Learn 3D animation from the best and discover what it takes to become a professional animator. Once you've mastered the foundational skills, you'll get your characters interacting with their environment and dealing with physical forces. Put this together to design powerful combat animations for games.
Why study animation at CG Spectrum:
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At CG Spectrum online animation school you'll receive the highest level of personalized training. You'll learn the latest tools and techniques used by top studios and be guided every step of the way by your industry mentor. With online 3D animation classes you can learn from the comfort of your own home, in your own time.
Certificate
9 months
20 hrs weekly
Beginner to Intermediate
Basic computer skills
Weekly online classes, feedback and support
Autodesk Maya and animation rigs
Jul 10, 2023
Whether straight out of high school, changing careers, or upgrading skills, our specialized expert-led animation training course help you build practical job skills that serve throughout your career
Learn from experts who have worked on major films and games
Plan your studies around your work and family commitments
Build practical and relevant job skills that studios are looking for
Pursue your passion and start working sooner with flexible payments
Starting with 3D animation basics, you'll dive head-first into industry software Maya and discover how to create believable animation using the classic principles of animation. As you learn the theories, you'll put them into practice, giving you a better understanding of body mechanics and locomotion.
Let's get physical! Learn 3D animation tips and tricks from your mentor while building on your foundation skills. Find out how to get characters interacting with their surrounding environment, and see how they deal with physical forces. Finish the term by learning how to design combat animations for games.
Master the subtleties of adding personality to a character walk. Then develop a backstory for your character and have a go at conveying emotions using body language by creating a pantomime piece. You'll finish with a character dialogue piece complete with lip sync, facial and body expressions - and have a polished piece for your demo reel.
Dive right into the full study pathway and be industry ready in 18 months.
All 3D animation classes are taught by artists who have worked at major animation studios on films and video games.
Mark has held lead positions at Rainmaker, Sony and Weta Digital working on films like Avatar, The Adventures of Tintin, and Night at the Museum.
Read full bioDept. Head of 3D Animation
Known for Avatar
Spectra has been animating for almost a decade at Playstation, Digital Domain and Ubisoft on projects such as Far Cry 6, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and Advantageous.
Read full bioMentor of 3D Animation
Known for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Mentor of 3D Animation
Known for Spider-man 3: Homecoming
Mentor of 3D Animation
Known for Ted
Mentor of 3D Animation
Known for Planet Blue: Journey to Eco
Delano's credits include Ready Player One, The Walking Dead, Deadpool and Independence Day: Resurgence from his time at top studios Zoic, Digital Domain and Mill Film.
Read full bioMentor of 3D Animation
Known for Deadpool
Roland has worked his way across the globe at major studios like Weta Digital, where he worked on two Planet of The Apes movies, The Hobbit Trilogy, and Avengers: Infinity War.
Read full bioMentor of 3D Animation
Known for Avengers: Infinity War
Jacob is an award-winning director, writer, and animator who now works at Walt Disney Imagineering. Credits include Red Dead Redemption, God of War III, Batman: Arkham Origins, The Jungle Book, and The Flash.
Read full bioMentor of 3D Animation
Known for Batman: Arkham Origins
Ambre has worked as an animator in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA, and Canada on projects like LEGO Avengers, Happy Feet Two, Avatar and Where the Wild Things Are.
Read full bioMentor of 3D Animation
Known for Avatar
With 20+ years in the industry, Michael has worked on countless feature films for just about every major studio around the world including DNEG, Cinesite, MPC, Weta Digital, Pixomondo and Lucasfilm.
Read full bioMentor of 3D Animation
Known for Pacific Rim Uprising
Nick's held lead positions at major game studios Relic Entertainment and Phoenix Labs. Credits include Dauntless, Dawn of War 3 and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.
Read full bioMentor of 3D Animation
Known for Dauntless
The most affordable way to learn from top industry mentors in a fun, collaborative environment, while still getting plenty of personalized feedback.
Progress faster and enjoy more flexiblity with private mentorship. Ideal for busy schedules, career-changers, or artists upgrading skills or changing specialties.
(9 x payments)
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(1 x payment)
(9 x payments)
Save 10%
(3 x payments)
Save 25%
(1 x payment)
For this 3D animation course, you will need basic computer skills and a computer that meets the minimum specifications (see next question).
Please note: Term 1 of this program is the same curriculum as the Introduction to 3D Animation Certificate. So if you've already completed the introduction course, you may skip to term 2.
Software:
Students can sign up for an educational license for Maya.
Hardware:
You will need a dedicated graphics card and a computer that meets the minimum requirements for Autodesk Maya.
This course gives you an excellent understanding of 3D animation fundamentals and depending on your level of commitment, skills, and portfolio pieces, you may be ready to start applying for entry-level artist positions.
To increase your hiring potential, the Advanced 3D Animation Course is recommended. It covers more complex techniques and includes an entire term dedicated to career development and portfolio preparation to get you industry-ready.
Some of the junior 3D animator jobs you could pursue after completing the full study pathway include:
Discover more about these 3D animator jobs, tips, and salary expectations on our careers page:
With a focus on portfolio preparation, we help students build their competitive edge with high quality work that gets noticed. See what they are creating.
I landed a job immediately after finishing the course.
When I started CG Spectrum's animation program, I wasn't sure what to expect. Now, I can surely tell that choosing CG Spectrum was the best decision I've ever made. My mentors were incredibly knowledgeable, dedicated and supportive.
If you’re looking to enhance your specialist skills to industry level, CG Spectrum is the place to be.
CG Spectrum has been an invaluable learning experience. Having never done an online course, I didn’t expect to receive the level of personalised learning and quality teaching that I have experienced so far. The amount of 1-on-1 is second to none. The techniques I have been taught have not only improved my animation skills by leaps and bounds, they have also taught me to be a better storyteller. Aside from the skills learned, I have also gained a great amount of insight into the industry which will definitely aid in my career as an animator.
It's been extremely helpful for my portfolio and my confidence as an artist!
I've learned so much about not only animation, but the thought process an artist goes through when creating a piece.