Can you explain the animation pipeline in a 3D production workflow?

@jalon.vandervort 

The animation pipeline in a 3D production workflow generally involves several stages that are designed to produce a high-quality 3D animation. Here is a brief overview of the animation pipeline:

1. Pre-production: In this stage, the concept and idea of the animation are developed. The storyboards, characters, and other elements of the animation are designed and developed.
2. Modeling: Once the concept is finalized, the next stage involves creating 3D models of the characters, objects, and environments that will be featured in the animation.
3. Rigging: In this stage, the 3D models are rigged, which means that they are given a skeleton structure with joints and controls that allow animators to move and pose them in various ways.
4. Animation: Once the models are rigged, animators can begin creating keyframe animations, which involve setting up the main poses and movements of the characters.
5. Lighting: The lighting stage involves setting up the lighting and shadows for the scenes in the animation, to create a desired atmosphere.
6. Rendering: This stage involves rendering or exporting the animation, which is the process of converting the 3D data into 2D images or video frames.
7. Compositing: Once the rendered frames are available, compositing is done to create the final output of the animation, which involves combining the different elements such as characters, environments, and effects into a cohesive and visually appealing final product.

It is important to note that the specific steps in the animation pipeline can vary depending on the production workflow and the requirements of the project.