Pivot Animator is a downloadable application with quite a long history in the world of computer programs. Its creator is Peter Bone, who in 2003, began to work on a project to improve the creation of 2D animation. However, Peter stopped the work for some time only to return a few years ago. Since that time he continues to develop subsequent versions of the program.

How to Download Pivot Animator

To download the program, click on the Download button at the end of the review. The application is available for free download and according to the information on the program’s FAQ page, you can use it free of charge also for commercial purposes.

The Program Review

Pivot Animator greatly facilitates the daily routines of many people who worked on creating simple graphics. In this program, animations are created with the help of stick figures that perform specifically designed movements.

Initially, the number of stick man you could use was limited, but with the emerging new versions of the program, more and more restrictions were removed, and the focus was on improving the greatest number of errors.

How does Pivot Animator Work?

As a user working with the program you handle objects that can be imported or created independently in the already built editor. In one of the newer versions of the program, a component to load sprites (simple animated objects) was introduced.

The gist of working with Pivot Animator is that as a maker of an animation you create it from single frames, then combine them into the entire sequence, sometimes achieving spectacular results.

This program has become an obligatory download when it comes to learning to create animations. It is not uncommon for graphic designers to get their feet wet in Pivot Animator first and then learn to become masters in their craft. Thanks to the very simple animation mechanics in the program you do not need to have too much knowledge or skills to start creating your own works of art. It is enough to have a desire to do so.

Quite often a result of a longer work with Pivot can be very interesting animations that make up a whole story. Special effects, elements of the environment, or various types of particles – all of these can be a part of an animation.

The Pivot Animator community is quite active, creating guides, which you can read to hone your skills. The effects of the work can be seen on various types of websites, for example on YouTube, as it is possible to export the animation to an AVI file.

The program is simple and this is the underlying idea behind its design, however, the subsequent versions, usually had a couple of new features added that improved the quality of work and gave new possibilities. The version marked with number 2 (also available for download from the manufacturer’s website), in addition to limiting the number of the used stickmen, also introduced the ability to create your own figures, or design backgrounds, which could then be used in the animation.

The previously mentioned possibility of importing an image appeared in version number 3. Such an image could then be used as a sprite. The next version was a great return to work on Pivot. Among the many amendments, we should name the possibility of exporting animation to AVI, or an improved export to the GIF format. Another added feature was copying many frames and the possibility of additional operations on the shapes.

Pivot Animator is a great software for people who want to play with animation and enjoy it. The community which has formed around the program actively suggests news features that perhaps can be expected in the new versions.