Convert 2D Art Into 3D Characters and Scenes

Montreal, Canada-based E.d. films revealed a new tool called “PSD to 3D” that lets users convert 2D drawings into 3D content.

It’s all about ease of use, so 3d novices with little or no 3D experience can now skip the modeling phase, and turn Photoshop sketches into scenes and characters, ready for animation in Maya.

“An illustrated look is hard to replicate in 3d, even if you know the software,” stated Daniel Gies, art and tech director at E.d. films. “With PSD to 3D, every line and brush stroke is passed onto the 3d meshes, so artists can bring a unique look to their animations.”

The team sees PSD to 3D as an upgrade to the oft-used technique of achieving a 3D effect with 2D art through After Effects. “PSD to 3D replaces an outdated After Effects method that often requires artists to produce hundreds of layers to achieve a 3d look,” said the team. “Since After Effects wasn’t made to be a 3d engine, the process is slow and difficult, lacking the real-time speed that most artists use to iterate effectively. With PSD to 3D, a simple conversion makes all of Maya’s tools available in minutes, helping artists animate much faster.”

The studio adds that all the 3D objects correspond to the original Photoshop layers, so artists can easily build and adjust scenes and characters. PSD to 3D is available now in two versions, PSD to 3D Lite (CA$20) and PSD to 3D Pro (CA$60), which are compatible with Photoshop CC 2014–2019 and Maya 2016–2019.