A model of culturally inspired character design for 3Danimation education in China

In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) animation education has been steadily established to develop students’ technical skills and creative abilities in digital character design and storytelling. However, previous studies indicate that animation education often emphasizes technical production while giving limited attention to cultural inspiration in character design. This led to a lack of culturally inspired character design in 3D animation education. Furthermore, the literature on culturally inspired character design in China remains limited and lacks a comprehensive model. This study aims (i) to develop a conceptual model to support culturally inspired character design in 3D animation education in China, (ii) to validate the conceptual model to support culturally inspired character design for 3D animation education in China, and (iii) to determine the performance of 3D-Culturally Inspired Character Design (3D-CICD) model in terms of novelty, resolution, and elaboration and synthesis of 3D animation characters. This study employed a quasi‐experimental research methodology with 60 third-year undergraduate students. A questionnaire based on the Creative Product Semantic Scale (CPSS) was adapted to validate the conceptual model of 3D-CICD. Then, a paired and independent-samples t-test were utilised to measure the differences in pre-test and post-test performances. The findings reveal that students who used the 3D-CICD model significantly outperformed those using existing design methods in terms of novelty, resolution, and elaboration and synthesis. It further concludes that the 3D-CICD model has enhanced students’ overall 3D character design abilities. In conclusion, the findings highlight the effectiveness of the 3D-CICD model in improving students’ creative performance, while offering valuable guidance for young animators, educators, and stakeholders involved in 3D animation education