Unity + Blender 3D Animation Production

About the project

3D Animator Needed — Ongoing Unity + Blender Children’s Series I WILL NOT REPLY TO PEOPLE WHO DO NOT ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW. Hello, I am looking for an experienced 3D animator / animation production partner to continue an established children’s cartoon project. A significant amount of the production foundation has already been completed by our previous 3D artist. Due to a family emergency, he had to step away from the project, so I am looking for someone who can pick up where he left off and move the project into regular episode production. This is a children’s Islamic educational cartoon with a warm, colorful, family-friendly style. PRODUCTION GOAL We plan to produce: * 2 episodes per month * 5–10 minutes per episode * 10–20 finished minutes of animation per month This is intended to be a long-term production relationship. TWO NUMBERS I NEED BEFORE STARTING These are the two most important questions in your proposal: 1. COST PER FINISHED MINUTE $_____ per finished minute I need a realistic rate based on the existing assets and workflow described below. 2. TIME TO ANIMATE EACH FINISHED MINUTE _____ hours/days per finished minute I specifically want to understand your production rate per finished minute so I can determine whether you can reliably support 10–20 finished minutes per month. ⸻ WHAT IS ALREADY COMPLETE This project is not starting from scratch. We already have: * 7 primary 3D characters * Character models and rigs * Character textures/materials * Established character designs and proportions * Custom 3D town * Approximately 10 shops/buildings * Mosque * School * Grocery shop * Bakery * Café * Bookshop * Toy shop * Candy shop * Two residential neighborhoods * Main family home * Completed family home interior * Treehouse * Completed treehouse interior * Recurring props and environmental assets * Established visual direction and references The goal now is to use these existing assets to produce the animated series. EXISTING TECHNICAL WORKFLOW The project has been developed as a 3D animation using Unity for the environment, scene setup, and rendering, with Blender used for character animation. The existing workflow is: Blender Character Animation → Unity Scene Setup → Unity Rendering We need someone comfortable with both Blender and Unity, particularly bringing character animations created in Blender into Unity for scene production and rendering. If you can improve or streamline this workflow using the assets already available, that is a major advantage. Our priority is to establish the smoothest production workflow with the least amount of resistance and begin producing episodes consistently. FIRST STEP — PROJECT REVIEW You will receive the available: * Unity project * Blender files * Character models and rigs * Textures/materials * Environment assets * Completed interiors * Props * Existing scenes/animation tests * Character and environment references The first step is to review the existing project and understand: * Character rig/animation readiness * Facial animation and lip-sync capabilities * Blender animation workflow * Unity scene/rendering workflow * Blender → Unity animation transfer * Materials, textures and lighting * Existing reusable assets * Technical dependencies * Opportunities to make production faster The objective is simple: Understand what is available, establish a reliable workflow around it, and move into animation with as little friction as possible. ANIMATION REQUIREMENTS I will provide the finished scripts and pre-recorded character voices. The production workflow will generally be: Script + Voices → Blender Character Animation → Unity Scene Production & Rendering → Finished Episode Animation will include: * Body animation * Dialogue and lip sync * Facial expressions * Character acting * Multiple-character interaction * Walking/running * Sitting/standing * Object interaction * Camera movement and cuts * Scene blocking * Lighting and rendering REUSABLE ANIMATION LIBRARY Efficiency is important. As production continues, we should build reusable: * Walk/run cycles * Sitting/standing animations * Common gestures and reactions * Facial expressions * Character actions * Animation clips * Camera setups * Lighting setups * Scene templates Each episode should expand the production library so future episodes become faster and more efficient. INITIAL PILOT Before beginning regular episodes, we will produce a short pilot using the actual existing characters and environments. The pilot should demonstrate: * Character animation * Dialogue/lip sync * Facial expressions * Character interaction * Camera work * Unity environment integration * Lighting/rendering * Overall visual consistency Once the workflow is established successfully, we will move into regular production. PUNCTUALITY & DELIVERY SCHEDULE Reliable delivery is extremely important. We are planning our publishing schedule around 2 episodes every month, so missed deadlines affect the entire production. Before each episode begins, we will mutually agree on: * Scope * Episode length * Start date * Review milestones * Final delivery date * Total cost Once agreed upon, I expect the delivery schedule to be honored. Freelancer-caused delays will result in a predetermined deduction from the episode/milestone payment. The exact deduction will be agreed upon before work begins. This does NOT apply to delays caused by: * Late materials from me * Delayed feedback/approval from me * Additional revisions outside the agreed scope * Script changes after animation begins * Missing assets I am responsible for * Mutually agreed schedule changes * Genuine emergencies or circumstances outside either party’s reasonable control I want a fair professional relationship, but punctuality is just as important as animation quality. Please only commit to the project if you have the production capacity to meet the agreed schedule. WHAT I WILL PROVIDE I will provide: * Existing 3D characters and rigs * Unity environment/project * Blender files * Town and building environments * Completed family home interior * Completed treehouse interior * Existing props/assets * Character/style references * Finished scripts * Pre-recorded AI voice files * Episode outlines and scene direction * Feedback and approvals SOURCE FILES All new work must remain part of the organized production library. This includes, where applicable: * Blender files * Unity files * Animation clips/actions * Facial poses/blendshapes * Character animation * New props * Scene files * Cameras * Lighting * Materials/textures * Production scripts/tools The project must remain organized and transferable so additional animators can work on it as production grows. REQUIRED PROPOSAL FORMAT Start your proposal with: “I understand this is an existing Unity and Blender 3D children’s animation project producing two 5–10 minute episodes per month.” Then answer: 1. What is your COST PER FINISHED MINUTE? $_____ per finished minute 2. How much TIME do you need to animate ONE FINISHED MINUTE? _____ hours/days per finished minute 3. Can you reliably produce 10–20 finished minutes per month? Yes / No — Explain your production capacity. 4. What would a 5-minute episode cost? $_____ 5. What would a 10-minute episode cost? $_____ 6. How long would you commit to deliver a 5-minute episode? _____ 7. How long would you commit to deliver a 10-minute episode? _____ 8. Describe your Blender character-animation experience. Especially character acting, existing rigs, facial animation, lip sync and animation retargeting. 9. Describe your Unity experience. Especially importing Blender character animation into Unity environments for scene production/rendering. 10. Please provide your strongest CHARACTER ANIMATION examples. I am specifically interested in dialogue, acting, facial expressions, lip sync and multiple-character interaction — not just modeling or static renders. 11. How would you handle lip sync with pre-recorded voices? 12. How would you build reusable animations to speed up future episodes? 13. Are you working alone or with a team? If a team, explain who will actually work on the project. 14. Are you comfortable committing to delivery dates with deductions for freelancer-caused delays? Yes / No 15. Can you provide all editable source files? Yes / No IDEAL FREELANCER I am looking for someone who: * Is a strong Blender character animator * Is comfortable with Unity * Understands Blender → Unity workflows * Can work with existing rigs * Understands facial animation and lip sync * Can animate expressive character interaction * Can build reusable animation libraries * Keeps production files organized * Can reliably produce 10–20 finished minutes per month * Can reliably meet agreed deadlines * Is interested in a long-term relationship Experience with iClone, Character Creator, Mixamo, Rokoko, Cascadeur, Reallusion, Audio2Face, or similar tools is welcome if it helps make production more efficient. LONG-TERM OPPORTUNITY The foundation of the series has already been built. I am now looking for the right animation partner to turn that foundation into a reliable, repeatable and efficient production pipeline producing: 2 episodes per month × 5–10 minutes each The three things that matter most are: Quality. Efficiency. Reliability. If this fits your experience and production capacity, please answer the required questions above and include links to your strongest character-animation work. Thank you.

Skills required