshop toolbox, they will be equipped with the latest in precision centered design. As 3D scanning technology emerges, the demand for quality 3D content will continue to grow. Also, as hardware continues to develop to include the ability to view and manipulate 3D content on phones, computers and tablets, everything will begin to merge. 3D technology will eventually become more accessible than ever, but with the acquisition of Mixamo, Adobe is hoping to get ahead of the game.
Although Mixamo’s focus is primarily 3D character design, it is this facet of 3D technology that is predicted to grow and that currently has one of the highest market demands. Integrating Mixamo into Adobe’s Creative Cloud will provide graphic designers with an amazing platform for creative innovation. For example, Adobe designed this animated video using a combination of Photoshop and an animated character from Mixamo.
Winston Hendrickson, Vice President of Products, Digital Imaging at Adobe said,
“With this acquisition, we are excited to offer greater value to customers while introducing a new way of working to our design community that is looking to push the limits with 3D tools.”
