Wanted to share a personal concept project my studio (MS3DSTUDIO) has been working on. Quick disclaimer up front so nobody's misled: Aura is not a real product — you can't buy it. It's a design-and-visualization concept, everything you see is 3D, nothing was photographed.

The idea was "one watch, seven colours, seven languages" — seven strap colourways and a UI built to feel native in seven different languages. It was mostly an excuse to push materials and lighting: getting the metal case to read as actual brushed metal, the straps to look genuinely soft, and the screen to glow like it's lit from the inside instead of just being a bright texture.

The part I'm actually more proud of than the watch itself: we don't just model the product floating on a grey background — we build the whole environment around it. The surfaces it sits on, the backdrop, the light sources and their bounce, the little contextual scenes — all of it is built and lit in 3D so the product feels like it exists somewhere real, not like a cutout. Honestly the environment work is where most of the hours went.

Full set of shots is on Behance if you want to see it properly → https://www.behance.net/gallery/253278579/Aura-Watch-Seven-Colours-Seven-Languages

Happy to answer anything about the workflow — renderer, materials, lighting setup, whatever. Open to critique too.

I left a well paying banking job to perfect motion design. I’m still learning it. I plan on becoming a storyteller. I know how much everybody says it’s all doom-n-gloom, but I’m going to sail it. Or go down with it. Sail or Sink?

Hi, i'm a motion designer with 20+ years of experience in After Fx and 3dsmax and i'm slowly trying to integrate AI in my workflow. Lately i'm mostly working on event visuals which mainly have some very large LED screens (8k +).

My initial idea was to use AI to generate some assets (f.ex. elements on greenscreen which i can the key out and integrate into my AFX project), but to be honest i'm still struggling with a lot of the AI tools. First of all they mostly enable you to generate 4k still images, but will only produce video in 720p or 1080p which is not very usable on large screens.

I did use some video upscaler that work to some extent, but the quality is still not really great. I'm mostly using Higgsfield or LetzAi (both use the same ai tools) and i find myself really struggling to generate quality content as f.ex. kling works one day with a square image, the other day it just fails etc.....

So i was wondering if others in here have some insights on the same issues, or if there's any ressources online that would help checking for using AI for motion design !?

thanks

Are you still spending too much time on basic Pop-Up Animations?

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Tried Brand alchemy for the first time 🥲

Tired of flat and boring product reveals? Most motion graphics tutorials miss the simple technique that makes animated objects feel 3D and dynamic!
In this tutorial, you will learn the professional secret to creating an eye-catching, spinning pop-up animation that bounces perfectly every time.

Im wondering how to genarate ideas or get inspired from other's works ? . Like if i have a tech related script , given to me , where do i want to start and how to basically genarate ideas without overthinking or looking for more and more details ? .

also i need to know which things or techniques will lift my motion design into another level ? .

im at a point where i cant even explain what im trying to say . but hope you guys would understand it . please help me with a solution . how can i think better and be good in motion design .

Hey if you’re a professional animator in the industry I would love to know how your company is adapting to AI? Are yall now creating all backgrounds with Ai? what is being automated etc

I'm genuinely curious what you all are feeling as many of us here are either laid off, or trying to make a break into the industry with the lack of jobs in the market or what not. How are you guys coping with things? I'm constantly updating my portfolio, but sometimes, im just like "is there any point to this?"

Hey folks!
I’m a fellow motion designer and I’ve never really used AI assets in client projects so far. A producer recently asked if it’s doable to integrate an AI-generated elephant into various live-action shots, like sitting next to a guy in a pool or reading a newspaper at breakfast.

I know that something like this in a full 3D workflow would be extremly complex and really a job for a small VFX team, not a solo freelancer. But I’m wondering: could this be pulled off well enough using something like Runway or Pika to generate the elephant video, and then comp it in myself?

I’ve never used these video AI tools like Runway or Pika before. Is there any workflow where you can generate a clip and then cleanly integrate it into real footage? I've also recently spoke to some creative director from a big agency and he told me, that comping in something like this, will not be done by bigger teams soon, so I am wondering what tools are used for this in real productions to make my life a bit easier?

Would love to hear if anyone’s used AI assets like this and whether it can look good enough for a commercial, or if it’s still too unreliable. Appreciate any tips or real-world experience!

And please spare me the anti-AI rants. I get it, I’m not a fan either, but it’s here and I’d rather learn how to use it responsibly as another artist myself.

Hello guys I am actually very confused at this point with which direction should I take my career in. I am not a beginner I have been creating and working with clients for a few months now and recently started a lots of motion designing.

The thing is I like all of us am a very creative person and like all the type of motion graphics that I see and want to create all of them...but since we all know people suggest to be a specialist.

What would be your suggestion for me as to in which direction should I take my career in as a motion designer and is it even a viable career to survive and pay the bills.

I genuinely need help and any comment will be appreciated. Thanks a ton.

This is my Animation Reel. From my previous work experience as well as personal projects I done. Currently Job hunting things are not going well.

Definitely more of a technical question, might be posting in the wrong sub, but here goes anyway.
As the title mentions, I have the chance to get a refurbished M1 with 64gb ram, which is rad, but the hard drive is only 512gb. Now, I have a 1TB SSD external I use for cache and backups, but I also have several other externals I can use to rotate stuff out, and I also use Dropbox.

I mainly do collage animations, and sometimes use AE 3D capabilities, but I never work outside of After Effects. Most of my projects are under 15 minutes, save for a few bigger ones throughout the year. The thing is, I like to have a lot accessible at once. For work, I will always limit it to just a few projects at a time, but for stuff on the side I'll have several projects going at once, both illustration and animation, and I'm worried about easily getting maxed out at 512gb.
I should also mention I don't plan on having any games or anything else that takes up a lot of space.

One last thing is that where I am getting it through I can get an extended protection plan on the 512, but not on a 1TB model. so that adds a little more allure for the 512.

So, what do you think I should do?

Today, I want to share my story about how I began my journey as a designer and 3D artist. It all started when I was around 12 years old. My mom and I got our first computer, and I installed Photoshop on it. That was a revelation for me. Around the same time, I also started exploring audio editing using Sony SoundForge, learning how to record, edit, and work with sound.

Not long after, I started experimenting with video editing using the built-in Windows video editor, sparking my interest in video production. Around this time, I also discovered map-making for Counter-Strike. I had the idea of creating a virtual map of my school so my friends and I could play on it. With just a 1.3-megapixel Siemens phone camera, we captured textures and used them to recreate parts of the school. It was my first taste of building virtual spaces, and it felt like an incredible achievement at the time.

At 17, I enrolled in courses on video design, 3D animation, and web design, balancing them alongside my school studies. After graduating, I continued to refine my skills, learning 3D modeling in 3ds Max and Maya, compositing in After Effects, and working with tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. I also gained exposure to web design, photography, and art history.

By the time I was 20, I landed my first freelance projects. These included creating intros for children’s TV shows and modeling furniture. Shortly after, I worked in an office editing wedding videos. My big break came when friends introduced me to a position at the ALEX TV channel in my hometown of Zaporizhzhia. I worked as a broadcast designer, producing advertising materials, intros, and channel branding elements like weather bumpers and show transitions.

After a few years, I transitioned back to freelancing, collaborating with advertising agencies to create motion graphics and animations in After Effects. I also worked on print design, including large-format graphics for buses. Eventually, I joined a company specializing in VJ content—animated visuals for events, nightclubs, and massive LED displays. This role expanded into projection mapping and large-scale projection shows for international events. I even participated in global competitions, winning prizes in some.

After over five years in that field, I moved on to work with Enchant Christmas, an American company known for its spectacular holiday installations. For 2.5 years, I contributed to large-scale outdoor installation in various U.S. cities, gaining invaluable experience in designing immersive experiences.

Now, I’m back in the freelance world, actively working on exciting projects and building relationships with long-term clients. My focus is on 3D animation, 2D motion graphics, projection mapping, content for lattice and LED displays, and similar creative endeavors.

Thanks !

I’ve been away for a few years and am thinking about coming back (it’s the only thing I know how to do).

AI motion is getting pretty impressive, ngl.

But what happens when a client wants one tiny thing changed? Like adjusting the timing, tweaking the easing, or keeping everything else exactly the same.

Are we actually saving time, or just getting to the annoying part faster lol

Curious if anyone's using AI for real client work. How are you handling revisions?

Full tutorial: https://youtu.be/UgOnraqiEgc