Please give a brief overview of the Indian animation industry?
The size of the Indian animation market was estimated at $285 mn (from the developers' perspective). According to Nasscom, it is expected to witness a CAGR of 35% from 2005 to 2009 and increase to $950 mn by 2009. Similarly, the market for gaming industry is expected to witness a CAGR of 78% and reach $300 mn by 2009 from $30 mn in 2005.

According to Nasscom's report, there are only 3,000 skilled personnel against a demand for 10,000. Lack of skilled personnel and specialized training institutes is a major factor hampering the growth of the domestic animation industry. For this demand-supply gap to match, it has become necessary that more companies take up initiatives to train people and the government should play a more active role.

What steps has the company taken to bridge this gap?
Autodesk Media & Entertainment has alliances with training institutions to offer Indian students an opportunity to train on our cutting edge software such as 3ds Max. These courses help impart advanced training on 3D animation. As the leader in the 3D software space Autodesk Media & Entertainment has unique insights into the animation industry and is actively participating in education programs. It is also developing educational material in emerging markets such as India.

Plans such as setting up an animation academy in Andhra Pradesh are encouraging.

Who are the major Indian players (2D & 3D), and how are they faring?
India has some of the best animation houses in the world including the likes of UTV Toons, Maya Entertainment, Crest Communications and Prana Studios who  do  3D work. In fact,  several Indian post-production houses have started to venture into 3D animation. All these facilities are faring extremely well both in the international and domestic markets. This is evident from the fact that UTV Toons recently deployed multiple licenses of Autodesk 3ds Max 8 software, the latest offering from Autodesk. The company has also won a $10 mn outsourcing partnership with US-based BKN New Media. In addition to this, UTV Toons is currently executing projects such as “Tripping the Rift”, a popular animated sitcom in the US, “Magic Cellar” for the South African Broadcasting Corporation, and “Freej” the first animation project funded by Dubai's media city.

How is India placed vis-à-vis other countries such as Singapore, Japan and US?
India, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore and China are the major animation outsourcing destinations across the world. As indicated by industry estimates, the animation production industry in India has the potential to grow into a major export engine for the country. Indian design studios are establishing their credentials in overseas geographies, gaining valuable experience and building their skill sets in this high potential global market.
Along with cost, quality plays a critical role in outsourcing work to India. There are large film production studios and over 10 global class animation studios in India that are equipped with relevant experience, state-of-the-art infrastructure and software platforms.

What are the technologies that Autodesk brings to the market?
Autodesk Media and Entertainment is a leader in the space of 3D animation software and our products are widely used in 3D animation globally as well as in India. Some of our key products are 3ds Max 8, Combustion 4, VIZ 2006, Maya and Motion Builder.

Pragati Simlote
CyberMedia News

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