Animation Career Information
The animation industry has changed radically with the advent of
computer animation, and the use of complex animation software.
However, the animator still has to have much of the traditional
artistic talents, along with the ability to pay attention to
detail in order to produce animation that is consistent across a
large piece of work.
The kind of animator characteristics you will have to develop if
you wish to become an animator are the ability to be able to
work in a team; an animator is responsible for their own work,
but it is a part of a much greater whole, and the animator may
have to subsume their own artistic style to merge in the general
feel of the whole piece of animation. Communication is important
in a team, and as an animator you will have to learn to
communicate with the team.
The animation industry is growing fast, as the demand for
content for new media is great. Animators will be in increasing
demand, but competition will be fierce, and you will need to be
able to demonstrate that you will make a good animator. If you
have the right animation characteristics, you can develop a good
career in animation.
Animation Tools of the Trade
Animation software has gone through a major evolutionary cycle
during the last ten years. Different packages have concentrated
on different aspects of animation, or have looked at a
particular set of applications that can benefit from their
software, and so there is considerable market differentiation
between different software.
Perhaps the package that most people will have come across is
Flash by Macromedia. The software is aimed towards animation on
the web, and has become the most popular package in this
environment, mostly because it has a quick download time and is
very robust. 3D Studio Max has become quite popular for the
video games market, although it is beginning to make headway in
film production as well.
Alias/Wavefront produces Maya, a very powerful and complex 3D
graphics program. This is primarily aimed at the experienced
computer animator, and produces professional modeling,
texturing, animation, rendering and paint effects. Because it is
so complex, Maya takes a great deal of time to become proficient
in its use, but the level of professional results makes this
investment worthwhile.
There are many other animation tools on the market, but if you
are considering a career in animation, it is worthwhile
remembering that animation software is simply a tool to use, you
need to know the basics of animation and design, and you will
need good drawing skills - expertise in animation software is no
substitute for these skills.
|
Categories 
