- 1). Become familiar with work on computers, and be comfortable working for long hours at the computer. Most animation work is done on sophisticated computer programs. Already knowing some design programs such as Photoshop may help. If you are already computer savvy and want to become a 3-D animator, then you are ready for the next step.
- 2). Find a school that offers an animation degree. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Westwood College Online offer animation programs over the Internet, with a variety of educational program choices. Other schools that provide animation degrees are The Art Institutes and International Academy of Design & Technology, both which have locations in various cities.
- 3). Learn software programs that are used for animation in cartoons and movies. These include 3DStudio Max, a dynamic modeling and rendering software suite for Windows. It can even apply the laws of physics to animations and lets animators put thousands of objects in a scene. Another program is Maya, specifically for 3-D animation and computer graphic images, which also lets animators add lighting effects and has tools for integrating motion capture.
- 4). Decide on what field you want to work in that involves using 3-D animation. The entertainment industry is only one place animation is used. It is also used in corporate training, education, video game design as well as in many advertising and marketing jobs.
- 5). Search for 3-D animation jobs online. You can type 3-D animation jobs into a search engine and get many results, or find job listings on websites such as ifreelance.com or animationschoolguide.com, which offers some information on various aspects of the industry.
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