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3D Animation Is Not Just About Animation


A lot of people who love animation and want to learn animation. I've said this many times and I will continue to say it - most people study 3D animation to do animation and there can be no worse reason to go into industry. I say this because they come for the wrong reasons, and will leave for the wrong reasons.

The first time most people are exposed to 3D animation they are usually exposed to animated cartoon features like Toy Story, Shrek, Finding Nemo, Incredibles and the like. Inevitably many people interested in the industry with aspirations to work on big productions like that. And would turn the character into the main reason why most people join the animation industry.

Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that most CG artists finally do something other than animated characters. Notice I use the word 'CG artist' - which is a short computer graphic artist - and not the word 'animator'. This is because it really talked, an 'animator' is someone who is the only profession to be alive. In fact, someone who learned 3D animation could end up doing something other than work 'animation'. The prospect of this alternative include texturing, modeling, rigging, lighting or even rendering.

This translated into a job as a texturing artist, a 3D modeler, a rigger, lighting artist or a brawler. Below I will explain briefly the scope of work, including that of an animator.

Texturing Artist - Someone who paint and create a texture to wrap into 3D models. His job is to create a 'skin' for 3D models that look exactly like how it should be to look at.

3D Modeler - A man who created the 3D models needed to fill a scene in a 3D environment. This process is called modeling, in which artists manipulate the mesh to create a coherent structure, which can be further manipulated to become a recognizable objects in 3D environments.

Rigger - A person who creates the bone system is needed to match the 3D model and then tie the two together so that eventually can turn the 3D animator by manipulating the system model of the bone.

Animator - Someone who is responsible for dead. The subject may not always be a character. This may be a special effect, a camera movement, mechanical action, mutation of germs ... etc. In short, an animator is required to bring anything moves.Lighting Artist - Someone who specializes in preparing the lamp for a given 3D environment in a particular scene. This is his duty to ensure that the environment looks exactly like how it should be to look and feel exactly like how it should be to feel.

Render Wrangler - A person who is in charge of agricultural and ensure that every frame 3D images generated by a computer either.

On top are the various aspects of a typical 3D production, and thus the work of CG artists in the coverage may end up seats for the hottest jobs and animators are the most competitive. Most companies just want the most talented animators. If you're not good enough you only need to do something else.

This is when reality hit the animator-hope. Stay strong for the battle and finally get what they want if they are talented enough. The weaker the left with a broken heart without the words good to say about the industry.

Running 3D animation company, I have interviewed many young CG artists who both came to work. Very often, I straightened from the beginning that Mediafreaks do everything from animated cartoon series of documentary medical animation. And if they come to make animated characters just hope they are in the wrong place. I lost some good talent potential as a result. But their hopes of setting from the beginning can do more harm than good in the long run.

I urge CG artist hopefuls to take into consideration when they approached the 3D professional. If they just want to be a character animator, then they must be prepared for the fact that very few companies in the world has a full-time position. This means they really must be very very well as limited seats.