Clay can be moulded andshaped in to any shape you can come imagine. claymationhowever can be sometimes split into two different subcategories. Forthe more professional animators, armature based models are oftenused. A second category can be described as free form or shapeless 3Danimation. With armature supported models a form or kind of skeletalstructure is covered in clay.



Such ?armatures? are commonly made of steelframing or in other cases just wire. Unlike the free form stop motionanimation it doesn't use any internal skeleton type structure.

Recommending what clay is best for animation! An oilbased Clay or Water Based Clay or maybe a polymer clay? Almost anytype of clay will do for your 3D stop motion animation but there aresome clays that are a lot easier to use for a numerous reasons.

However we recommend oil based clay or a good polymersoft clay. There are various brands on the market for claymation suchas Van Aken or FIMO. We like FIMO soft or Van Aken ClayToon clay.

You will come across the other kind of clay and that iswater based clay. Water based clay is clay mixed with water. It isusually cheap but it must be kept covered as it will dry out quickly.

Claymation with ? No Armature?

Some really good stop motion animation with clay can bemade without using any armature (internal skeleton). Even human-likeor animal-like figures can be made and move quiet convincinglywithout internal framing. Also the art of stop motion with clay blobsof abstract or non human-like figures or animal characters can bevery amusing.

Clay with an Armature ? Is it required to make a3d Stop Motion Animation?

The answer is no. The only thing that limits a goodstop motion animation is your imagination. So get out there and runyour favourite stop motion animation software package and letyou imagination run wild.

A definition of Stop Motion armature :

"Armature in stop motion animation is a skeletaltype frame used to give support or rigidity to clay or othermalleable material.?