The threshold for entering the profession is quite high, because training to become a 3D animator is quite difficult. That’s where we have to start. But first, let’s make sure there are three important elements without which it is too early to start learning.
Interest and desire
The first is motivation. Its presence depends on how interested you are in the professional activity.
3D animation is a dream profession for those who enjoy animation, and torture for those who just want to make good money. The fact is that the profession combines a number of diverse areas of knowledge to be studied and put into practice.
So, check if you are interested in the following activities:
Working with the technical part. Many hours of work on the computer – a typical day of a 3D-animator. The technical implementation of the result has little to do with creative activities. For the most part, you will be engaged in repeating the same activities.
Physics. Its basics you need to know. Even if you are animating a simple ball on an elastic band, you will need knowledge about deceleration and acceleration, compression and stretching.
Psychology. Animators are especially concerned with facial expressions, but the characters’ poses and gestures are also heavily tied to their emotions. You need to develop observation to convey sadness, joy, surprise, and other things.
Anatomy. You need to know the structure of the body in order to animate believable movements of the character. This includes an understanding of proportions, the ratio of arm and leg length and torso, certain shapes, curves, etc.
Physics, psychology, and anatomy are quite an interesting combination. We hope that’s what you want to do? Great, so you’re a born 3D animator! And if at least one of these points in doubt, it’s worth thinking hard about whether you’re making the right choice.
Understand the main thing: ignore some aspects of the profession or pay attention only to those that you like – means a loss of motivation in the future. It is important that you are interested in mastering the knowledge of animation exactly as a whole.
Think about it and answer these questions honestly:
Am I interested in learning the profession of 3D animation in all its forms?
Do I like to understand the mechanics of movement, represent objects from different angles, at different scales?
Am I ready not only for creativity, but also for painstaking frame-by-frame work and routine tasks?
If your answer is a confident “yes,” move on.
Understanding the profession
The most common fields for 3D animators are cinematography, animation and gamdev. Professionals work on animating characters, their facial expressions, clothing, hair, environments, techniques and various objects.
Creating 3D animation is a time-consuming process. A 3D animator can look at one frame all day. He studies thoroughly what he is animating, looking for inconsistencies and correcting the smallest inaccuracies in movement.