What Degree Do You Need to Become a 3D Animator?

The usual entry into the field of 3D animation is a bachelor’s degree. That, however, is not the only way: it’s been done, not only with other degrees, but also without a degree. In the last-named case, you would do well to complete a certificate program in animation that will give you the skills you need to enter the field. College is an expensive proposition that, in all honesty, isn’t and needn’t be for everyone. If animation is your goal, you should evaluate your college plans, the number of people without bachelor’s degrees who work in the field, and whether you can amortize the cost of your education by working in your chosen profession.

What is a 3D Animator?

A 3D animator is an illusionist who creates lifeless drawings that are seemingly imbued, not only with life, but also with the ability to inhabit a world with three-dimensional depth. Over the years, animators have striven to give 2D animation a sense of depth. One of the most successful experiments in this field was the multiplane camera invented by Ub Iwerks for Disney. As early as 1942, it was used to conjure up the gorgeous opening sequence of Bambi, but the 3D look to which moviegoers have become accustomed today is of far newer vintage. It really only began with Pixar’s experiments with computer animation that produced the first 3D animated feature, Toy Story.

Making images that created the illusion of a third dimension dates back to the 19th century, when stereoscopic viewers made it possible to view static images that appeared to possess depth. The Viewmaster of the 1960s was a later iteration of the stereoscopic viewer; it’s enjoying a bit of a renaissance as a curiosity in the 21st century. This stereoscopic technology was taken up by motion pictures as early as 1922, when The Power of Love was released and necessitated the wearing of red and green anaglyph glasses to create the illusion of depth. The anaglyph glasses have since been replaced by the clear polarized lenses you’re given to view 3D movies in cinemas and on theme park rides today.

Filmmakers have been playing around with 3D technology for over a century, and it’s caught on a few times (as in the 1950s), only to fade from popularity and be dismissed as a gimmick. There can be little question that the development of 3D animation has led the 21st century to embrace the latest 3D techniques, not only with the likes of Toy Story and Pixar’s other groundbreaking films, but also with live-action films such as Avatar or the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland, the visual fantasy of which was greatly increased by the use of 3D technology.

Although there’s been a drop off in live-action 3D movies since the 2010s, the technology is still going strong in the world of animation. Indeed, 3D animation has supplanted 2D techniques, which are now reserved mostly for lower budget television productions. 3D animation also lies at the core of video game design.

Into this world steps the 3D animator, or, rather, an entire army of 3D animators, as the process of creating this type of animation on the computer is painstaking in the extreme, far more so than the already painstaking process of hand-drawn 2D animation. The state of the art is such that 3D animators today can create photorealistic images that no longer look like drawings. However, a phenomenon known as the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis maintains that humans find animation that looks too close to real life to be unnerving or creepy. Thus the verisimilitude of which 3D images are capable is generally tempered using devices such as bigger-than-natural eyes so as not to disturb the viewer.

Because of the intricate nature of the work—you need at least 24 images per second to give 3D animation its illusion of life—3D animators concentrate on one aspect and one aspect alone of their work. To choose one example, animating human hair (not only Rapunzel’s in Tangled) is a discipline unto itself. Among the other roles taken by 3D animators are:

• Rigger (those who create the rigging, something like the skeleton of a character to be animated),
• Modeler (those who put the flesh, as it were, on the rigging),
• Key frame animator (analogous to the animators who did the principal drawings in the pencil-and-paper days),
• Background artist,
• Clothing animator (texture artist),
• Lighting artist,
• Clean-up artist,
• Digital ink and paint artist,
• Rendering artist, and
• Compositing artist.

That list isn’t exhaustive. There are many other roles and specialties, which explains why the credits for Disney movies go on forever. (Those for Toy Story 3 clock in at over six minutes.) 3D animation is still an experimental field, with many discoveries still to be made. To choose one example, no one knows how AI will affect the animation industry. There will probably always be a need for human animators to give soul to their creations, but artificial intelligence is sure to play a role in the animation process, the rule book for which remains under construction.

Do I Need a Degree to Become a 3D Animator?

There can be no question that the received wisdom is that a bachelor’s degree in animation or a closely related discipline is an essential stepping stone to a career as a 3D animator. Four years is a good amount of time to learn the tools of the trade and work up an impressive showreel. A four-year degree is also what most HR officers expect when they glance fleetingly at your resume.

That said, college isn’t necessarily for everyone for reasons that range from the personal to the pecuniary. A four-year degree costs a fortune today, and getting one at all costs may not be the stepping stone to an animation career you think it’s going to be. It’s far from being a magic pathway with guaranteed employment at the other end. People have made it into the animation game with associate’s degrees and even just a high school diploma: indeed, according to one set of figures from Zippia, only 72% of employed 3D animators have four-year degrees.

If you don’t have that bachelor’s degree, your chances of getting hired will be considerably improved by attending a certificate program at a school that specializes in equipping people with the kinds of tech skills they need to make it on the job market. These programs last months rather than the years it takes to get a college degree, and are priced far more reasonably, too. They focus entirely on the in-demand skill sets that any employed 3D animator needs to have and have you properly prepared to pound the proverbial pavement when you’re done with your program. This may not be the most traditional route to an animation career, but it has proven itself to be a very real possibility, especially if you have a terrific demo reel that will make the contents of your resume all but moot.

Common Degrees for 3D Animators

The more usual degrees for 3D animators include:

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in animation,
• BS in computer graphics,
• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in art or fine art,
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in graphic design,
• BS in computer science,
• BA or BFA in digital arts, and
• BFA in illustration.

The list isn’t exhaustive, and, if you do choose a BA or BFA degree path, make sure that you get in plenty of courses specifically in computer animation. Otherwise your degree in fine art is going to look nice when you hang it on your wall but not be a key that opens the professional doors you wish to enter.

If you make sure that you study computer animation, you can, in point of fact, major in just about anything. Not all 3D animators have computer science or art degrees. If you plan your college career carefully, you can probably even become an animator with a traditional liberal arts degree in something like history or English. Just make sure you also learn the skills you’ll need to find work once you graduate.

Tips for Starting a 3D Animator Career Without a Degree

Starting off as a 3D animator without a bachelor’s degree is, without question, the more difficult path to your goal. But there are successful animators who managed to break into the field by being entirely self-taught, even without benefit of having taken an online course. That doesn’t mean that online courses aren’t a useful adjunct to a self-study program, especially live ones that put you in touch with a mentor who can answer the questions you’re bound to have. And, if you are working completely on your own, you should secure a mentor for yourself one way or another.

There is one thing that is much more important than what goes in the education section of your resume when it comes to applying for 3D animation jobs: your showreel. Animators get hired on the basis of the kind of work they can demonstrate that they can do. If you’re trying to get hired as an animator without a degree, you’re going to bank everything on your demo reel.

Your reel needs to be nothing short of amazing to land you a job, regardless of your educational background. You’re going to need a lot of time to study on your own to develop the skills necessary to create that amazing reel in the first place, but, with guidance and talent, you can conceivably land a position. Among the rules to bear in mind when it comes to putting your reel together are:

• Use only your absolutely best work,
• Keep it to under two minutes, preferably less,
• Show that you have an understanding of body mechanics,
• Include sound,
• Try to stand out by using your most original work, the kind of work that you feel no one else can do, and
• Tailor your reel to the specific role for which you’re applying.

The demo reel is the great leveler: even if you’ve got a master’s degree in computer animation, if your reel isn’t interesting, no one’s going to be interested in you. The converse is true as well: if you have no degree but a stunning reel, you’ll attract attention, maybe slowly at first, but it’s your best chance by far for getting that coveted first job.

Learn the Skills to Become a 3D Animator at Noble Desktop

If you lack the time, funds or inclination to pursue a four-year degree in animation, you can always consider a certificate program that will teach you what you need to know to break into the 3D animator job market. One such program is Noble Desktop’s Motion Graphics Certificate. It will teach you how to use Adobe After Effects as a means of creating motion graphics along with Cinema 4D Lite, which, despite the name, is a 3D modeling program that will allow you to create sophisticated 3D animations.

Alternatively, Noble offers a longer Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate program that adds modules on Adobe Premiere Pro and Audition to the motion graphics curriculum. The course will make you a competent video editor as well as an animator. The extra skills may well pay off, especially if you end up working on a small team that needs someone who can edit.

These Noble Desktop classes come complete with sessions with expert mentors who’ve actually worked as animators; these sessions can be used for any purpose you choose, including preparing your showreel. Both certificate programs include time to work on it as well. You’ll receive a free retake option (valid for up to one year) and access to recordings of every classroom session you attend. Finally, payment plans are available, some at 0% interest.