Autodesk MotionBuilder vs Pencil2D
Autodesk MotionBuilder
autodesk.com
Pencil2D
pencil2d.orgSide by side
| Figure | Autodesk MotionBuilder | Pencil2D |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 8 | 2 |
| Spec score · Animation Software | 9.1 (#9) | 8.8 (#16) |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Integrations | MotionBuilder is designed to complement Maya and 3ds Max and exchanges data through Autodesk FBX with applications that support FBX. | GetApp reports that no integrations were found for Pencil2D. |
| Purpose | MotionBuilder is 3D character animation software for capturing, editing, and playing back complex animations. | Pencil2D is an intuitive tool for making 2D hand-drawn animations. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.1 out of 5 from 17 reviews | 4.1 out of 5 from 16 reviews |
| What it does | MotionBuilder is Autodesk software for real-time 3D character animation used in games, feature films and television. | Pencil2D is a lightweight tool for creating traditional hand-drawn 2D animations. |
Plans
Autodesk MotionBuilder
- Annual subscriptionPriced on request
- Annual subscriptionPrice not published
- 3-year subscriptionPriced on request
- 3-year subscriptionPrice not published
- MotionBuilder free trialFree
- MotionBuilder 2025$2,145 a year
- Media & Entertainment Collection$2,790 a year
- MotionBuilder subscriptionPrice not published
In their own words
Autodesk MotionBuilder
Autodesk MotionBuilder is 3D character animation software for capturing, editing, and playing back complex animations. Its real-time character engine automatically creates movements for biped or human skeletons, while manipulation tools let users alter a character’s position and orientation. The listed capabilities include motion capture, motion retargeting, facial animation, animation retargeting, and character retargeting. Autodesk says professional animation and game studios use MotionBuilder to produce animations. It is designed to complement Maya and 3ds Max and exchanges data through Autodesk FBX with applications that support FBX. MotionBuilder is available for Linux and Windows. The stated minimum hardware includes a 64-bit Intel or AMD multi-core processor, 8 GB RAM, 4 GB of free disk space, and a three-button mouse. Autodesk offers a free 30-day trial, but no free plan. A subscription covers installation on up to three devices for one named user, with use limited to one computer at a time, and includes the current version plus three previous versions.
Pencil2D
Pencil2D is free, open-source software for creating hand-drawn 2D animations. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and, according to the homepage, FreeBSD. The project provides stable builds for Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.14 or later on Intel, and both 32-bit and 64-bit Linux. Artists can switch between raster and vector workflows for sketching, inking and painting. A timeline manages keyframes, while dockable tool and color windows accompany an unlimited canvas with a camera field. Onion skin displays drawings before and after the current keyframe, with controls for drawing count and transparency. Sound can be imported through a sound layer, although waveform display is still pending. Exports include MP4, WEBM, AVI, GIF, APNG and PNG image sequences. Video importing, text tools and shape tools are not implemented. Pencil2D is free for commercial use. Help is available through its forum, Discord, tutorials, FAQ and user manual.