Can anyone suggest 2D presentation/animation software

[Jonathan Sanderson]

On 20 Feb 2008, at 11:39, Richard Stacpoole wrote:

> I am looking for 2D presentation/animation software that can make  
> better animations than Keynote or Power Point.  I am creating  
> animations for industrial processes and need to integrate the  
> animations into training videos.  I need to be able to create things  
> like rotating gears, show items moving through the production  
> processes, highlight sections etc.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions?  Is there a 3D package that will  
> work well in 2D space?

How about Toon Boom Studio?

http://www.toonboomstudio.com/products/toonBoomStudio/

Ages since I used it: took a while to get into, but the tutorials were  
good, and the workflow very elegant indeed. Output can be to video  
formats, or Flash, or whatever.

Don't be fooled by the cartoon-centric website. While that's its  
intended use, it's a general peg/timeline/2.5D stage animation  
package. The artwork style you throw at it is entirely up to you.  
Also, as a consequence of the cartoon workflow approach, it's quite  
good for re-using animation components, which I'd imagine might be  
useful for your purposes.

-- 
Jonathan Sanderson
"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter" (Pascal)