Spine 2D is an animation software that uses bones to set up animation rigs and make animations.
I'm thinking about buying it, but I'm not sure if it's worth it.
There are two versions, Essential ($70) and Professional ($370). Professional has a lot of features that Essential doesn't, but I'm not sure if it's worth the price.
I've been using Unity and it's 2D Animtion tools, and they seem to be working okay, but would you recommend Spine as being a better tool for this type of animation?
Spine 2D Essential is definitely worth considering, especially if you are new to skeletal animation or want to focus on mastering the basics before moving on to more advanced features. The Essential version provides all the core tools needed for creating high-quality 2D animations, and many users find it to be a significant upgrade from not using Spine at all. While the Professional version offers additional features like meshes and constraints, these can be overwhelming for beginners and are not necessary for creating effective animations. If you find that you need more advanced features later, you can always upgrade to the Professional version by paying the difference in cost. Compared to Unity's 2D animation tools, Spine offers a more dedicated and streamlined workflow for 2D game animations, which can be beneficial as your projects grow in complexity.
raj0640 The following is a video posted on YouTube 4 years ago, however, I think it is a very clear comparison of 2D animation between Spine and Unity. There are many references to meshes, constraints, and other features that are only available in the PRO version of Spine, so it may not be a perfect comparison to the Essential version, but I think it gives you a good idea of the general workflow:
Although not mentioned in the video above, it is worth considering that Spine is also good at combining frame-by-frame animation in parts. The following example of a dragon created using only Essential's features uses frame-by-frame animation for the dynamic wing movements, and even when using the PRO version of the editor, multiple images are required for movements such as this where the visible surface changes significantly: https://esotericsoftware.com/spine-examples-dragon
In this case, if you try to avoid preparing many frames, you may end up spending a lot of time setting up meshes and weights, and frame-by-frame animation may end up being more efficient. (This depends on the art style, so there is no guarantee that one will be faster than the other.)
One of the sample skeletons we provide that is not listed on the examples page is speedy, which demonstrates the functionality of the ESS editor. This skeleton also partially combines frame-by-frame animation:
Such deformations can be achieved with free image editing software such as GIMP, and it may be more intuitive for people familiar with frame-by-frame animation to prepare difference images and combine them on Spine rather than take the time to set up the mesh.
I hope this helps you.
