For Elodie Moog and her team from French software company Praxinos, attending Annecy Film Festival this year was a milestone.
Just a year ago, Praxinos introduced the initial alpha version of Odyssey, their 2D animation software powered by Unreal Engine, at the festival. This year, they returned with the complete product.
“We’ve been developing this tool since 2019,” said Moog, who is the manager at Praxinos. “When we showcased the alpha version at Annecy 2023, there was interest in Odyssey, but the software wasn’t quite ready. This year, presenting the finished product, we received enthusiastic responses from schools, freelance artists, and studios. It was incredibly rewarding!”
Launched in February 2024, Praxinos’ Odyssey is a standalone 2D traditional animation software based on the real-time 3D software Unreal Engine. It is designed for artists and studios who need the spontaneity of drawing combined with the versatility of 3D.
“Odyssey is a custom version of Unreal Engine, but we have integrated everything that 2D artists need. Users can draw on 3D shapes, create assets and textures, animate, create 3D environments, and do much more,” explained Moog. “Artists who are not comfortable with 3D can use our 2D Editors feature to animate, while those comfortable with 3D can manage the camera movements, lighting, and more. Real-time capabilities allow immediate collaboration from the earliest stages of production.”
“With our Storyboarding Sequences tool, transitioning from storyboard to layouts, adding camera movements, creating Planes, and applying textures is seamless,” Moog continued. “Artists can integrate their Planes into 3D environments directly, and those uncomfortable with that can opt for a simple sketching approach and let someone else do the work.”
Praxinos’ tools are gaining traction not only in Japan and North America but also in emerging markets like Africa, as well as countries such as Thailand and India.
In closing, Moog emphasised their global perspective: “Animation knows no boundaries, and we’re eager to support artists worldwide who want to explore our software.”
