Computer Animation
Knowledge in 3-D

To animate is defined as “to give life to.” This is exactly what computer animation does to a static drawing – it brings it to life. 3-D computer animation begins simply, with paper and pencil, as students are required to master the art of drawing first and foremost.

Students complete rigorous first-year foundation courses and declare a major in their second year. Having been exposed to basic animation ideas and introductory technical information, students then begin to apply this knowledge to their computer animation studies. Skills for computer animators include being able to do concept drawings, storyboards, stills, renderings, still drawings. In pursuit of increasingly effective character animations, animators learn from live action as well as animated performance.

As the students’ abilities increase, his or her animations begin to tell more complex stories, both through scriptwriting and through the actions of their characters. At most schools, students are encouraged to take classes across the curriculum not only to discover other methods and media that will inform their animation but also to help them discover their own artistic voice.

Atlanta College of Art alumnus Chris Gibbons, class of 2004, says of his initial experience with computer animation, “I took to it. I knew I was in the right place. Within the first two hours of my first class, my fog about animation had lifted and I was hooked.”

Chris Gibbons headed to New York City after graduation, where he works for Sports Illustrated as a senior designer; he began working for CNNSI in Atlanta while a student at the college.

Computer animation students work through all of the disciplines important to become a skilled animator: shot selection, storyboards, concept design, color studies, rigging, modeling, texturing, rendering, lighting, and post-production.

Students usually produce demo reels that are the true professional focus of four years of animation studies. These reels tell the stories of the beginning of the students’ professional lives and are used to garner internships and professional opportunities.

Graduates with a computer animation degree apply their skills and talent in numerous ways: animation studios, video production studios, television stations, and corporate art departments.

Editorial provided by Kelly Robinson from the Atlanta College of Art.