The Online Animation, VFX & Game Design school

I have never experienced such an explosive evolution in my art since attending CG Spectrum.

I have learnt an incredible amount, not only from my amazing mentor Eric Wilkerson but from the entire CGS community. Being part of such an amazing program has opened my eyes to techniques that have streamlined my process and increased my confidence tenfold. I highly recommend the Advanced Illustration Course. Buckle up, and knuckle down – this could be the course that changes everything for you.

CG Spectrum got me my dream job!

After a lot of research, I found CG Spectrum. The curriculum is wonderful, and the school is very accommodating. The mentors actually go through the files of your assignments. This contributes tremendously towards understanding your mistakes and HOW you can correct them. The mentors are extremely helpful, encouraging, kind and most importantly, always available for help.

An amazing journey!

This course is a complete package with the goal of helping us conquer our dream job! I didn't expect to find a C++ programming course aimed at the gaming industry and of such quality. The big difference the guidance of a high-level professional: Bryan Griffiths in my case! In addition to masterfully explaining technical questions, he shares immeasurable knowledge of the industry. 

I can't speak highly enough about the school.

When I came to CG Spectrum I had 20 years of live entertainment experience, and they seamlessly transferred me from physical to virtual production. 

My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner!

I found the experience to be very beneficial. My mentor (Gen Camilleri) helped me accelerate my learning with our weekly meetings. Once I completed the course, I was left with great portfolio pieces for my showreel and given free ongoing help with a Career Development Manager (Maxine Schnepf), who helped me polish my resume and LinkedIn profile to help kickstart my career. 

From the get-go, you’re thrown into hands-on projects that have you itching to learn more.

This doesn’t feel like online studying. The mentors are always there to help and the live chats and forum help you get to know your fellow students who are also more than willing to give insightful feedback. Every step of the way you’re growing into a wonderful community.

This school WILL put you on the right path.

The knowledge and skills have helped me grow tremendously as an artist. I took both Intro and Advanced Concept Art with Brandon, and cannot speak highly enough of him. Not only does he genuinely care about his students, but he has years of experience that are invaluable. The courses are not easy, but designed to constantly push you in many ways. I recommend this school if you are willing to put in the time and effort, it is worth it!

It was literally the absolute best thing that has ever happened to my career and professional life.

I feel like I’ve improved not only as an artist but as a professional as a whole, as the classes integrate every single detail of the artist life. The doors really open for us all and there’s nothing I’d change.

I was hired by Ubisoft!

It’s your career success that matters. I applied to some companies with my updated reel and got hired by a studio named Dwarf-Labs where I did some animations for a CG commercial. Then I was hired by Ubisoft where I worked on one of their biggest franchises, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate!

I hadn't even finished the course and I was offered a job.

My understanding of Nuke compositing was minimal when I started with CG Spectrum. With the help of the mentors, I managed to build my skills and get my foot in the door at a major VFX studio.

CG Spectrum is helping me grow as a game designer and as a person.

Both my mentor Andrejs Verlis and Dept. Head, Troy Dunniway, have been so encouraging and empowering. It doesn’t even feel like school. I’m finally seeing so many of my interests culminate, and I’m excited to leverage the great networking and career development here for a beautiful future.

The mentors are extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

Prior to enrolling at CG Spectrum's VFX course, I had no experience in creating VFX or using Houdini at all. By the end of the 3rd semester, I was quite comfortable in using Houdini for most simulations, using VEX in place of regular nodes and creating procedural assets. 

These courses helped me learn much faster than any other school or classroom I’ve ever been in.

Looking back, I spent so much time trying to learn on my own using free resources - which worked up until a point. But it's that extra push a mentor will give you that really ties it all together. I couldn’t be more grateful for all the support this community and my mentor Eric Wilkerson have given me. Taking a rough concept to a fully-rendered illustration is something I never could have done before, and now I finally have the skills to make it happen. 

I highly recommend signing up with CG Spectrum!

I was looking for a final push to bump my skills and finally start applying for jobs as an artist. Shortly after finishing my Advanced 3D Modeling Course I landed my first job as Junior Environment Artist, which was my dream!

CG Spectrum's training got me hired in the industry.

CG Spectrum helped me build the skills and connections that directly resulted in getting hired as a Gameplay Programmer at New World Interactive.

I’m excited to start the new leg of my journey!

It isn’t every day you decide to quit your job, go back to school, graduate and get a new job in a field you’ve always dreamed about in less than 1 year. Needless to say, it has been one eventful year for me! I have to give a huge thanks to everyone at CG Spectrum for making this possible.

The career program was invaluable.

I knew changing careers would have included some similar things such as resumes, applications, networking, etc. But the biggest thing I needed to understand was the nuances of how the animation industry worked, the etiquette for approaching recruiters, and what type of roles (fixed-term or permanent) there were. These sessions really helped guide me plus they were also really helpful in explaining how to approach my showreel and the subsequent application processes too.

CG Spectrum was one of the best decisions I've ever made for my career.

I've learned and grown so much throughout this program and I loved that there are many resources in the CG Spectrum slack community, such as finding new job opportunities, meeting other students and mentors, and checking out different courses. It's also great that there's a career advisor who can guide students in getting their first jobs. I made sure to take advantage of everything that CG Spectrum had to offer and as a result, I was able to land my dream job at my dream company (Dreamworks). Thank you CG Spectrum!

Having a mentor definitely helped! It was awesome to have someone I could reach out to when I was stuck.

Getting the weekly feedback also helped in terms of what to improve and what to focus on next. In Term 3, we learned Unreal Engine; I implemented the knowledge I gained in that course to my Advanced 3D Modeling Course to create some additional renders that demonstrated my understanding of using and integrating game-ready assets into an actual game engine.

CGS was the most organized, polished-looking program to learn compositing.

In VFX, all of these skills change so much, so often, that getting taught by someone who is actively a pro in the field makes a whole lot of sense.

CG Spectrum for me had all the elements university didn’t.

I already feel like I've acquired more from the past six months than I did out of my four years at uni! In this industry, it pays to have contacts, and there are so many people at CGS who can offer real-world experience and guide me. My mentors want me to deliver my best, and if I'm stuck on anything they’re there at the click of a button. 

I learned so much in 9 months that my personal efforts at learning beforehand paled.  

My experience with my mentor was fantastic. His own expertise was clear in how cleanly he was able to analyze my artwork and offer advice ranging from creating an effective composition, adding storytelling elements to an image, effective ways to paint over line work, simple brushes to generate quick and useful effects, and even just using the lasso tool in simple ways to expedite workflow. 

CG Spectrum seemed too good to be true. Looking back, it was the best decision.

Ever since I started, every mentor and staff member have been so hands-on and directly involved in my learning. Co-Directors of top box office movies and supervisors of major Netflix TV shows are giving me feedback on my projects. Students also have access to a strong community, and an awesome career development class to prepare you for your dream job.

I enrolled looking for a career change...

I didn't have any knowledge about digital arts. Now I can accomplish my dream of creating cinematics within fantasy worlds to tell stories or apply any artistic idea and make it happen with all the new tools under my belt. If you have passion, and need time flexibility, consider joining the amazing community and start your new journey exploring, exchanging, sharing and, most importantly, learning.