A system and method for 3D animation utilizing UVN transformation includes generation of head meshes in Cartesian space, transformation of head mesh vertices into UVN coordinate space, mapping of vertices to their closest UV coordinates on the surface, with signed distances becoming their N coordinates, sculpting flattened, square UVN meshes, transforming said meshes back to Cartesian space by evaluating the parameterized surface at the new UV coordinates, and scaling surface normal by the new N coordinate and adding to the surface positions.