3D Animation (evening - online)

Course details

Location

Live online

Start date

3rd March 2025

Duration

20 weeks

Mode of study

Part time (Monday and Wednesday evenings:
7pm-10pm)

Fees

£3,250

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Course overview

Bring your characters to life 

This course is suitable for anyone looking to break into the animation industry or enhance their skills, learning key techniques, software and skills required to become an Animator. You'll cover essentials, such as locomotion, mechanics, character and creature animation, so you can start to create work for your own animation showreel. 

In the final weeks of the course, you'll develop your portfolio with help from our experienced tutors who boast credits including The Lion King, Godzilla and Doctor Strange

See also MA 3D Animation and 3D Animation short courses (12/18 weeks).

Why choose this course

  • Ranked 3rd in the UK - and 8th in Europe in the Animation Career Review’s school ranking 

  • Ranked 3rd in the UK - and 27th in the world for 3D Animation by The Rookies

  • Based in London - home to some of the best animation studios in the world 

  • Industry briefs - work on industry-standard briefs and experience real-life scenarios, just like in a professional studio 

  • Professional input - our advisory board of experts, from the likes of DNEG (Avengers: Endgame and Oscar-winning Dune) and MPC (The Lion King and 1917), help keep this course relevant

  • Successful alumni - join our community of thousands of Escapees, many of whom have gone on to work at some of the world’s top studios. 31 Escapees worked on Thor: Love and Thunder, 28 on Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and 16 on Stranger Things

  • AfterCare package - we'll help you polish your showreel and find the right job, with access to our studios and showreel clinics for 12 months

  • Industry-standard facilities - study in a studio environment that mirrors current industry practice, using professional software such as Maya 

  • Fast-track learning - studying a short course allows you to learn new skills quickly, in a fast-paced environment, so you can start applying for jobs as soon as you’ve completed the programme 

  • Intensive training - we pack a lot into a few evening classes, and we recommend that you work outside of classes for an extra few hours per week to complete your assignments 

  • Flexibility - study live online and in the evening to fit the course around your professional and personal life and other commitments 

  • Strong portfolio - along with an Escape Studios Certificate of Completion, you'll leave with strong creative and technical skills and great pieces for your portfolio 

  • Small class sizes - a convivial environment allows students to assist and inspire one another and benefit from personalised feedback from tutors.

Course modules

  • Animation basics 

  • Bouncing ball 

  • Lamp hop

  • Basic walk cycle with basic biped

  • Basic human walk

  • Basic run cycle 

  • Human biped run cycle

  • Basic jumps 

  • Human biped jump

  • Foxy bouncing ball with tail 

  • Helicopter overlap

  • Weight shift 

  • Weight lift

  • Person throwing a ball – use of live action reference

  • Person throwing a ball – develop and recap

  • Lifting a heavy object – develop 

  • Lifting a heavy object – refine

  • Creating thumbnail sketches 

  • Creating character poses

  • Thumbnail sketches for pantomime animation 

  • Pantomime animation

  • “Phone booth man” – key poses for character on stepped curves 

  • Add breakdowns to “Phone booth man” using Tween Machine

  • Reaction shots – animate a “take” with Monty

  • Reactions – animate a “take” with a human biped

  • Building and blocking a shot, parenting and constraints 

  • Very short dialogue shot with Monty 

  • Very short dialogue shot with human biped – Norman, Morpheus or Eleven

  • Block medium dialogue shot 

  • Refine medium dialogue shot

  • Block advanced dialogue shot

  • Refine advanced dialogue shot

  • Quadruped walk 

  • Quadruped trot

  • Quadruped run 

  • Birds

  • Animal locomotion using live action reference

  • Spiders and scorpions 

  • Vehicles and machinery

  • Assemble the first draft of demo reel

  • Create a blog to host it 

  • Demo reel review and recap 

More information

Minimum requirements

We welcome and encourage applications from students with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

To study this short course, you must:

  • Be over 18

  • Have a good understanding of written and spoken English

  • Feel comfortable using a computer.

If you’d like to discuss your circumstances before applying, contact us!

We can provide remote access to our workstations during teaching time. Due to availability restrictions, we highly advise you to have your own set up at home to study in your own time.

More things you’ll need:

  • A strong internet connection

  • Cloud storage or external hard drive to back up your work, 1TB+ recommended

  • A three-button mouse or graphics tablet. Please note, the Wacom Intuos Pro range of tablets have the best support for our remote desktop software and provide the best experience.

  • A computer microphone (and optionally a webcam)

  • Note-taking materials.

If you have any questions about learning online or if you need help with what to buy, get in touch at hello@escapestudios.ac.uk.

To apply, complete the relevant online application form linked below:

Our Admissions Team will get in touch to take you through the next steps.

If you have any questions about your application or our entry requirements, get in touch!

As part of the application process, you will need to agree to our terms and conditions for your place on the course to be secured.

Fees 

Live online: £3,250

Payment plans

We offer payment plan options for all courses. Following an initial deposit at registration stage, your chosen payment plan will break down your remaining fees into up to three instalments, to be paid before the end of the course.

Visit our admissions page for any questions about fees, funding and payment plans.

We pack a lot into each class of our evening courses, to be able to offer a learning option that is more flexible and fits in with your personal and work life. This means that contact time with your tutors will be intense learning and hands on. To make the most of this course, we recommend that you spend at least 10 hours working on your projects or practising your new skills in your own time each week. 

  • Maya

“The UK is home to distinct and highly successful centres of animation production excellence throughout the country, including Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, London and Manchester.” (source Animation UK)

You’ll leave with an Escape Studios Certificate of Achievement, along with strong creative and technical skills and some great pieces of work for your portfolio, which you can add to with help from our Aftercare programme. Ready to apply for jobs in the industry!

Animation Artists often start out in junior roles, such as Runner or Junior Animator, to then rise to mid-level and senior roles such as Lead Animators and Technical Directors, opening the path to becoming an Animation Supervisor.  

Our students have gone to work in many areas of the industry, including 3D animation for films, TV, video games and visual effects, at companies including Pixar, Blue Zoo and Framestore. Read some of our animation Escapee success stories.

Check out our Careers Guide for more information about career opportunities and progression routes.

Why Escape Studios?

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Meet our industry-experienced tutors

They all have industry experience and are experts in their fields. They are certified trainers for Autodesk Maya. They’ve worked at studios including Walt Disney, DreamWorks and Framestore, on credits including The Lion King, Godzilla and Doctor Strange.

Meet your tutors

Student showcase

Escape Studios is a place that puts students in the perfect position to succeed. The most important thing was networking - exposure to the people who have the jobs to give! I met recruiters, artists, producers, just about every person I needed to meet to gain connections.

Harry Pearson, Animation Escapee
Previs Shot Creator at The Third Floor