3D Animation

Learn 3D Animation from Industry Pros

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Course Duration
18 months


Program Delivery
On Campus


FAQs
Answering your questions

Earn Your Diploma in 3D Animation

College for Arts and Technology’s Diploma in 3D Animation is an in-depth, career-focused program packed with the 3D animation training needed to get you working in this expanding industry! Taught over 18 months by working animation professionals, you’ll get the industry connections and in-demand skills to jump into your career in the 3D animation industry.

This hands-on program covers the key skills you’ll need to get noticed and hired, including:

  • Character animation processes and principles
  • Studio workflow etiquette
  • Animation speed and development drills
  • Acting and Character development
  • Mocap clean-up and game engine implementation
  • Creature/animal animation (body mechanics and acting)
  • Foundational skills in traditional drawing and animation
  • History and cultural significance of the animation industry
  • Life Drawing (Including human and animal mechanics)
  • Storyboarding
  • Demo reel creation
  • Industry standard software including Autodesk Maya

Our Grads Power the

Arts & Tech Economy

CAT’s creative and technical programs are directly connected to a creative sector that makes a $6 Billion contribution to the British Columbia economy every year. Graduates from our 2D and 3D animation, filmmaking, graphic design, audio engineering and other programs are among the over 120,000 skilled arts and tech workers employed provincially in this vibrant, constantly growing ‘creative economy’. Over the years, hundreds of CAT animation graduates have made their mark on the industry, contributing their skills and creativity to numerous award-winning projects. Industry accolades include five Oscar-winning works and over 40 movies, TV shows and games that have garnered Emmys, BAFTAs, and Game Awards including Game of Thrones, Fortnite and Spider-Man: No Way Home just to name a few!

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Start Your 3D Animation Career

Animate Your Future

You want the best 3D animation courses.

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01

Industry Connections

Animation industry professionals as your Instructors and mentors.

02

Let’s Get You Working!

Well-rounded, focused curriculum to get you successfully working as quickly as possible.

03

Degree Pathway Options

Established pathways with BCIT and University of Gloucestershire to further your education after graduation.

04

Top Tech

Latest technology, facilities and equipment in a dedicated animation lab classroom.

Here’s How You’ll Build Your 3D Animation Skills

Q1
You will be introduced to the practical skills and knowledge that are proven fundamentals of 3D animation, therefore laying the foundation for your entire 18-month program. This will be achieved through the introduction of Autodesk Maya that will be used consistently throughout your program and aid in the creation of, what will be, a regular end of Quarter demo reel. By the end you will display introductory knowledge/skill in the 6 basics of CG; modeling, texturing, rigging, lighting and rendering; Your introduction to the principles of animation is through traditional methods. In addition, traditional drawing as it relates to drawing the human form and perspective drawing and an introduction to the history and overall industry operations and trends that aid students in their motivation and knowledge around this career choice.
Q2
You will be introduced to the CG tools and pipeline of animating in Maya. The animation principles you were introduced to and how they translate to a CG medium will be a major focus of this as well. Parallel to this you will continue doing more advanced animation through traditional methods, while also continuing to study the human form/movement through life drawing studies and developing your visual storytelling and camera/film language skills through the art form of storyboarding.
Q3
You will continue to focus on animating in Maya through a more advanced study of body mechanics and an introduction to pantomime acting. Your traditional animation training will be complemented by introducing ToonBoom Harmony as a means of creating breadth and depth in your overall employability. Studies of the animal/human form/movement will continue, and 3D Layout will allow students to translate their visual storytelling and camera/film language skills from two-dimensional drawings into a CG medium.
Q4
CG animation training continues in Maya as acting to dialogue is introduced as your main focus. Complimenting this will be studied in acting for animation through film performance and genres. To further increase breadth and depth in your employability and understanding of organic movement and mechanics, creature animation will be studied along with the continuation of human/animal analysis through life drawing methods.
Q5
This quarter you will mainly focus on creating material for your final graduation portfolio and demo reel through more advanced CG animation studies of acting to dialogue and an introduction to animation specifically for gaming. Aspects of this training are now more self-directed with instructors taking on an increased mentoring role. Professional attitudes, studio practices, production schedules and networking are emphasized to a greater degree and put under more scrutiny, in addition to getting you prepped for this type of career.
Q6
Your final quarter is all about getting it done to the highest level. This is the culmination of all your hard work. Polishing your animation, creating a professional demo reel/portfolio site, job searching, networking and meeting the graduation criteria is your focus.

Quarter Descriptions

What our grads are saying...

FAQs

Let's Get you answers

Do I need prior knowledge of 3D Animation before applying to CAT’s 3D Animation Program?
Experience is never a bad thing and we love it when program applicants have a passion for their industry of interest, and any applied skills are great too! However, formal knowledge and experience in animation principles are not required for entrance to this program. For complete application requirements, please book an appointment with an Animation Program Advisor.
Do I need a portfolio as part of my application?
We love it when applicants want to show off their talents and we’re excited to see your work, but a formal portfolio is not required for application to our 3D Animation Program. For further details on admission requirements, please reach out to a 3D Animation Program Advisor at 1.866.860.2787 or by filling out our contact form.
Is CAT’s 3D Animation Program accredited?
All of College for Art and Technology’s programs are backed by a designation through the Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit and British Columbia’s Education Quality Assurance Program. For additional information on our designation, please visit our Designation page.
What equipment will I need for this program?
We’ve got you covered here! Included in your tuition for the 3D Animation program, you will have access to all the hardware and software you’ll need to shine! 3D Animation students at CAT get to enjoy two dedicated classrooms on campus. You’ll take your animation drawing classes, including life drawing, traditional animation classes, and others in our Life Drawing Classroom, outfitted with drawing light tables, easels and anything else a budding artist could want. You’ll then bring your work to life in our Digital Animation Lab Classroom. This dedicated space is set up in similar fashion to real-world animation studios, complete with digital drawing tablets so you can get familiar with working in a studio setting before you ever apply for a position!
Why choose CAT’s 3D Animation program over one offered at a University?
There are a number of reasons why CAT’s 3D Animation program stands out among the competition, including small class sizes taught by working animation pros, established pathways to universities around the world, mentorship, financial advising and support, and ongoing career guidance. Also, as a small and nimble institution, we have the ability to quickly adapt, giving our students the benefit of the latest industry trends and technology!
Do you offer job placements or internships with animation studios?
We maintain close connections with our animation industry partners and studios. Throughout your program, you’ll have info sessions with animation industry guests and you will be exposed to many real-world projects, and become familiar with the animation production pipeline. This early familiarity means that upon graduation, you’ll be more than ready to join the team at any animation studio around the world! After graduation, you can count on continued support from our Education and Student Services team who will share animation job opportunities with you and provide connections and resources to help you find a placement you love!
I really want a Degree in 3D Animation. Why should I choose CAT’s 3D Animation diploma program?
We have excellent graduation employment stats from our 3D Animation graduates, so a Degree is not necessary for employment in this industry. You can enjoy the benefits of our small class sizes, mentorship, and focused education to get you working sooner! However, if you wish to carry on your education in pursuit of a Degree, we have established pathways from our program with the University of Gloucestershire in Scotland, and BCIT!
Is there a benefit to taking an animation program focused on either 2D or 3D as opposed to a 2D/3D blended program?
We love this question! While there may be some benefits to being a “jack-of-all-trades” as an animator, we firmly believe that the best route to lasting career success as an animator is specialization. When you stretch yourself to learn both 2D and 3D animation simultaneously, you may find yourself in future work situations where you feel out of your depth or comfort zone. At CAT, we’ve chosen to deliver 2D and 3D animation separately. We feel the differences between 2D and 3D are too great for students to get to the level of comprehension and mastery required by animation studios in the industry, even for entry-level positions. So yes, you will have to decide on 2D or 3D animation before applying to CAT. But don’t worry, if you decide to start in 2D, but feel drawn to 3D during your program, you can always transition to 3D and vice versa. No matter your path, we’re here to make this work for you. Book an appointment with an Animation Program Advisor, they can answer more in-depth questions and even arrange for a campus tour!
What does a day-in-the-life of a 3D Animation student at CAT look like?

A day in the life of a 3D Animation student at CAT is varied and as a student, you may find yourself in a few different classrooms around campus. Schedules vary from Quarter to Quarter, so this is just an example of what you could expect.

If you drive, you'll park your car in our student-designated parking lot and make your way across the Landmark Plaza to our campus! If you've opted to walk, bike or take the bus, you'll find lots of great scenery on the short walk from the bike lock-up or transit stop to campus. You have a drawing class in the drawing room for your first block, Life Drawing, so you quickly check your backpack to make sure you brought your favourite sketching pencils. You're really looking forward to this class; your teacher mentioned you'd be having a live model in class today! Next up is a class in the animation studio room! You love this room – filled with cool art on the ceiling and drawing tablets for every student. On the way to class, you remember you need to sign out a tablet pen from the Equipment Cage. So, you quickly stop by, say hi to the Campus Service Assistance Team, grab your pen and dash off to class. This class is Digital Painting and today you're going to be learning how to make your own custom brushes in Photoshop!

After the second class, you have a free block, so you grab a spot in the Student Lounge and work on some digital painting for an upcoming assignment. Lunchtime! You take a break and hit up one of the many great eateries in the Landmark Plaza area. Mmmmm….pizza is on the menu today.

After fuelling up, you head back to the main campus building for a Professional Development class. Today you're going to be diving into Personality Dimensions and starting on a self-portrait assignment. You'll also be discussing how to find the balance between being a creative individual and securing success for yourself professionally, a topic we take great pride in at CAT. #nostarvingartistshere.

Time for your last class of the day; 3D Animation, so you head to class to get yourself set up. Today, you're continuing work on a set assignment and today you'll be working on creating realistic lighting in your scene. After class, you feel like you've earned some downtime, so you decide to meet up with some friends to play some Magic The Gathering at a coffee shop downtown. Let's do this again tomorrow, shall we? New day, new classes, new opportunities.

Animation Degree Pathways

Our Post-Graduation Pathways

Our graduates boast exceptional employment stats, so a degree is not necessary to secure a career in 3D Animation. However, should you wish to further your animation education after graduation from our program, we have established pathways with BCIT and University of Gloucestershire. For more information, book a time to speak with one of our Program Advisors or check out our Pathways page.

Finance Options
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