Who do I hire for computer animation?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around finding and hiring individuals or companies skilled in 3D animation and graphics. Participants explore the necessary software, job titles, and the availability of freelance work in this field. The conversation includes considerations for both modeling and animation processes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks advice on the appropriate job title for hiring, questioning whether to look for an animator or graphics artist.
  • Another suggests considering outsourcing to a company that specializes in animation and graphics.
  • Concerns are raised about the affordability of hiring skilled individuals compared to larger companies like Pixar.
  • Participants discuss various software options, including Cinema 4D, 3D Studio Max, Maya, and Softimage, noting that different animators may prefer different tools.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of 3D modeling experience and mentions the potential use of 3D scanners for efficiency.
  • There is a debate about the capabilities of Flash for 3D work, with some asserting it is not suitable for true 3D graphics.
  • Another participant suggests checking out 3D graphics artists to gather insights on rendering processes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the suitability of Flash for 3D animation, with some asserting it is inadequate while others provide links suggesting otherwise. There is no consensus on the best approach to hiring or the most effective software for 3D animation.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various software tools and their respective strengths and weaknesses, but there is no resolution on which is definitively superior for the tasks at hand. The discussion also reflects uncertainty regarding the cost and availability of freelance work in the animation field.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals or companies looking to hire 3D animators or graphics artists, as well as those interested in understanding the tools and processes involved in 3D animation.

jhe1984
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Hi,

I am about to be looking for a person or person(s) who are able to use 3d graphics programs to create animations. I have Cinema 4D, so that's available, but what other programs will these people need? In fact, what job title am I even looking for? Animator? Graphics artist? I want someone(s) who can both model the models (err..) and turn them into film segments.

Beyond all that, is there a decent amount of freelance work in this field? Will I be able to find someone(s) with ability who is below the cost of a Pixar employee?

Thanks yall.
 
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jhe1984 said:
Hi,
I am about to be looking for a person or person(s) who are able to use 3d graphics programs to create animations. I have Cinema 4D, so that's available, but what other programs will these people need? In fact, what job title am I even looking for? Animator? Graphics artist? I want someone(s) who can both model the models (err..) and turn them into film segments.
Beyond all that, is there a decent amount of freelance work in this field? Will I be able to find someone(s) with ability who is below the cost of a Pixar employee?
Thanks yall.

Why don't you farm it out to a company who does all that?
 
Ok sure, but what I'm wondering is even more basic than that: what am I looking for in the phone book?

Graphics company? Animation company? etc..

Also, I am guessing that these firms are geared toward for-hire service and would therefore be affordable. Is that correct?
 
A graphics artist who can create 3D sprites etc... Probably someone who is good with flash
 
Flash is no help in doing 3D stuff, its strength lies in 2D vector animations, For 3D stuff you'd use something like 3D Studio Max from www.discreet.com , or Cinema like the OP suggested.
For example, 3D studio max allows you to create 3D objects, place cameras around the world (moving cameras as well) and then you can just export as you wish, i played around with it before and got this far. I believe what you'll be paying for is really the 3D modeling. It requires some experience to model any real life object. If you're looking for very exact models then AutoCad can do this. You should know though that some companies have 3D scanners that just scan any object you want and this is by far a lot faster and probably cheaper. The fine arts department at my university has one of these, they're very cool. So you'd probably want not just a single person, but a small company doing this for you because they're likely to have all the tools you need (hardware).
 
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You could try going on google and searching for spmething like "3D animation showreels" to view some peoples work.

The person you employ might not like cinema 4D they may use something else for there modeling/animation (such as maya, lightwave, 3DS, softimage etc). I don't know what you are planning on making but you will probably need some editing software like avid xpress or if they use mac final cut studio. Depending on how big what you are making is it might need to be sent off to be rendered when the animation is finished.
 
That is so :smile: . There is no tool within flash that can allow you to do pure 3D. You can emulate 3D using 2D graphics, actionscript and drawing methods, but it is complicated and not worth it. I have a lot of experience with flash and it is nowhere the tool you want to build 3D graphics with. There are plugins for 3DSMax and Plasma that export 3D rendered movies to flash, but it's all done in a 2D way. What sounds better, creating a 3D model with a program that has a fantastic 3D engine embedded in it awaiting commands or creating your own 3D engine with actionscript, and then pluguing in values into a matrix to try and model the real life object? If you need to model stuff you need something a lot more powerful than flash.
 
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Thanks for the replies yall. I think I'll check out the 3d graphics artists first and hear out their takes on the rendering.
 
  • #10
jhe1984 said:
Hi,

I am about to be looking for a person or person(s) who are able to use 3d graphics programs to create animations. I have Cinema 4D, so that's available, but what other programs will these people need? In fact, what job title am I even looking for? Animator? Graphics artist? I want someone(s) who can both model the models (err..) and turn them into film segments.

Beyond all that, is there a decent amount of freelance work in this field? Will I be able to find someone(s) with ability who is below the cost of a Pixar employee?

Thanks yall.

MAYA and SoftImage will be two applications i'd recommend for animataors.
 
  • #11
I agree I use both :-) I like Maya more but maybe that;s just because I animate in that software everyday... Softimage I have not used much of it but I like the non destructive work flow it has. This is a feature that no program utilizes now a days :-(
 

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