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Animation artist vs 3d artist

The differences between animation artists and 3d artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an animation artist and a 3d artist. Additionally, an animation artist has an average salary of $80,929, which is higher than the $74,721 average annual salary of a 3d artist.

The top three skills for an animation artist include animation, maya and character animation. The most important skills for a 3d artist are animation, unity, and zbrush.

Animation artist vs 3d artist overview

Animation Artist3D Artist
Yearly salary$80,929$74,721
Hourly rate$38.91$35.92
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs3,8223,978
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

What does an animation artist do?

Animation artists or animators are skilled professionals who create multiple images that form animation, which can be seen in movies, commercials, television programs, and video games. To produce those illusions of movements, animation artists must use several animation software such as Maya, AfterEffects, and Photoshop. They must collaborate with graphic designers and editors to create animations for the entire show. Animation artists must also create high-quality animations by producing expressive characters that can portray a wide range of emotions.

What does a 3d artist do?

A 3D Artist uses complex software to develop graphics and animations for use in various media, such as video games, television shows, and multimedia presentations. They often work in teams, dividing project workloads in accordance to strengths.

Animation artist vs 3d artist salary

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

Animation Artist3D Artist
Average salary$80,929$74,721
Salary rangeBetween $52,000 And $125,000Between $47,000 And $116,000
Highest paying CityLas Vegas, NVSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaNevada
Best paying companyMicrosoftMeta
Best paying industryMediaUtilities

Differences between animation artist and 3d artist education

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

Animation Artist3D Artist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorAnimationAnimation
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Animation artist vs 3d artist demographics

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

Animation Artist3D Artist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 76.4% Female, 23.6%Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between animation artist and 3d artist duties and responsibilities

Animation artist example responsibilities.

  • Edit video, write copy for television, radio, and web-base commercials while managing the scheduling of all studio employees.
  • Start using CSS for layout.
  • Produce storyboards and illustrations for film and print projects.
  • Use of HTML for webmastering and occasionally design ad campaigns.
  • Streamline workflow from legacy files to new creation in various multimedia softwares.
  • Work on various TV commercials consisting of animating, compositing, video editing, and VFX.
  • Show more

3d artist example responsibilities.

  • Create many MEL scripts to help automate routine daily tasks and improve overall productivity.
  • Write tools in Maxscript, MEL, javascript, python, and vbscript to automate repetitive processes.
  • Create high poly characters, props, and environments using organic and hard surface techniques in Zbrush and Maya.
  • Generate programs for CNC punch press.
  • Help team create nodes for nuke.
  • Contract as a 3D visualization designer & animator.
  • Show more

Animation artist vs 3d artist skills

Common animation artist skills
  • Animation, 29%
  • Maya, 10%
  • Character Animation, 8%
  • Concept Art, 7%
  • Motion Graphics, 7%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 5%
Common 3d artist skills
  • Animation, 13%
  • Unity, 11%
  • ZBrush, 6%
  • Game Engine, 5%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 4%
  • Concept Art, 3%

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