Image courtesy of Deron Yamada. © 2004 DYA367.

Last spring, I had the opportunity to write about Softimage's new educational programs. The programs were developed to increase the number of artists proficient with the company's animation software and to help institutions prepare students to get into the industry. Clearly, the folks at Softimage, like so many of us, believe that education is the key to getting the right job in the area of your choice. And these days, there seem to be an increasing number of educational options out there for aspiring 3D artists.

If you're one of the growing number of aspiring 3D artists, then one of your options is attending an art institute or university to earn a degree. Full Sail University in Florida and the Vancouver Film School in British Columbia both offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees that include computer animation and digital design. This type of learning can provide you with a comprehensive understanding of a variety of software as well as an extended period of time in which to hone your abilities.

If a three-or four-year program isn't your cup of tea, however, then another opportunity available to you is a school or college that offers certificates or intensive courses. In downtown Montreal, students at Centre NAD earn certificates in 3D animation and visual effects or attend intensive weekend or summer camp programs. With seminars, distance learning and customized training in 3D production management, post-production, as well as targeted software training on SOFTIMAGE|XSI, Autodesk 3ds Max, Character Studio and Combustion, Centre NAD certainly offers plenty of opportunities for artists to get up to speed and out into the industry.

Then again, if you aren't interested in having the classroom or school experience at all, you can teach yourself how to use 3D software by accessing a variety of programs on-line. In fact, many sites offer free on-line training, including Softimage's new community site that has more 300 free videos.

So, while we may be in agreement that education is important, there are so many options out there that you might have difficulty figuring out which path is best for you. With students everywhere returning to school, it seems to be the right time to take a closer look at the state of education in our industry.

Alexandra Pasian.

The Current State of the 3D Industry
If one of the goals of education is to help 3D artists break into the industry, then it only makes sense to start there. What does our industry look like and, more importantly for emerging artists, who is hiring? Currently, games are the fastest expanding segment of the 3D market. Statistically speaking, there is a huge section of the population that spends more time and money on video games in a week than they do on movies and television in a year.

But there has also been a significant spike in the number of live action films made with 3D technology-- including CG characters and sets, stereoscopic 3-D and previs. Given the success of movies such as Iron Man, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and any number of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas' films, this can hardly come as a surprise. And, with animated feature-length films winning Academy Awards and doing huge sales at the box office and on DVD (and now Blu-ray), there seems to be no end of opportunity there either.

Post-production and work in television are also on the rise, and there are growing opportunities in other industries. Students can now choose from traditional 3D work as well as architectural and medical imaging, pilot training, and emergency response scenarios to name but a few. With an ever-expanding list of opportunity, you would think that our industry would be changing to satisfy this increased demand. And you would be right.

Meeting Industry Demand
As the demand for 3D rises in almost every sector, our industry must adapt. According to Craig Slagel, 3D art educator, "The most noticeable change that has occurred over the last year or so is a move to the outsourcing of art. Many jobs that formerly would have been done in-house are going to small production studios or contract artists." Carey Chico, exec art director at Pandemic Studios in L.A., echoed this view during a presentation at GDC 2008.