32GB is fool proof for pretty much any model size with tons of details.
When larger projects such as maps start coming in to your portofolio, just do the upgrade to 16GB RAM.ġ6-32GB: bigger models need at least 16GB. I’ll also include a decent NVIDIA Quadro for those who think they might need it though(they do become useful for a specific niche )ĨGB RAM: for students starting with animation. These will handle viewport of lots of rigs, a huge number of polygons, particles, etc, with buttery smooth framerates. Professionals: 10th generation cards NVIDIA GeForce Cards with lots of vRAM or the latest RTX series: 1660Ti,1070,1080/2060/2070/2080. This is enough for buttery smooth viewport w/ small project loads & game development. Students : at least 1050Ti or its AMD equivalent( AMD Radeon RX 540/550/550/560). Today the high-tier 10th generation GTX Cards (1070GTX/1080GTX) and the recent RTX series are a lot better than these “firepro/quadro” cards especiallyfor GPU rendering(just in Animation, they become more useful in other applications). If you hear people talking about “workstation cards” or “quadros”, that’s outdated opinion. For animation, whichever cards holds the most CUDA cores and “vRAM” wins. These GTX/RTX GPUs (Ex: 1660Ti GTX or 2060RTX) are pretty much equal (actually better in most cases) than “workstation GPUs”. Let me briefly mention that I get sick of people calling the NVIDIA GTX/RTX “gaming cards”. Integrated cards like the Intel HD/AMD Vega X series are fine. Rendering: As many cores as you can afford.Īny GPU. If you just want speed in certain scenarios:Įditing & Animating: pick the highest clock speed you can afford(measured in Hz). 6-8 cores are nice but quad cores are okay too.Īs for AMD, any of the latest Ryzen CPUs with an “H” on it. Also stop motion software.Īny modern Intel Core i5 CPU or Ryzen 5 CPU ( Intel 8th gen /Ryzen 3rd gen onwards ).Īn Intel Core i7/Core i9-XXXXH.
Ex: Pencil 2D & Adobe After Effects in 2D.
Just FYI, when I say 3D & 2D Animation I mean the following:ģD animation: visual effects software, any 3D applications such as Maya, Blender & 3DS Max (including 3D games).ĢD animaton: software that does not use viewport. I’ll try to summarize that section here before going over the 10 best laptops for Animation.
I will cover every single detail you need to know if you want to look for other options on your own or if you want to know how computer hardware affects animation software performance.īecause that section is quite lengthy and full of computer jargon. In the last section( which you can jump to using the TOC). We’ll also have a separate section for 2D animation laptops because the hardware needed is different (just weaker really).Ģ. These should be able to run 3DS Max, Maya and consequently any 3D animation software.
What To Look For In A Laptop For Animation ?
If your scenes consist of high resolution texture details, huge numbers of particles plus ~100 lights & shadows or just an insane amount amount polys & rigs, then you’ll definitely need to look at the most expensive and maxed out laptops out there.īut if you do, you better make sure get something that’s worth every penny and will return your investment ASAP. What’s best for you will depend on the size of your models and the type of projects you’re working with.
All animators want to comfortably navigate through any scene with buttery smooth framerates in viewport and also be able to render scenes as fast as possible.īut let’s be real here, there’s no single best laptop for animation.