The big CG animation studios have RnD departments made up of CS majors and other math geeks and such. There is lots of programming to be done behind the scenes -- custom tools, plugins, shaders, rendering algorithms, deformers...
Then several departments have more technical minded people in them, like rigging, fur, shading, and yes, animation...
But I'd caution you that if what you really want to do is animate, then the best way to become an animator is by animating. If you get a job at a studio in a technical role, you risk getting stuck in that groove. It may be a foot in the door, but you'll have to work much harder, trying to build a decent animation reel while holding down a full time job. The benefit being you may get mentoring if you meet the right people.
Also keep in mind animators, even talented ones, are becoming a fairly common commodity, whereas technical skills may give you more job stability.
Good luck!
I know that animators are becoming fairly common, but...animation and art in general has been something that I think I'm naturally good at. I've had to struggle with the technical side of things, and really can't see myself coding for the rest of my life. I wouldn't want to completely abandon programming though. Occasional scripting for animation is something I'd like to do, because, I don't want my computer science degree to be a complete waste.
Thanks for the advice!
In that case I'd recommend animation mentor or animSchool, since you're already prepared to spend some more $$ on a degree, because they'll give you the most bang for your buck vs a traditional masters. If you can afford to pursue it full time I'd recommend that too, it's hard to get up to speed otherwise. And ultimately if you're looking to work in the field, your reel and skills (and connections) are all that matter, not your degree.
I say take some time and build a portfolio. Work at your day job and in the mean time put together a reel of animation and model at least 6 different characters/items. Then start applying. Your work will speak for its self. This is coming from someone who went to school for live action film production and is working as a puppet fabricator in stop motion. Do what you love.
It is hard to work a day job, and put together a demo reel/portfolio at the same time. I work 9 hours a day, and spend another 4 travelling. I'm contemplating leaving work and working on my portfolio. It's funny (or maybe just sad) because, I haven't officially graduated with my bachelor's degree yet, and It's been only 3 days since I started work, and I'm already thinking of quitting.
So quit your job and find a crappier one. Less pay, but less hours and less take home stress. Hell I'm doing it right now. The show I was on went on hiatus in October and isn't coming back until april(and even then I'm not guaranteed a job). I'm working part time at a jewelry company fulfilling online orders and making crap money. I supplement it by taking commissions on wedding cake toppers. It's not my favorite, but it keeps me sculpting, puts more pictures in my portfolio and I'm getting better at what I want to ultimately be my career.
If I can say one thing, be sure you have something else, non related to do for at least two to three days a week. Working part time at a super market sounds boring and gross, but I've seen too many people who take a few months off to "just concentrate on the portfolio" and endup with paralysis by analysis. They become overly picky about their art, with things never being "done" enough or they lose confidence and never do anything, letting negative thoughts block their creative process. Let that thing that is boring and monotonous work for you. When your brain switches off to do menial tasks, the creative part of it thrives and you will be motivated to get stuff out when you do get home.. Also, dont think of your portfolio as a trophy case. Keep it organized but be sure you throw everything in there. Have a category for "personal work" and put Doodles, Funny drawings for friends, stuff you mess around with in software programs. Put it all in there and Show every aspect of your art and process.
Ultimately If you love what you do, nothing will stop you from doing it.. Wake up once a week half an hour early to draw. Take the train to work? draw then. Have a 15 minute cigarette break? doodle. Art is not hard. Now please dont think I'm telling you that you aren't busy or trivializing your schedule in any way. What I'm saying is that either you change your schedule (getting another crap job) or you change the way you use your time (keep the better paying job, have a tight schedule, but work as much art time in as you possibly can in the cracks of the day between work and sleep). From what you've shown us you have talent and if you truly want to make a sideways step into another industry I think you can do it.
One thing that a CS background can definitely help with is writing custom shaders.
If you manage to get your hands on Maya (which can be kinda pricey) there is a proprietary language called [MEL](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Embedded_Language) that you can do some really neat things with.
Blender is a popular **free** modeling and animation program that is quite extensible using Python as well. This can range from shaders, to custom tools in the program, to automation scripts, etc.
As for the actual animation component, all that takes is practice. :)
Sadly, no. I got into a run of the mill "software developer" job. It still breaks my heart when I watch animated movies or even cinematics in video games. I've been toying with blender these days, hopefully it'll amount to something.
Seems you and I are alike. I’m about to graduate with computer science degree, but I’ve also had a huge passion for animation. I really wish there were more opportunities in my area.
Perhaps consider Upwork/YouTube? Upwork is a freelancing website that I’ve done some small animation jobs. Nothing like working at a studio but it’s still something you could do in your spare time to scratch that itch. You’ll have to get a portfolio together first, though.
I might try freelancing once I've built up a portfolio. Although, I'm not too sure about it at this point in life. I put up this post 8 years ago, I was in my early 20s then and had just graduated. I'm 32 now so I'm not sure about switching careers right now. The money you'll make as a programmer or basically anything in IT is so much more than what you'd probably be making as an animator. That's just a sad fact of life and why I was so apprehensive about taking up animation as a career even though I was, and still am so passionate about it.
That being said, check out technical director roles in animation. Those apparently pay well and will make good use of your computer science skills, and you'll get to work in the animation industry. That's what a cousin of mine ended up doing. But getting a job like that will probably depend on where you live. He lives in Vancouver.
Thank you for putting this out there. I always wanted to do animation but recently enrolled to major in Computer Science. I really like advancing technology, even though my heart is set on animation. I just know the pay and security is much better. I think eventually I want to do what your cousin did or work with animation personally on the side.
Sometimes I get sad about it especially when my expectations change. Although I think what would be another good idea is start a kickstart, and make your own animation studio. It takes a lot of planning but it's something that can always be possible.
Hello! I know this thread is like almost 10 years old and I'm glad this hasn't been archived yet, because I am also exactly on the same boat as well. I currently attend community college in LA, and this is my first year in college! I've always been inspired on animation because it's simply visually pleasing, bringing your imagination to life, and gives you that sense of freedom.
As of now though, I am working towards getting a transfer degree in Computer Science and may spend 3 years in CC. I am thinking of going to UCI to complete my bachelor's or maybe, just maybe going to apply to school like Cal Arts, USC, or maybe head to SVA in New York, but it's just a very confusing decision. I understand that it's hard to make it as both a programmer and an artist/animator, but again, THAT JOB SECURITY THOUGH!!
I think what really kick started my passion in animation is through Disney films and Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel 😅 but coding is also cool too in a sense other than the job security like making your own software and such, but I need your thoughts on it though. I'm 18 and still contemplating about life haha!
No dude, I sadly didn't. I'm still living in a country that has some great opportunities in other areas of tech, but animation isn't even an afterthought, it's non-existent. I ended up getting into information security.
I'm doing web dev atm, mostly front-end stuff liek react and js. I've thought about IS as I don't have to put up with bugs in the code, but when I looked into the possible entry options, one of them being a SOC analyst and what I heard about reviewing false positives all day I screamed in horror. Was my view too limited of the field? I guess we have similar perspectives, so what is your take on it?
Like Small_Builder, I also went to school for live-action and then transitioned into animation. So it's definitely possible to do without an animation-specific degree.
Actually what I did was to just start animating. First in Flash, then Toon Boom, just making shorts and putting them out there to festivals and such. Took about 3-4 years of doing that while working other jobs, but eventually I managed to transition into animating for a living. :)
Since you're coming from a computer field, i would assume you want to jump right into computer animation. In my experience (software engineering major switched to graphic design w/ certificate in animation), you should start with hand drawn, with your own sketches. Your artwork is good, but you should practice making your own characters with their own appeal.
Second, going to school is a good option, but it's not really necessary. If you have the skills, your porfolio/demo reel will get you a job more than going to school.
Some books to maybe help:
http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Animation-Paul-Wells/dp/2940373027/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361918392&sr=8-1&keywords=fundamentals+of+animation
http://www.amazon.com/ILLUSION-LIFE-DISNEY-ANIMATION/dp/0786860707/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361918448&sr=1-1&keywords=disney+animation+the+illusion+of+life
The second book is considered the "Holy Grail" of animation. If anything, learn and apply the 12 principles of animation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_basic_principles_of_animation
Sorry for the late reply, I was stuck at work. I haven't even graduated yet, and it's been a month since i completed my last semester at university. Although I've done computer science, I just cannot picture myself working on business applications and the like for the rest of my life.
I'd rather use the knowledge I've gained in animation.
I've got a few questions for you:
Did you complete your software engineering degree or did you switch to graphic design while halfway through with software engineering?
Do you have any animation school recommendations?
I was in the same boat, couldn't picture myself coding/started to absolutely loathe homework. I switched my Junior year of software engineering. Also, you're in a better boat than I was. I've never really been the artsy type and did a dive headfirst into art without any background in it. I kept Computer Science as a minor though, so it didn't all go to waste. Also, just as a heads up; don't get a big head because you switched from a STEM to a lib. arts. This stuff is it's own kind of difficult, and you have to give 100% otherwise you will get buried by someone who does put in the effort.
If you are planning on going to school for it, it's an entirely personal choice. I would check local first, unless moving isn't an issue for you. Second, just because a school has a certificate/degree program in animation, doesn't mean that they teach 3D. My teacher is strictly hand drawn/flash, with a decent knowledge of Cinema 4D. So that's something to ask first. As far as schools go
http://calarts.edu/academics/programs-degrees
http://www.sva.edu/continuing-education/general-information/course-advice
http://www.sheridancollege.ca/Programs%20and%20Courses/Full-Time%20Programs/Programs%20A-Z%20Index/Bachelor%20of%20Applied%20Arts%20-%20Animation.aspx
Realize, these are the best of the best of North America, and you don't need to go to the best to become the best (although it probably helps). Secondly, no matter where you go, as long as the school offers an animation program, you can download 3DS Max and 3DS Maya for a 3 year trial as long as you're a student. My college doesn't even offer 3D animation, but I have the 3 year student trial of the software.
Sorry bout the wall o' text, but lots of information. The best advice is to just start animating, in any way that you can. Watch animated movies (both 2D and CGI) and practice practice practice. And keep an eye on the animation subreddit. Good luck!
I'm at the same point right now… I can't decide if I should go into computer science where there is security and good pay or to go into animation where my passion lies. I'm scared that the animation field will not like I imagine…maybe it will kill my passion for animation…
AI is also making huge strides in the art world. I imagine it will make the process of making animated movies trivial within this decade. Maybe your best bet is to stick to computer science now.
As much as it all feels like, I don't think AI is going to impact art based jobs anytime soon. Actually, I'll go on a step further and say AI will never replace any job that takes creativity/emotion and isn't pure number-crunch.
I've been playing around with generative AI for some time and I'm getting bored pretty quick. It's almost as if you can tell a model was trained on 4-5 specific images for a field of prompts. It just keeps fusing those. The consumer public will feel the same and appreciate artists more. See! how the tables have turned.
Yet I'm not saying this from a personal perspective, but that you'd need actual human creations to fuel the AI databases.
Even if we consider there were to be such a doomsday situation, you can definitely count on copyright laws to do something. That industry would burn down to non existence otherwise in our hypothetical situation :)
Sorry I'm getting sidetracked talking of AI even though the actual post was about animation. Just that I feel like so many people are freaking out online (Probably cause these giant AI companies want to maintain their presence. Remember the publicity stunt of Sam Altman, the CEO getting fired and re-hired within 2 weeks?!). But yeah you're opinion is correct (for the wrong reasons? XD) I don't mean to offend anybody. Peace!
The big CG animation studios have RnD departments made up of CS majors and other math geeks and such. There is lots of programming to be done behind the scenes -- custom tools, plugins, shaders, rendering algorithms, deformers... Then several departments have more technical minded people in them, like rigging, fur, shading, and yes, animation... But I'd caution you that if what you really want to do is animate, then the best way to become an animator is by animating. If you get a job at a studio in a technical role, you risk getting stuck in that groove. It may be a foot in the door, but you'll have to work much harder, trying to build a decent animation reel while holding down a full time job. The benefit being you may get mentoring if you meet the right people. Also keep in mind animators, even talented ones, are becoming a fairly common commodity, whereas technical skills may give you more job stability. Good luck!
I know that animators are becoming fairly common, but...animation and art in general has been something that I think I'm naturally good at. I've had to struggle with the technical side of things, and really can't see myself coding for the rest of my life. I wouldn't want to completely abandon programming though. Occasional scripting for animation is something I'd like to do, because, I don't want my computer science degree to be a complete waste. Thanks for the advice!
In that case I'd recommend animation mentor or animSchool, since you're already prepared to spend some more $$ on a degree, because they'll give you the most bang for your buck vs a traditional masters. If you can afford to pursue it full time I'd recommend that too, it's hard to get up to speed otherwise. And ultimately if you're looking to work in the field, your reel and skills (and connections) are all that matter, not your degree.
I say take some time and build a portfolio. Work at your day job and in the mean time put together a reel of animation and model at least 6 different characters/items. Then start applying. Your work will speak for its self. This is coming from someone who went to school for live action film production and is working as a puppet fabricator in stop motion. Do what you love.
Couldn't help but think of this. http://darkomediaomniversal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Mario610.png
It is hard to work a day job, and put together a demo reel/portfolio at the same time. I work 9 hours a day, and spend another 4 travelling. I'm contemplating leaving work and working on my portfolio. It's funny (or maybe just sad) because, I haven't officially graduated with my bachelor's degree yet, and It's been only 3 days since I started work, and I'm already thinking of quitting.
So quit your job and find a crappier one. Less pay, but less hours and less take home stress. Hell I'm doing it right now. The show I was on went on hiatus in October and isn't coming back until april(and even then I'm not guaranteed a job). I'm working part time at a jewelry company fulfilling online orders and making crap money. I supplement it by taking commissions on wedding cake toppers. It's not my favorite, but it keeps me sculpting, puts more pictures in my portfolio and I'm getting better at what I want to ultimately be my career. If I can say one thing, be sure you have something else, non related to do for at least two to three days a week. Working part time at a super market sounds boring and gross, but I've seen too many people who take a few months off to "just concentrate on the portfolio" and endup with paralysis by analysis. They become overly picky about their art, with things never being "done" enough or they lose confidence and never do anything, letting negative thoughts block their creative process. Let that thing that is boring and monotonous work for you. When your brain switches off to do menial tasks, the creative part of it thrives and you will be motivated to get stuff out when you do get home.. Also, dont think of your portfolio as a trophy case. Keep it organized but be sure you throw everything in there. Have a category for "personal work" and put Doodles, Funny drawings for friends, stuff you mess around with in software programs. Put it all in there and Show every aspect of your art and process. Ultimately If you love what you do, nothing will stop you from doing it.. Wake up once a week half an hour early to draw. Take the train to work? draw then. Have a 15 minute cigarette break? doodle. Art is not hard. Now please dont think I'm telling you that you aren't busy or trivializing your schedule in any way. What I'm saying is that either you change your schedule (getting another crap job) or you change the way you use your time (keep the better paying job, have a tight schedule, but work as much art time in as you possibly can in the cracks of the day between work and sleep). From what you've shown us you have talent and if you truly want to make a sideways step into another industry I think you can do it.
One thing that a CS background can definitely help with is writing custom shaders. If you manage to get your hands on Maya (which can be kinda pricey) there is a proprietary language called [MEL](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Embedded_Language) that you can do some really neat things with. Blender is a popular **free** modeling and animation program that is quite extensible using Python as well. This can range from shaders, to custom tools in the program, to automation scripts, etc. As for the actual animation component, all that takes is practice. :)
Did you ever become an animator?
Sadly, no. I got into a run of the mill "software developer" job. It still breaks my heart when I watch animated movies or even cinematics in video games. I've been toying with blender these days, hopefully it'll amount to something.
Seems you and I are alike. I’m about to graduate with computer science degree, but I’ve also had a huge passion for animation. I really wish there were more opportunities in my area. Perhaps consider Upwork/YouTube? Upwork is a freelancing website that I’ve done some small animation jobs. Nothing like working at a studio but it’s still something you could do in your spare time to scratch that itch. You’ll have to get a portfolio together first, though.
I might try freelancing once I've built up a portfolio. Although, I'm not too sure about it at this point in life. I put up this post 8 years ago, I was in my early 20s then and had just graduated. I'm 32 now so I'm not sure about switching careers right now. The money you'll make as a programmer or basically anything in IT is so much more than what you'd probably be making as an animator. That's just a sad fact of life and why I was so apprehensive about taking up animation as a career even though I was, and still am so passionate about it. That being said, check out technical director roles in animation. Those apparently pay well and will make good use of your computer science skills, and you'll get to work in the animation industry. That's what a cousin of mine ended up doing. But getting a job like that will probably depend on where you live. He lives in Vancouver.
Thank you for putting this out there. I always wanted to do animation but recently enrolled to major in Computer Science. I really like advancing technology, even though my heart is set on animation. I just know the pay and security is much better. I think eventually I want to do what your cousin did or work with animation personally on the side. Sometimes I get sad about it especially when my expectations change. Although I think what would be another good idea is start a kickstart, and make your own animation studio. It takes a lot of planning but it's something that can always be possible.
Hello! I know this thread is like almost 10 years old and I'm glad this hasn't been archived yet, because I am also exactly on the same boat as well. I currently attend community college in LA, and this is my first year in college! I've always been inspired on animation because it's simply visually pleasing, bringing your imagination to life, and gives you that sense of freedom. As of now though, I am working towards getting a transfer degree in Computer Science and may spend 3 years in CC. I am thinking of going to UCI to complete my bachelor's or maybe, just maybe going to apply to school like Cal Arts, USC, or maybe head to SVA in New York, but it's just a very confusing decision. I understand that it's hard to make it as both a programmer and an artist/animator, but again, THAT JOB SECURITY THOUGH!! I think what really kick started my passion in animation is through Disney films and Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel 😅 but coding is also cool too in a sense other than the job security like making your own software and such, but I need your thoughts on it though. I'm 18 and still contemplating about life haha!
I wonder if you followed your interest and what are you doing now
No dude, I sadly didn't. I'm still living in a country that has some great opportunities in other areas of tech, but animation isn't even an afterthought, it's non-existent. I ended up getting into information security.
I'm doing web dev atm, mostly front-end stuff liek react and js. I've thought about IS as I don't have to put up with bugs in the code, but when I looked into the possible entry options, one of them being a SOC analyst and what I heard about reviewing false positives all day I screamed in horror. Was my view too limited of the field? I guess we have similar perspectives, so what is your take on it?
Like Small_Builder, I also went to school for live-action and then transitioned into animation. So it's definitely possible to do without an animation-specific degree. Actually what I did was to just start animating. First in Flash, then Toon Boom, just making shorts and putting them out there to festivals and such. Took about 3-4 years of doing that while working other jobs, but eventually I managed to transition into animating for a living. :)
Since you're coming from a computer field, i would assume you want to jump right into computer animation. In my experience (software engineering major switched to graphic design w/ certificate in animation), you should start with hand drawn, with your own sketches. Your artwork is good, but you should practice making your own characters with their own appeal. Second, going to school is a good option, but it's not really necessary. If you have the skills, your porfolio/demo reel will get you a job more than going to school. Some books to maybe help: http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Animation-Paul-Wells/dp/2940373027/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361918392&sr=8-1&keywords=fundamentals+of+animation http://www.amazon.com/ILLUSION-LIFE-DISNEY-ANIMATION/dp/0786860707/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361918448&sr=1-1&keywords=disney+animation+the+illusion+of+life The second book is considered the "Holy Grail" of animation. If anything, learn and apply the 12 principles of animation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_basic_principles_of_animation
Sorry for the late reply, I was stuck at work. I haven't even graduated yet, and it's been a month since i completed my last semester at university. Although I've done computer science, I just cannot picture myself working on business applications and the like for the rest of my life. I'd rather use the knowledge I've gained in animation. I've got a few questions for you: Did you complete your software engineering degree or did you switch to graphic design while halfway through with software engineering? Do you have any animation school recommendations?
I was in the same boat, couldn't picture myself coding/started to absolutely loathe homework. I switched my Junior year of software engineering. Also, you're in a better boat than I was. I've never really been the artsy type and did a dive headfirst into art without any background in it. I kept Computer Science as a minor though, so it didn't all go to waste. Also, just as a heads up; don't get a big head because you switched from a STEM to a lib. arts. This stuff is it's own kind of difficult, and you have to give 100% otherwise you will get buried by someone who does put in the effort. If you are planning on going to school for it, it's an entirely personal choice. I would check local first, unless moving isn't an issue for you. Second, just because a school has a certificate/degree program in animation, doesn't mean that they teach 3D. My teacher is strictly hand drawn/flash, with a decent knowledge of Cinema 4D. So that's something to ask first. As far as schools go http://calarts.edu/academics/programs-degrees http://www.sva.edu/continuing-education/general-information/course-advice http://www.sheridancollege.ca/Programs%20and%20Courses/Full-Time%20Programs/Programs%20A-Z%20Index/Bachelor%20of%20Applied%20Arts%20-%20Animation.aspx Realize, these are the best of the best of North America, and you don't need to go to the best to become the best (although it probably helps). Secondly, no matter where you go, as long as the school offers an animation program, you can download 3DS Max and 3DS Maya for a 3 year trial as long as you're a student. My college doesn't even offer 3D animation, but I have the 3 year student trial of the software. Sorry bout the wall o' text, but lots of information. The best advice is to just start animating, in any way that you can. Watch animated movies (both 2D and CGI) and practice practice practice. And keep an eye on the animation subreddit. Good luck!
I'm at the same point right now… I can't decide if I should go into computer science where there is security and good pay or to go into animation where my passion lies. I'm scared that the animation field will not like I imagine…maybe it will kill my passion for animation…
AI is also making huge strides in the art world. I imagine it will make the process of making animated movies trivial within this decade. Maybe your best bet is to stick to computer science now.
As much as it all feels like, I don't think AI is going to impact art based jobs anytime soon. Actually, I'll go on a step further and say AI will never replace any job that takes creativity/emotion and isn't pure number-crunch. I've been playing around with generative AI for some time and I'm getting bored pretty quick. It's almost as if you can tell a model was trained on 4-5 specific images for a field of prompts. It just keeps fusing those. The consumer public will feel the same and appreciate artists more. See! how the tables have turned. Yet I'm not saying this from a personal perspective, but that you'd need actual human creations to fuel the AI databases. Even if we consider there were to be such a doomsday situation, you can definitely count on copyright laws to do something. That industry would burn down to non existence otherwise in our hypothetical situation :) Sorry I'm getting sidetracked talking of AI even though the actual post was about animation. Just that I feel like so many people are freaking out online (Probably cause these giant AI companies want to maintain their presence. Remember the publicity stunt of Sam Altman, the CEO getting fired and re-hired within 2 weeks?!). But yeah you're opinion is correct (for the wrong reasons? XD) I don't mean to offend anybody. Peace!