Hello everyone again, I have some questions. How far does the Digital Animation industry expand to? What i mean is what it is related to. For example, Game Developement and Commercials. These 2 are the only ones i know, is there anything else that Digital Animation fit in? Besides that, I want to ask the average amount of salary a Digital Animators usually receives a month/year wise. My mom has been against me in Digital Animation because she say it cannot feed me and my family. Is this true or false?
There is game animation, TV commercials, animated TV shows, feature animated movies, special effects in live action movies, special effects in TV shows, ride simulator animation. I'm sure there are other's I've left out.
As for pay, that varies greatly from studio to studio, and state to state, and country to country. So this is something that you need to research in your area.
Aloha,
the Ape
...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."
What he said ;)
James :cool:
There are opportunities outside the entertainment industry ...
The engineering and architectural fields use a LOT of animation, medical imaging is big (but very specialized), product development, and then there are a wide variety of corporate "motion graphics". Also law firms use animation for a variety of reasons.
I sympathize, Marksman. I ran into the same thing with my folks years ago.
Like any field, working in animation/motion graphics/effects is a competitive field. Unlike many other fields, it can be tough to find a long-term position; they are the exception rather than the rule. You can improve your odds by being flexible in the kind of work you do. I've done practically everything - film, TV spots, games, location-based entertainment, internet, motion graphics. My goal hasn't been to be a big "name" in the field, but to earn a living doing what I love, and along the way my skills have benefitted from all the different stuff I've done. I've only been unemployed for a span of two months over the last 17 years.
By the same token, I have friends who only want to work on features, or in games, and many of them have been through long periods of unemployment between jobs. It's a choice each person has to make for themselves, and each choice has an upside and downside.
Hope that helps.
Why is it so competitive like other fields? Would it be less competitive if it was just growing in a country? Why is it tough to find a long term position? Anyway, I got a really embarrasing question to ask for Maya users. How do I reset my workspace? I want the original workspace when I open Maya but I accidently wrecked it. I want it back! :(. Thanks for those who answered :D
Anytime you have a Maya question, check the Maya Help first. I almost always have it running in the background. At first it was for interface questions and now it's for MEL and scripting commands. Very, very helpful.
But if you want to get back to this, (borrowed from a website) check your "display settings" to get your "shelf" and tool bars back. Under "Panel Menus" you can set what kind of view you want - or use one of the "quick layouts" presets on the left.
A great book I used a LOT when starting out was "Maya at a Glance". It was a great road map to the user interface. Remembering where all the buttons are is half the battle. At least for my aging brain.
And it's competitive because in business, everything is competitive. However, you do have the choice to work in another field and animate on your own time. Seriously, like painting and drawing, it's rare to actually get paid for your talents, at least in a full time way. You have to not only be talented, but put all your time and effort into it. Be committed.
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” - Emerson
I see.... Thanks for the help! :P