Cartwheel

Cartwheel is a new 3D animation platform. It makes creating character animations faster and easier. Andrew Carr, a former OpenAI scientist, and Jonathan Jarvis, a former Google creative director, started it. They want to change the animation industry. They want to make it quicker and easier to make high-quality animations. You can use Cartwheel in a web browser. This makes it easy for both professionals and beginners.

Benefits
Cartwheel has several key advantages. Its tools let users make rigged 3D character animations from text, video, or motion library prompts. This means you can type a simple command like cast a wizard spell or do a silly dance, and the platform will create the animation for you. The platform supports professional workflows, including exports to industry-standard software like Maya and Unreal. But it also has a simplified interface for less technical users. This makes it accessible to a wide range of creators, from seasoned animators to beginners.

Cartwheel''s technology can reduce the time required for common animation tasks from hours or days to just minutes. This allows creators to experiment, iterate, and deploy animation assets at a production scale. This makes the animation process more efficient and cost-effective.

Use Cases
Cartwheel''s tools are versatile and can be used in various fields. For game developers, it can speed up the creation of character animations. This makes it easier to bring games to life. In the film industry, it can help with background and crowd animation, rapid prototyping, or previsualization tasks. Advertisers can use it to create engaging animated content quickly. Social media creators can also benefit from Cartwheel''s tools to produce animated videos and stories.

The platform is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing workflows. This makes it a valuable addition to any creative process. Whether you are working on a major film project, a video game, or a social media campaign, Cartwheel can help you achieve your animation goals more efficiently.

Vibes
Cartwheel has received positive feedback from early users. During its beta testing phase, over 8,000 creatives from top companies like DreamWorks, Roblox, Duolingo, and Take-Two explored how Cartwheel could accelerate their animation processes. Many reported that Cartwheel integrates smoothly into existing workflows. It offers new ways to experiment, iterate, and animate faster.

The platform''s unique approach to simplifying the animation process has been compared to what the iPhone did for photography. It puts creatives in the driver''s seat. This allows them to focus on storytelling and performance rather than technical execution.

Additional Information
Cartwheel has attracted significant investment, raising a total of $15.6 million. The company''s backers include Craft Ventures, WndrCo, Khosla Ventures, Accel, Tirta, Human Ventures, and Runway. This funding will help Cartwheel continue to train its motion models, attract new talent, and ramp up marketing efforts to reach a broader audience.

The company''s team includes industry veterans from Pixar, Riot Games, Sony, and Unity. Catherine Hicks, known for her work on films like Coco and Inside Out, has joined as the head of animation innovation. Neil Helm, who led crowd animation on films like Inside Out 2 and Turning Red, is the head of interactive animation. Their expertise helps refine Cartwheel''s tools and rigging systems from an animator''s perspective.

Cartwheel''s next steps include the release of an API later this year. This will allow developers to integrate Cartwheel directly into games or other interactive environments. For now, anyone can sign up and begin animating in the browser at getcartwheel.com.