Learning Computer Animation Graphics - 3D Computer Animation Software

There are now many things that could be done online, including finishing a college course and landing yourself a job. This is one of the best things that the internet has given mankind, and it has benefited millions of people over the world. There are now many college courses that could be finished entirely over the internet, and there are other tools to help those who would want a future in computer animation.

What are the benefits of taking up an online computer animation course as opposed to taking it up in a real school? Needless to say, the training for people who want to be graphic designers and animators is very expensive. It would take long hours at school and at home, and it would be a nice, welcome idea to have it your way as you study a difficult course. There are also tools that could help with computer animation graphics - 3D computer animation software programs are available for those who would want to train themselves. College courses online are easier, because traditional colleges would require that you prove yourself first before they take you in. While this may be a good thing for those who only want the best education, it would be hard for those who are only starting to know the basics of it.

If you want to start learning computer animation online, it would be best to check out tutorials for animation tools. There are also video instructions that could be used to make learning things easier. Many are the uses of 3D computer animation software - better websites and better income. The demand for graphic designers and animators gets higher every year, as there are more demands for more beautiful websites that could instantly capture the hearts of its visitors.

For those who are already knowledgeable on the field, putting up your own graphic animation studio would be a good step for promoting your own products. This would make people see just how professional your works are. It would also be an effective way of keeping all your works in one place where you could showcase your talent and make everybody see it. Being a graphic artist pays well, as not all people are given this talent. Enhancing your website would attract more visitors and therefore more income for you. You could work on many different themes and templates and you could work as a freelance graphic designer like most do.

There always has been and I believe always will be a call for Animation designers. Computer animation is finding it's way into all areas of business and individual usage.

3-D Animation in Movies

The exciting initial beginning of 3-D animation in movies basically started with Tron in 1982 and in the same year, Star Trek II where 3-D animation was used in fractal landscapes. Pixar then introduced the first 100% 3-D animation when they released Adventures of Andre and Wally in 1984. The Dire Straits music video in 1985 was the first of its kind in full 3-D animation and two years later Tin Toy won an Oscar as the best animated short using realistic human form.

Several other 3-D animations was subsequently released over the next few years, introducing animated organic elements, convincing animated mouths with synchronised speech and naturally Jurassic Park in 1994 with its 3-D animated dinosaurs. The big hit however was Toy Story in 1995 and the 3-D industry was literally started with its release. Pixar, which released it, soon had competition from Pacific Data Images when they released Homer and subsequently their second film Antz made them Pixar's greatest competitor.

Like in all industries everybody else wanted part of the 3-D animation action and from 2006, 13 other animations were released in the same year, all from different companies in the film industry. The first step was from Disney to buy out Pixar after the semi-failed 3-D Chicken Little from Disney made them realize that they indeed need Pixar for animation. Great techniques were incorporated by everybody, but some techniques failed miserably, resulting from extremely good animations to the extremely awful versions.

Pixar remains one of the leading 3-D animators in the movie industry and follow the guidelines in producing a new 3-D animation in such a way that it is reminiscent of sales pitches.

• Pixar employees will pitch their idea to the development team and they will try to see the possibilities in it and the believability of the idea.

• Writing of a Text Treatment which in reality is just a short document which summarizes the main idea presented, finding a balance between open possibilities and solid ideas to be filled in by storyboard artists.

• The storyboard artists each receive script pages and draw a hand-drawn comic book version of their interpretation of the movie.

• Voice pitching and reel making will start and is essential in validating the sequence of the pages of storytelling and actors will pitch various versions of voices and emotions to get the perfect pitch.

• The art department use their creativity to create inspirational art to illustrate the characters and their world. Impressionistic pastel illustrations are used in emphasizing light in scenes, the designing of sets, props and visual looks.

• Characters, props and sets are articulated and sculpted either by hand and scanned three-dimensionally or directly modelled into the computer in 3-D. Different "avars" are used by the animator to make characters move and one character can have more than a hundred avars in the face alone.

• Next the sets are built in 3-D to realize the vision for the environment in creating a believable world.

• The story is now translated into three-dimensional scenes and crew choreograph characters using a virtual camera in capturing emotions and story points of each scene.

• Finally the shot is animated neither by painting or drawing as it is traditionally done as the characters, layout, props, sound and dialog is already set up, Pixar animation software is now used to choreograph movements and facial expressions.

• Finally shading and lighting are added and data rendered, which can take up to ninety hours per frame and a little as six hours.

3D Computer Animation - What Do You Really Know?

The level of 3D computer animation technology available today has made it possible for artists to attain needed skills for the field of 3D computer animation prior to attending a specialized technical school or college. There are millions of publications that have relevant information for this field of study. Self-study and take home instruction are examples of popular learning methods that are designed to enhance the progression of the artists' educational process.

Artists involved in 3D computer animation are aware that their learning process is ongoing. That can be said for every facet of life. However, once we get our feet wet and have our roots into a career where we begin to see success, we tend to get too comfortable and throw our books or our tools away thinking we know everything. When we think we've learned everything we need to know, our quest appears to be over. The quest is never over as there will always be advances in technology.

Learning 3D computer animation takes discipline. It may not always be fun. If you are in school or on the job, push yourself to learn more about what you are doing. Go beyond what you could or would be doing if left to your own devices. Do this even if this means animating things that you aren't particularly interested in. Sometimes to become successful, you need to do things that you aren't necessarily accustomed to nor interested in doing.

People with interest in animation wonder what it takes to be successful in this industry. While there are a lot of skills to be learned for this field of study, it is also important that the animator already possesses certain qualities. Characteristics that the 3D animator should possess include being creative, having a rudimentary understanding of technical aspects involved in computer animation and illustration, and the ability to be creative. It is also important to think outside the box. The artist should also to keep up to date with new techniques, tools, software, methodology, and production techniques.

In order to be an artist, it takes practice. You have to train like an athlete does for their respective sport. Your curriculum should involve a lot of hands on studio work where you can practice and hone your skills. Additionally, your curriculum should afford you plenty of theory studies as well as information on the latest technologies in the field. Software programs should be mastered to ensure success. Your ability to effectively use these programs will increase your value to prospective companies when you finish school and transition into the field.

Did you know that over 75% of people when asked about this field of study can only cite examples of 3D computer animation films, but really don't have a clue what 3D computer animation really is? Can you afford not knowing? Information is very important for success and can put you on the career path to be an animator! Click here and find out how you can learn more about 3D Computer Animation

Justin L. Sternad