3D animation involves modeling objects in three dimensions using computer software. This allows objects to be manipulated and viewed from any angle, and integrated with live video. Lighting and textures can be used to make 3D objects appear solid and realistic. Adding a third dimension opens new possibilities for animation by making cartoons less flat. Motion graphics use video, animation, and audio to create the illusion of motion, usually for multimedia projects. Elements are animated using techniques like keyframing, behaviors, or scripts to change properties over time. Motion graphics originated with video editing and were initially expensive, but have become more accessible with computer technology.

1. Examples of 3D animation
Toy Story
Shrek
The Incredibles
Jurassic Park (the dinosaurs)
The Transformers (the robots)
3D animation (aside from stop-motion, which really is a form of 3D animation), is completely in the
computer. Things that you create in a 3D animation program exist in an X, Y & Z world
3D objects, once modelled, can be treated almost as a physical object. You can light it differently.
You can move a camera to look at it from above, or below.
3D allows you to create realistic objects. You can use textures and lighting to create objects that
appear solid, and can even be integrated seamlessly into live video elements.
3D animation creates a third dimension so that your cartoons don't just look like drawings. Adding
this dimension opens new doors in the world of animation.
Motion Graphics
Motion graphics are graphics that use video footage and/or animation technology to create
the illusion of motion or rotation, graphics are usually combined with audio for use in
multimedia projects. Motion graphics are usually displayed via electronic media technology
The term motion graphics originated with video editing in computing.Before computers were widely available,
motion graphics were costly and time-consuming, limiting their use to high-budget filmmaking and television
production. In the late 1980s to mid-1990s expensive proprietary graphics systems from British
based Quantel was quite commonplace in many television stations.
Elements of a motion graphics project can be animated by various means, depending on the capabilities of the
software. These elements may be in the form of art, text, photos, and video clips, to name a few. The most
popular form of animation is key framing, in which properties of an object can be specified at certain points in
time by setting a series of key frames so that the properties of the object can be automatically altered
(or tweened) in the frames between key frames. Another method involves a behaviour system such as is found
in Apple Motion that controls these changes by simulating natural forces without requiring the more rigid but
precise key framing method. Yet another method involves the use of formulas or scripts, such as the
expressions function in Adobe After Effects or the creation of Action Scripts within Adobe Flash.