
Wonder Dynamics, now part of Autodesk, has announced the release of Wonder Animation—its first major product since being acquired by Autodesk in May. Wonder Animation is an AI-powered tool designed to transform animated film production, enabling creators to turn any video sequence into an animated scene with CG characters in a 3D environment.
The beta version of Wonder Animation leverages video-to-3D scene technology to streamline animation workflows while giving artists creative freedom. You can shoot a sequence using any camera setup—from wide shots to close-ups—and the AI will reconstruct it in a 3D space, preserving spatial relationships between cameras, characters, and environments.
Wonder Animation handles the complexity of multi-shot sequences by maintaining continuity, ensuring characters and cameras are properly oriented in the 3D space across multiple cuts and angles. This eliminates the need to reconstruct each shot individually.
Once Wonder Animation processes your footage, you have full creative control. You can export the entire scene—including animation, characters, lighting, and camera tracking data—to industry-standard software like Maya, Blender, or Unreal Engine for further refinement.
“There’s a common misconception that AI is a one-click solution, but we know that’s not the case,” said Nikola Todorovic, co-founder of Wonder Dynamics. “Our focus is on empowering artists by ensuring they retain full creative control.” Unlike most generative AI tools that produce automated outputs in a black-box fashion, Wonder Animation keeps creators in control, allowing for true artistic expression.
Autodesk's acquisition has allowed Wonder Dynamics to advance its vision of making high-quality visual effects more accessible, especially for independent filmmakers and small teams who lack the resources of major studios.
This move aligns with Autodesk's strategy to expand beyond its established tools like Maya, 3ds Max, and AutoCAD—powerful tools known for their steep learning curves. By acquiring Wonder Dynamics, Autodesk aims to make sophisticated VFX tools more intuitive and accessible, bridging the gap for a broader range of creators. The launch underscores Autodesk's commitment to using AI to streamline technical tasks while keeping artists in control of creative decisions.
By automating the complex process of converting video to 3D scenes, Wonder Animation allows creators to spend more time on storytelling and artistic refinement. This intuitive and flexible approach gives creators the ability to iterate faster and focus on what they do best: telling stories.
Wonder Animation is currently in beta and available to all Wonder Studio users through Wonder Studio's cloud-based platform, which also offers integration options for major 3D content creation tools.