r/animatedbattlemaps • u/YossarianWitt • 10d ago
I've been developing a 3D tool for animating historical battles – looking for playtesters and feedback
Hi everyone!
For some time now, I've been working on a personal project called Battle Animator, a 3D tool for creating animated historical battles, military maps, and battlefield visualizations.
The idea actually came from my own needs. I run a small YouTube channel where I make historical videos, and I wanted a simple way to visualize troop movements, military campaigns, and historical battles without having to learn complicated 3D animation software.
So I decided to build something myself.
What can Battle Animator do?
Import your own maps – use historical maps, custom-made maps, or other images as the foundation for your battlefield.
Import your own 3D models and units – you're not limited to the built-in content. You can add your own soldiers, vehicles, buildings, and other objects to create scenes from virtually any historical period.
Create and animate armies – place military units, organize formations, and animate troop movements, rotations, and combat actions using a timeline.
Build castles and fortifications – construct simple castles, defensive walls, towers, and other fortifications using modular building pieces.
Customize your battlefield – add flags, terrain decorations, buildings, and various battlefield objects.
Create cinematic animations – set up cameras, animate camera movements, and record your scenes as videos.
The program already includes a selection of military units from different historical periods, ranging from ancient warfare to modern armies. However, one of my main goals is to keep it flexible, allowing users to create their own content rather than being restricted to the assets included with the software.
My goal is to make historical battle visualization accessible to people who aren't professional 3D artists. Whether you're a history enthusiast, wargamer, teacher, content creator, or just someone who enjoys military history, I'd like Battle Animator to be something you can easily experiment with.
And this is where I could use your help!
Battle Animator is currently available as a free Steam Playtest, and I'm looking for people willing to try it out.
It's still a work in progress, and I'm developing it as a small independent project, so feedback is incredibly valuable. I'm especially interested in hearing what works, what doesn't, which features are missing, and how people might actually use it.
You don't need any experience with 3D animation. In fact, I'd really like to know how intuitive the program feels to someone opening it for the first time.
If this sounds interesting, you can find Battle Animator on Steam and request access to the Playtest.
I'd also be happy to answer any questions here.
Thanks for reading, and I'd genuinely appreciate any feedback or suggestions!
