Autodesk is pushing the boundaries of the best animation software with FaceAnimator, a new AI-driven tool that generates facial and lip-sync animation from audio files, announced at Autodesk University 2025. Alongside updates to MotionMaker, these tools aim to cut production time while giving animators complete control over performance and style.
FaceAnimator stands out because it can learn from any production rig, adapting to the unique look and feel of a project. You can essentially train the AI on your own animation or show, and then it will learn and replicate the style, saving days of work.
“This animation software doesn’t just lip-sync lips to a dialog, it also creates the facial animation needed to convey the emotions of the actor or actress that needs to express as well,” said Maurice Patel, Autodesk’s Vice President of M&E Industry Strategy, in my AU 2025 prebriefing. Animators can further refine the AI-generated results to match their creative vision.
MotionMaker combines keyframing, motion capture, and machine learning to quickly produce motion that can be used as a foundation for further refinement. By automating repetitive tasks and generating common movement cycles, studios can speed up workflows significantly. Early adopters such as Griffin Animation Studios have already reported producing a 90-second short in a third of the usual time.
Maurice highlighted the pressures driving these innovations: “Creating good content has become really complex and costly, and continues to increase in cost […] artists are facing increasing pressure to work longer hours in crunch times to get their projects done. This increased cost and effort […] is just not sustainable.”
A demo reveals how a character can be assigned premade run animation cycles, learned by the AI from real-world running footage and data. Its path can be adjusted as the character runs through a scene, around objects, and out of shot as the director requires.
During today's keynote opening AU 2025 from Dr. Andrew Anagnost, president and chief executive officer at Autodesk, revealed how Boxel Studio was able to deliver high-end VFX for Superman & Lois using AI-enabled tools from Autodesk in Flow Studio.
On the show, the Boxel team used Autodesk Flow Studio’s AI motion capture to transform live-action performances into editable CG scenes. The goal of Autodesk's AI approach is to speed up workflows, not replace artists.
An example of this, revealed during Andrew's keynote, is how data from FaceAnimator and MotionMaker can be exported as editable files into Maya, where an animator can tweak and enhance the models and animation. Autodesk is avoiding the 'black box' of most generative AI outputs; this isn't simply exporting video files but editable data.
Finally, Autodesk teased an upcoming character creator during the keynote for AU 2025. A demo on stage revealed how a 3D character can be created from a text prompt, dragged and dropped into a scene, a background is dragged and dropped, and an animated scene is rendered. Add in a new Maya AI assistant that can turn a scene from day to night with a text prompt, and Autodesk's approach is breaking down boundaries.
Autodesk’s strategy is twofold: establish stronger standards for data exchange, such as USD and open PBR, and build platforms that let different stages of production communicate seamlessly. AI is central to this approach, enabling studios to reduce repetitive work while retaining creative decisions in the hands of artists.
“55% of our media and entertainment customers believe that AI will destabilize the industry, but at the same time, 70% believe that it will make us more creative and enhance the way that they work,” Maurice told me ahead of today's event.
FaceAnimator and MotionMaker are part of a wider AI initiative at Autodesk, which also includes natural-language assistants for tasks such as scene lighting and Flow Studio for visual effects. The company’s aim is clear: make animation faster, reduce repetitive work, and give artists the tools to focus on creativity, whether in small studios or AAA productions.
For creators dealing with rising costs and crunch schedules, Autodesk’s latest tools offer not just efficiency, but a way to keep the artistry at the heart of animation.
