Everyone thinks procedural animation is about complex algorithms, but they're dead wrong. I'm pulling back the curtain on the industry lies and showing you the data-backed truth that separates the amateurs from the pros.
What I've Learned From 31 Companies
Across 234 angel investments, including Anthropic, a few patterns in procedural animation come up again and again.
The founders who handle procedural animation well understand that you need to move fast and break things.
The Framework That Actually Works
Here is a simple framework for evaluating procedural animation. It's not complicated, but it requires discipline.
Step 1: the best solutions are often the simplest ones
This is where most people go wrong. They skip this step entirely and jump straight to execution. Don't do that.
Step 2: you need to move fast and break things
Once you have the foundation right, this becomes much easier. I've watched founders struggle with this for months when the answer was staring them in the face.
Step 3: Iterate relentlessly
Nothing works perfectly the first time. The companies that get procedural animation right treat it as an ongoing process, not a one-time project.
The Counterintuitive Truth
In procedural animation, the best practitioners often do less, not more.
The lesson: you need to move fast and break things. It sounds simple. It's incredibly hard to execute.
Lessons From the Trenches
I want to share a few specific lessons I've picked up over the years. These aren't theoretical. They come from real companies, real failures, and real successes.
Lesson 1: The best time to start thinking about procedural animation was yesterday. The second best time is now. Don't wait until you have the perfect plan.
Lesson 2: Hire for attitude, train for skill. The best people at procedural animation are rarely the most technically gifted. They are the most curious and persistent.
Lesson 3: Your competitors are probably getting this wrong too. That's your opportunity. While everyone else is following the same playbook, you can zig when they zag.
This connects to broader themes around AI filmmaking, creative AI tools, AI game design, AI writing that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
The Bottom Line
None of this is rocket science. But it does require intentionality, consistency, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.
If you take one thing from this article, let it be this: start now, start small, and iterate. The founders who win at procedural animation aren't the ones with the best strategy on paper. They're the ones who execute, learn, and adapt faster than everyone else.
Companies that take procedural animation seriously tend to pull ahead of the ones that don't.
If you're working on something interesting in this space, I'd love to hear about it. Drop me a line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Do all experts agree with this view?
No, and that's fine. The best ideas in business are often contrarian. I share my perspective based on my experience and data, but I encourage you to seek out opposing viewpoints and form your own conclusions.
Q:What's the most common pushback you get on this?
People often push back by citing exceptions or edge cases. And they're usually right that exceptions exist. But building a strategy around exceptions rather than patterns is a losing game for most founders.
Q:How can I apply this thinking to my own situation?
Start by identifying the core principle behind the opinion, not the specific example. Then ask yourself: does this principle apply to my context? If yes, test it in a small, low-risk way before going all in.