Post job

Computer animator vs 3d artist

The differences between computer animators 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 a computer animator and a 3d artist. Additionally, a computer animator has an average salary of $81,438, which is higher than the $74,721 average annual salary of a 3d artist.

The top three skills for a computer animator include animation, adobe photoshop and motion graphics. The most important skills for a 3d artist are animation, unity, and zbrush.

Computer animator vs 3d artist overview

Computer Animator3D Artist
Yearly salary$81,438$74,721
Hourly rate$39.15$35.92
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs13,7903,978
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

Computer animator vs 3d artist salary

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

Computer Animator3D Artist
Average salary$81,438$74,721
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $111,000Between $47,000 And $116,000
Highest paying CityLas Vegas, NVSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaNevada
Best paying companyThe Walt Disney CompanyMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyUtilities

Differences between computer animator and 3d artist education

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

Computer Animator3D Artist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorComputer ScienceAnimation
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Computer animator vs 3d artist demographics

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

Computer Animator3D Artist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 86.5% Female, 13.5%Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%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 computer animator and 3d artist duties and responsibilities

Computer animator example responsibilities.

  • Lead a team of artists to create the art and animation for motion comics aspects of the show.
  • Design and produce animation and graphics for local television commercials and corporate videos.
  • Facilitate product marketing, in-house video production and YouTube video development.
  • Base on personal interest and curiosity, create and direct group project exploring animation using OpenGL graphics library.
  • Analyze and troubleshoot equipment and software reliability to identify and define problem areas to establish computer and telecommunication performance levels.
  • Analyze and troubleshoot equipment and software reliability to identify and define problem areas to establish computer and telecommunication performance levels.

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

Computer animator vs 3d artist skills

Common computer animator skills
  • Animation, 62%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 10%
  • Motion Graphics, 9%
  • Character Animation, 8%
  • Autocad, 7%
  • Body Mechanics, 4%
Common 3d artist skills
  • Animation, 13%
  • Unity, 11%
  • ZBrush, 6%
  • Game Engine, 5%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 4%
  • Concept Art, 3%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs