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3D Animator Specialization

A comprehensive online 3D animation course to prepare you for a career in the film and games industry.
Overview

Online 3D animation classes taught by industry pros

Build the confidence and skills to become a 3D animator

Focused on getting you job-ready, the Advanced 3D Animation Course helps you get your skills to industry-standard. By learning from industry experts who have worked at top animation studios, you'll gain valuable industry insights, build critical job skills, and graduate with a polished portfolio to show employers.

Why study 3D animation at CG Spectrum:

  • Learn advanced skills studios are hiring for
  • Gain speed and proficiency in Maya
  • Extra career support to boost hiring potential
  • Choose 1-on-1 or small group classes

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Get your skills to a higher standard with our advanced career training. You’ll master complex character and creature techniques and learn how to create compelling scenes that captivate your audience. Meet your mentor online for weekly classes, get personalized video critiques of your work, and develop a polished demo reel - your passport to the industry!

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Qualification

Certificate

Study duration

36 weeks

Commitment

20 hrs weekly

Skill level

Advanced

Prerequisites

3D Animation Course or portfolio submission

Delivery

Weekly online classes, feedback and support

Software

Autodesk Maya and animation rigs

Start date

Apr 8, 2024

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Why study with us

Learn 3D animation from industry pros who have worked on major feature films

Whether straight out of high school, changing careers, or upgrading skills, our specialized expert-led animation programs help you build practical job skills that serve throughout your career

Industry Mentors

Learn from industry experts who have worked on major films and games

Flexible Scheduling

Plan your studies around your work and family commitments

Job-Ready Skills

Build relevant and practical job skills that studios are looking for

Payment Plans

Pursue your passion and start working sooner with flexible payments

Curriculum

Industry-approved curriculum to help launch your career as a 3D animator

Term 1: 12 weeks

Advanced Character Acting

Learn how to get two characters interacting in a fun and realistic way. Discover how to analyze dialogue, shoot reference video and set up scenes using professional workflows. Watch your animation come alive as you apply your new knowledge of shot composition, cinematography, layering, acting beats and body mechanics to your scene.

  • How to animate a two-person dialogue shot
  • Use editorial tricks to develop story
  • Work with timing and spacing to enhance story
  • Focus on detail to polish your work
  1. Advanced Character Acting Overview
  2. Comedy Scene 01: Planning & Keys
  3. Comedy Scene 02: Breakdowns
  4. Comedy Scene 03: In-betweens
  5. Action Scene 01: Setup & Keying
  6. Action Scene 02: Breakdowns
  7. Action Scene 03: Polish Pass
  8. Multi-character Scene 01: Setup & Keying
  9. Multi-character Scene 02: Breakdowns
  10. Multi-character Scene 03: Overlap & Follow-through
  11. Multi-character Scene 04: Polish Pass
  12. Character Acting: Review & Final Pass
Term 2: 12 weeks

Creature Animation

Expand your versatility as an artist with creature animation. From quadruped walks, runs and jumps, to animating winged creatures, you’ll gain a solid understanding of creature animation, and have a great time breathing life into your creatures.

  • How to animate 4-legged creatures
  • Create believable movement
  • Source the best reference
  • Polish your portfolio piece
  1. Quadruped Walk - Research
  2. Quadruped Walk - Inbetweens and Splining
  3. Quadruped Walk - Polishing
  4. Quadruped Run - Research and Reference
  5. Quadruped Run - Inbetweens and Splining
  6. Dragon Flight Part 01: The Rig
  7. Dragon Flight Part 02: Keys and Breakdowns
  8. Dragon Flight Part 03: Polish Pass
  9. Creature Confrontation Part 01: Introduction and Keys
  10. Creature Confrontation Part 02: Keys and Breakdowns
  11. Creature Confrontation Part 03: Polish Pass and Conclusion
  12. Creature Animation: Final Thoughts
Term 3: 12 weeks

Mentored Studio: 3D Animation

This final term is dedicated to getting you job-ready! With your mentor’s guidance, you’ll polish your best pieces for your portfolio and learn how to develop your competitive edge, market yourself, and make the best possible impression in front of employers.

Students in this course receive additional 1-on-1 career support, portfolio reviews, and industry insights from CG Spectrum's Career Development Manager.

  • How to polish your portfolio to impress employers
  • Interview and negotiation strategies
  • Effective networking and self-promotion
  • Accessing the hidden job market 
  1. Career Pathways
  2. Industry Overview
  3. Portfolio Upgrade
  4. Networking and Online Presence
  5. Resume and Cover Letter
  6. Job Hunting
  7. Freelance Work
  8. Interviews and Pitching
  9. Personal Projects and Challenges
  10. Working in a Studio
  11. Contracts and Negotiations
  12. Personal Roadblocks
Course structure

Your pathway to the industry

Dive right into the full study pathway and be industry ready in 18 months.

Pathway illustration for 3D Animation (Full pathway)
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Mentors

Get direct access to professional animators with studio experience

To be the best, it helps to learn from the best. All 3D animation classes are taught by industry mentors with years of experience working at major animation studios on blockbuster films and best-selling video games.

Pricing

Small Class

The most affordable way to learn from top industry mentors in a fun, collaborative environment, while still getting plenty of personalized feedback.

  • Max. 4 students per course
  • Affordable high-quality education
  • Network while you learn
Pricing

1-on-1 Private

Progress faster and enjoy more flexiblity with private mentorship. Ideal for busy schedules, career-changers, or artists upgrading skills or changing specialties.

  • Maximum level of mentor interaction
  • Greater flexibility to schedule classes
  • Customized learning experience

 

Monthly
$1,185 USD

(9 x payments)

Save 10%

Per Term
$3,200 USD

(3 x payments)

Monthly
$1,750 USD

(9 x payments)

Save 10%

Per Term
$4,725 USD

(3 x payments)

FAQS

3D Animator Specialization FAQs

Learn more about the prerequisites for this course and the animation careers you could explore in the future. For general questions about studying at CG Spectrum, visit the main FAQ page or contact us.

What are the prerequisites for this Advanced 3D Animation course?

Aside from basic computer skills and a computer that meets the minimum specifications (see next question), this course requires the successful completion of the Foundations of 3D Animation Course or portfolio submission demonstrating professional experience and an accompanying reel/resume. Your portfolio submission should include:

1) A demonstrated understanding of the 12 Principles of Animation.  3-5 pieces that showcase work that provides evidence of an understanding of the basic animation 'rules.'  

2) A demonstrated understanding of general aesthetics and design.  Evidence you have an understanding of how to compose images and present actions clearly and in an artistically pleasing way.

3) Examples of completion of basic animation exercises covered in beginner courses.  Show proof of abilities to create a basic bouncing ball, flour sack, walk/run cycle, weight and timing, make basic acting choices and be able to turn key poses into fully-realized, fluid animation work. 

4) The ability to show some sense of entertainment value in your work. More than just a basic understanding, your work should showcase some flair and a sense of confidence in your general understanding of timing, motion and performance in basic animation exercises. 

5) A body of work (1-3 pieces at least) that show a range of skills you currently possess.  There should be enough examples in your body of work for us to make an assessment of where you are currently at and where you might be going.  

If you are unsure if your skills are sufficient, send us your portfolio and we'll arrange a review by the department head and a possible student interview, depending on circumstances.

SUBMIT PORTFOLIO 

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

On completion of the Advanced 3D Animation Course you will have greater confidence in your abilities and a portfolio to show employers.

You will also have personalized career services with our Career Development Manager which can help when applying for junior 3D animator jobs such as:

Discover more about these 3D animator jobs, tips, and salary expectations on our careers page:

This 3D Animator Specialization offers students who are serious about pursuing a career in animation a chance to go deeper into the world of animation art, studying acting more intensely and working on Creature FX Animation.

It’s an opportunity for students to potentially increase their value as an employee by adding to their skillsets or refining what skills they already possess.

While CG Spectrum's advanced students have a high job success rate, we cannot offer guaranteed employment as the film and game industry is competitive and there is no way of knowing what the market will demand when it comes to animation.

The students who experience the greatest success are those who take responsibility for their career, put in the hard work to get their skills up to industry standard, leverage their mentor's invaluable expertise, and take advantage of every opportunity to excel.

Taking an advanced 3D animation class not only keeps students–as potential future employees of studios–focused while they grow as artists and build their portfolio, it also increases their scope socially as they make more contacts with more time and work, a key component in securing a job. 

To help students find employment, we have a range of career services and a dedicated Career Development Manager who regularly hosts exclusive career-focused webinars, Q&As, artist interviews and workshops for CG Spectrum students and alumni, and is available to answer career-related questions.

Students in the 9-month programs receive additional 1-on-1 career support, CV/portfolio reviews and help with application/interview preparation. 

If you have any questions about our career services as they relate to your personal career goals, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

As with any venture, it will be what you make of it! The best animators are constantly growing, evolving and learning new skillsets. 

A specialized 3D animator class is an excellent way to sharpen one’s skills, open doors to exciting new methods and practices, work intensely on “bigger” projects and continue to grow as an artist and member of the animation community.

The benefit of doing the 3D Animator Specialization at CG Spectrum is receiving mentorship from another industry professional who can share their workflows and techniques with you. If you choose the 1-on-1 private mentorship option, there is also some flexibility to customize the program to meet your particular needs and career goals.

You can also get additional career support from the Career Coach if you are looking to take the next step in your career, whether that be a promotion or you're interested in switching your specialization.

Student Showcase

High quality student work that speaks for itself

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.

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Studios that hire our students