Post job

Concept artist vs 3d artist

The differences between concept 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 a concept artist and a 3d artist. Additionally, a concept artist has an average salary of $85,713, which is higher than the $74,721 average annual salary of a 3d artist.

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

Concept artist vs 3d artist overview

Concept Artist3D Artist
Yearly salary$85,713$74,721
Hourly rate$41.21$35.92
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs3,5963,978
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

What does a concept artist do?

The job of a concept artist is to make visual representations of creatures, characters, environments, vehicles, and other artistic assets. You should know about the design and how to create one that needs to blend well with any creative project. Your typical job includes drawing or painting these creative assets and providing references for any ideas you need to illustrate. The general qualifications needed to become a successful concept artist include illustration skills, design understanding, and knowledge of Photoshop.

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.

Concept artist vs 3d artist salary

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

Concept Artist3D Artist
Average salary$85,713$74,721
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $130,000Between $47,000 And $116,000
Highest paying CityNovato, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaNevada
Best paying companyMetaMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyUtilities

Differences between concept artist and 3d artist education

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

Concept Artist3D Artist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorGraphic DesignAnimation
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Concept artist vs 3d artist demographics

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

Concept Artist3D Artist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 74.3% Female, 25.7%Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%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 concept artist and 3d artist duties and responsibilities

Concept artist example responsibilities.

  • Create many MEL scripts to help automate routine daily tasks and improve overall productivity.
  • Rig character for animation in Maya.
  • Create pitches for new and old IP.
  • Sketch concept art for an online game
  • Design & animate VFX for mobile games!
  • Prepare 3D models for production using Maya 3d.
  • 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

Concept artist vs 3d artist skills

Common concept artist skills
  • Storyboards, 8%
  • Maya, 8%
  • Animation, 7%
  • Sketch, 6%
  • Art Direction, 6%
  • Graphic Design, 5%
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