Lightbender Real-time
Disclaimer: The tech demo showcasing Donald Duck is unofficial fan art
Integrating Lightbender in 3D
These are early tests of our Lightbender Unity plugin.
As a technical proof of concept these tests demonstrate that our turnable 2D rigs can be manipulated in a 3D scene, implemented here in the Unity game engine.
The key innovation is that the underlying structure interpolates in 3D, allowing the animations to blend convincingly between different angles where conventional 2D rigs would fall apart.
I believe this technology has exciting potential for games, XR, and virtual production, effectively merging 2D artistry with interactive 3D environments.
Key advantages over sprite-sheet animation:
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animations can blend and be scripted
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Tiny filesize
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scalable vector graphics
Key advantage over cell-shaded 3D animation:
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Preserves a 2D look
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edges remain smooth on close-up
Three-dimensional 2D animation!
Wait...
What?
The problem
Audiences love the charm of hand-drawn and anime-style animation. While 3D animation has become a more cost-effective and immersive alternative, it often fails to capture the unique stylization and expressiveness of 2D. Some character designs simply don’t translate well into 3D models, losing their original artistic intent.
Our solution
We’re developing software that enables artists to create character models using 2D vector shapes that can be posed and animated in 3D space. This technique preserves the core qualities of hand-drawn animation—graphism, line quality, and expressivity—while allowing for dynamic movement and perspective within a 3D environment.
Key features
2D characters in 3D perspective
We built a native runtime plugin for Lightbender in Unity, allowing users to control and render animations directly within the game engine
I developed the plugin in collaboration with Sem Laan.
2.5D rigging software
Characters created in Lightbender can be viewed from multiple angles, posed in 3D, and dynamically adjust to the camera’s perspective and field of view within a 3D scene.
Gameplay demo
Full throttle
In collaboration with the Utrecht School of the Arts, a team of game designers developed a short playable demo showcasing the 2.5D technique.
Both the main character and the car are fully rendered and animated in real-time using the Lightbender plugin.
Full Throttle was created by:
Tim van den Berg: Team lead, Animator & Environment Artist
Max van der Meer: Sound & Game Designer
Jesse Westerlaken: Game Designer & Developer
Rick den Bakker: Character & Environment Artist
Efstratios Drakoudis: Game Developer