Mulltimedia animations for communication can be 2D or 3D.  There are now authoring tools available that can out put animations that are optimized for several uses.  These include presentations, interactive training, catalogs, gaming, streaming media and web delivery. We use tools that facilitate the development of animations for the media used to present them.  These tools are but not limited to: 3dMax, Animations Master, Flash, After Effects, Anark, ..