3d specialist vs lead artist

The differences between 3d specialists and lead artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a 3d specialist and a lead artist. Additionally, a lead artist has an average salary of $83,041, which is higher than the $78,890 average annual salary of a 3d specialist.

The top three skills for a 3d specialist include visualization, maya and revit. The most important skills for a lead artist are maya, animation, and portfolio.

3d specialist vs lead artist overview

	3D Specialist	Lead Artist
Yearly salary	$78,890	$83,041
Hourly rate	$37.93	$39.92
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	528	4,799
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

3d specialist vs lead artist salary

3d specialists and lead artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	3D Specialist	Lead Artist
Average salary	$78,890	$83,041
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $112,000	Between $53,000 And $128,000
Highest paying City	Las Vegas, NV	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	Nevada
Best paying company	Gap Inc.	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between 3d specialist and lead artist education

There are a few differences between a 3d specialist and a lead artist in terms of educational background:

	3D Specialist	Lead Artist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Architecture	Graphic Design
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

3d specialist vs lead artist demographics

Here are the differences between 3d specialists' and lead artists' demographics:

	3D Specialist	Lead Artist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8%	Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between 3d specialist and lead artist duties and responsibilities

3d specialist example responsibilities.

Design outdoor lighting rigs, create camera animation, manage rendering and compositing of multi-layer cinematics.
Utilize Maya to create 3D models for high-end rendering and realtime visualization.
Design and develop interactive presentations including corporate Internet site, PowerPoint presentations, and other multimedia marketing materials.
Design and develop interactive presentations including corporate Internet site, PowerPoint presentations, and other multimedia marketing materials.

Lead artist example responsibilities.

Edit video, write copy for television, radio, and web-base commercials while managing the scheduling of all studio employees.
Model, texture, light, and render with Maya and proprietary tools.
Establish a standard level of quality for asset creation while enforcing efficiency of polygon and texture usage.
Create various assets for a number of PC titles.
Model, texture and direct outsourcing efforts for 3d environmental assets.
Color guides with lights/shadows, perspective, and composition help visually engage the audience in the final animation.

3d specialist vs lead artist skills

Common 3d specialist skills

Visualization, 51%
Maya, 14%
Revit, 12%
Animation, 9%
Vray, 5%
Solidworks, 4%

Common lead artist skills

Maya, 13%
Animation, 10%
Portfolio, 9%
ZBrush, 6%
UI, 6%
Texture, 5%

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3D Specialist
3D Specialist vs Lead Artist

Updated January 8, 2025

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