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Lead artist vs 3d artist

The differences between lead 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 lead artist and a 3d artist. Additionally, a lead artist has an average salary of $83,041, which is higher than the $74,721 average annual salary of a 3d artist.

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

Lead artist vs 3d artist overview

Lead Artist3D Artist
Yearly salary$83,041$74,721
Hourly rate$39.92$35.92
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs4,7993,978
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

What does a lead artist do?

The duties of a lead artist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to identify and meet their needs, coordinating with the creative staff in developing concepts and samples to present to the clients, conducting revisions, and submitting finished works according to the prescribed format and manner. Furthermore, as a lead artist, it is essential to spearhead the efforts and encourage the team to reach goals, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations, including the clients' vision.

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.

Lead artist vs 3d artist salary

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

Lead Artist3D Artist
Average salary$83,041$74,721
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $128,000Between $47,000 And $116,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaNevada
Best paying companyMetaMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyUtilities

Differences between lead artist and 3d artist education

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

Lead Artist3D Artist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorGraphic DesignAnimation
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Lead artist vs 3d artist demographics

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

Lead Artist3D Artist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 69.5% Female, 30.5%Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 lead artist and 3d artist duties and responsibilities

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.
  • 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

Lead artist vs 3d artist skills

Common lead artist skills
  • Maya, 13%
  • Animation, 10%
  • Portfolio, 9%
  • ZBrush, 6%
  • UI, 6%
  • Texture, 5%
Common 3d artist skills
  • Animation, 13%
  • Unity, 11%
  • ZBrush, 6%
  • Game Engine, 5%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 4%
  • Concept Art, 3%

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