Animation tools for short films

Nobody
drew this.

Make short cartoons with painted 3D sets and your own narration. Build each shot with Blender and Claude Code.

Quill points to the reel playing beside her. — 92.4K Instagram views

Get the free engine See the full kit · $39.99

Shot sheet · Ice Cream submarine

From the film.

A submarine beside a dock at dusk. — **SHOT 01** Dock, dusk, slow push-in.

The submarine captain under warm light. — **SHOT 02** Captain, low angle.

The ice cream machine inside the submarine. — **SHOT 03** Machine, reveal.

The submarine passing through dark water. — **SHOT 04** Deep water, drift.

A ship in silhouette against an orange sunset. — **SHOT 05** Sunset, wide shot.

A crew member in the heat of the galley. — **SHOT 06** Galley, close-up.

The workflow

From script to finished reel.

01 / 04
CLAUDE CODEmake a film about the ice cream submarine
Write
Write your story and pick what the viewer should see in each shot.
02 / 04
Build
Use Claude Code to arrange the characters, lights and camera in Blender.
03 / 04
NARRATIONpython tools/clock.py --tail 0.6
Narrate
Record your own voice, hire a narrator, or use a voice you have permission to use. Then sync the cuts and captions to it.
04 / 04
Render
Watch a draft, give notes and render the finished MP4.

You work from a script and a storyboard.

Budget a day or two to make and revise a film.

Quill presents with a stylus in one hand and her other palm raised.

Meet your host.

Quill hosts the Inkworks tutorials. Her character art was generated with AI and animated for the series.

See how a look changes.

House styles

Start with a preset.

Inkworks house presets compared side by side on the same rendered scene.

These six looks ship with the Kit. Free includes three of them. Each changes the faces, captions and colour of the same scene.

Style Maker · $29

Build your own.

Three owned reference frames, the resulting house style and a still from the demo film.

Put three to five reference images you can use in one folder.
Answer a few questions and compare three rendered options.
Save the look and the instructions for using it in your next episode.

See plans

Want me to build it for you? Ask about Style Skill

Compare Free and the Kit.

Free

3D film engine and Claude Code skill
Three house presets
Medieval kitchen and castle courtyard set library
12-second demo and setup guide

Full Kit

Everything in Free, with six house presets
Full Ice Cream film source and medieval example
More sets, props and licensed recordings
Tools for recording or generating narration and timing cuts to it
Story guide, product updates and email support
Classic 2D engine, starter project and Emperor Norton example

Make your own reels.

Make a test film for free. Get more sets with the Kit, or create a look for either edition with Style Maker.

Two characters at a table in the medieval kitchen demo

Inkworks Free

Render your first cartoon.

Editable 12-second demo
Blender engine, two sets and three looks

Two sailors with an ice cream freezer on the deck of a warship

Inkworks Kit

$39.99 was $97

Open the film. Rebuild a shot.

Full Ice Cream Submarine project
Six looks, more sets and sound, plus the classic 2D engine

A finished style test with custom character faces and caption treatment

Style Maker

$29

Give every episode the same look.

Compare three looks from your own references
Save your style and channel skill for future reels

Bring your own narrator for new films. You can publish and monetise the films you make.Check what you’ll need

Hire the studio.

Send us references for a custom look, or bring us a brief for your channel or film.

Style Skill

$149

Send references. We style one of your recurring characters, set the captions and colours, and send you the files, a Claude Code skill and a 15–20 second test film. Includes one round of changes.

Five business days from receipt of references. $99 for the first 10 with FOUNDING10.

Email about Style Skill

Full Channel Setup

From $500

We build your recurring cast and sets, set up Inkworks and your chosen voiceover on your computer, and deliver one finished example, a walkthrough and 14 days of fixes.

Agree on the scope and price before paying. Half upfront, half on delivery.

See the commission details

Story Reel

From $2,500

Give us a story. We research it and deliver a 30–45 second cartoon with script, voiceover, sound and captions. You get vertical and square versions and two rounds of revisions.

You own the finished video.

See reel packages

Before you start.

Claude Code: For directing the build
Blender 5.2: Free
Python 3.11: For the engine tools
ffmpeg: With libass, on PATH
Dedicated GPU: For rendering
Windows: Tested on Windows. Mac and Linux are untested.

Questions.

Do I need to draw?

No. You direct the story and the edit. Claude Code builds the scenes with the Inkworks engine.

How was the Ice Cream film made?

The film uses painted textures, 3D sets and flat cartoon characters. Claude Code helps build the scenes, and Blender renders the shots.

What does Claude Code cost?

See Anthropic’s current pricing and plans.

Who narrates my films?

Record yourself, hire a narrator, or use a voice you have permission to use. The Kit includes tools for working with your own voiceover. You’ll hear the studio narrator in the finished examples. Those soundtracks are for learning, and no reusable voice model or reference recording is included.

Can I monetise my films?

Yes, including client work. See the licence terms included with your edition.

What about refunds?

See the terms on the Gumroad listing when you buy. For help with an order, email theinkworksstudios@gmail.com.

Does it run on Mac or Linux?

Inkworks was tested on Windows with a dedicated GPU. Mac and Linux are untested.

Do I need the Kit to use Style Maker?

Free is enough. Style Maker adds a reusable look for your existing characters, captions and colour. The Kit is the upgrade for more sets, more ready-made looks and the full Ice Cream film project.