3D-animation is widely used in different spheres, not only in the creation of fantasy films or video games. This article describes some areas in which there is work for a 3D animator. Perhaps it's this material that will give you the idea of a life change and allow you to find your dream job.
3D programs and equipment are used in different industries and occupations. Each field of 3D animation is used in a completely different way. The goals and approach to its implementation are very different.
Science and entertainment are the main consumers of 3D animation and visualization. Science includes highly specialized projects, the purpose of which is to visualize any scientific processes. For example, 3D-animation is used in physics, medicine and forensics. In the film and game industry 3D-animation is used to create characters, modeling scenes, creating futuristic or historical worlds and special effects. It's a whole separate industry employing thousands of 3D professionals.
3D animation in filmmaking
The film industry is the largest industry that uses 3D animation. Films can be made entirely in 3D (Shrek, Toy Story) or with 3D visual effects (Jurassic Park, Tron: Legacy).
Usually the production of a film lasts from 6 months to 4 years, and from 3 to 300 professionals work on a single project.
It takes longer to produce a fully animated feature film: 2 to 4 years. Studios, with a staff of several hundred professionals work on a project on their own.
Short films, lasting up to 40 minutes, are usually created by one person or a small studio. In large studios, short films are usually used to test new technology.
Films that use visual effects differ from fully animated in that they are shot in the hall, and then the footage falls into the hands of visual effects and they add the necessary effects and elements.
The studios that work on visual effects can be small or large, depending on the type and amount of work they do.
3D animation on TV
As with film production, there are a number of television products that are fully animated. For television, creating such programs, is an expensive and time-consuming process. For example, the American children's show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is produced entirely in 3D programs.
Television broadcasters are more likely to use 3D animation and visualization to augment shows with effects or to create splash screens.
On Discovery, History Channel, Health or Science, 3D animation is used for educational purposes. Short animated television programs help audiences discover new things.
Television does not have the large budgets and long timeframes that the film industry does. Television programs are shot and edited in days or weeks, not years, but 3D animation should look just as good.
Video games and 3D
Profits from video game production are substantial and measured in the hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars. In terms of profitability, video games can only compete with film production. 3D animation is used to create game worlds in which the player enters. Video games are close to the movie industry, only 3D designers work much faster. Mobile games are developed quickly, but video game production can take longer from 2 to 3 years. Creating all the characters and the game world is time-consuming, but very exciting. Usually the production of 3D characters for computer games and game environments is done by people who are finally and irrevocably in love with their work and can spend hours on end doing what they love. This great profession pays very well, but the competition here is probably the highest.
3D animation in advertising
The advertising industry is quick to embrace new opportunities that allow it to capture the audience's attention and influence it. 3D animation is very positively perceived by the human eye and its effectiveness is 5 times greater than that of 2D advertising animation. Sometimes using 3D animation is the only visualization option. 3D animation gives marketers more opportunities to show the benefits of products.
The advertising industry uses short animations: 10 seconds to 5 minutes. This is enough time to show all the benefits and detail about the product or service. Commercials often carry a large amount of information, because airtime is very expensive. Like a film or television program, commercials can be fully animated or visual effects can be added to the footage. Advertising requires very high quality animation, but at the same time, the customer gives a little time to create the clip, which makes the task more interesting.
3D animation in VR
Virtual Reality is a fresh trend in the world of content, which is gaining new hearts of users every day. At the moment, this direction is one of the fastest growing in the IT sphere. Of course, right now our devices and VR technology are far from perfect. Every now and then the processor or video card slows down, and the sensors do not always respond to the movements of the user. That is why we still cannot do away with controllers (joysticks). But the sphere of VR is developing rapidly, and our gadgets are becoming more and more powerful year by year. Already today, any modern smartphone easily and without delay supports VR technology with a 3D-box, and virtual tours and 5D movie theaters with short films are firmly in our lives.
Medicine and 3D animation
The results of a 3D designer's work made for scientific purposes are rarely seen by a mass audience. Medicine, forensics, architecture - this is the specialization that can be a 3D-animator.
In medicine, 3D animation is widely used: from creating visualizations of medical events to biological reactions. For example, it is difficult to reproduce the process of how a disease blocks blood flow to the heart and causes a heart attack. 3D animation allows you to visually recreate a picture of what's going on, and that's a significant advantage for medicine. 3D visualization is used more in education and marketing.
It is also used during research and helps make predictions and diagnoses.
3D visualization and animation in medicine is a fast-growing market. It can bring significant profits to 3D animators who work as freelancers or in small studios.
But the whole problem is that 3D professionals want to work in the game or film industry much more than they want to work with pharmaceutical companies or do work for university research.
3D in forensics
3D animation and modeling are helpful in reconstructing events and in forensics. Animations and models are created to prove, disprove, or complete a picture of a crime or accident. 3D models and animations are not direct evidence, but they allow the investigator, judge or prosecutor to reproduce the incident and visualize the course of events.
Sometimes forensic specialists need to recreate some missing objects or their fragments, which are relevant to the crime and new technologies help them in this: 3D modeling and 3D printers. The field is quite specific and will require additional knowledge.
Architecture and 3D animation
3D-modeling allows interior designers and architects not only to visualize objects, interiors, but also to conduct tests with colors, textures and placement of architectural elements or decorative items. The field is quite narrow, but if you want, you can cooperate with designers, architectural offices or architectural departments, marketing departments of construction companies.
This article only lists some of the areas in which there is work for a 3D animator. In fact, there are many more areas of 3D design in which you can try your hand, become successful and build a career.
3D graphics and 3D-animation are part of the Computer Graphics and Design course of study. Learn to create 3D images, animations and special effects from scratch at Step Academy. Get started in Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3dsMax, Adobe Premiere, and Adobe AfterEffect.
