Schooling

[Oniram]

So I've been looking at colleges to go to after i graduate high school this june, and i really want to go into the 3d industry. whether it be games, movies, etc, im not so sure of yet, but i know for sure i want to be a 3d artist. I've been accepted to the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, and will most likely be attending there in october of this year. of course im sure that more schooling will be required after the 3 years ill spend at AI, but i do not know of many other schools offering 3d courses. The only ones ive really heard of are the Toronto Film School and another film school in Canada who's name escapes me right now. I was just wanting some feedback on what are some pretty good schools, not only in the United States, but anywhere. All help is appreciated. Thanks.

[Honki]

Try some of these first,

http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=52271
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=53029
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=51848
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=51710
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=50870
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=49416
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=48431
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=53542

This list took me about 5 mins to compile, and are only threads started in 2007 I think.
Plenty of them here.

You'll find people here are responding to threads of this topic less and less.
As there is a new thread, with someone asking which university they should pay $100k attend, started almost every week.

Please pardon my obnoxiousness, but my wife cooked a pie for dinner, again.

[neolith]

Colleges are only good for skipping classes.

[MonteCristo]

I have to say, I do wonder about the relevence of colleges for learning 3d these days. The good ones are few and far between it seems. There are enough resources online, and a good portfolio speaks more highly than a college certificate. Ultimately, If I were hiring, I'd care more about the quality of the art than anything else.

My 2 cents.

[Honki]

My sentiments exactly Mont.
A lot of people agree, especially those who have actually attended such courses.
I found THIS thread started by Jeremiah Bigley to show a fair amount of interest in the topic, and most of the opinions stated that in no uncertain terms, that a qualification related to this industry, is a complete waste of time and money.

[Oniram]

oh yes i agree with you too Mont, but having a college degree cant hurt. and besides, ill also be getting hands on training as apposed to just buying dvds and self teaching. i mean, ive been self teaching photoshop for about 3 or 4 years, and 3ds max for about 2 years, and starting mudbox now. but like i said, its hands on, and its not only 3d stuff in max, its drawing also, so i can do my own concepts (i dont now), and its also working in UnrealEd. i dunno, college in this field is not necessary, but it does help.

[MonteCristo]

Sure, I can see your point there Oniram. But the "can't hurt" point isn't quite true. Debt, my friend: that's the hurt. My point is you really need to weigh that one up.

Actually, if there is a benefit to college, it's that it will give you the chance to really focus on your art (self-directed study is always great if you can find the time). I am always sceptical about what you will actually learn on one of these courses, but that's because my own course was a steaming heap of s**t, and my tutors were the ones crapping it out. how does it go...? "Those who can't, teach." Of course there are exceptions, but Honki and others are right to give warning.

[Oniram]

i see where you're coming from. debt is a big factor. 80k can do a lot of damage. luckily the state i live in offers scholarships for those "extra special" students, and im eligable for a 75% tuition scholarship. and also, it does give me a chance to focus on my 3d work. at home now, i try to motivate myself to do some work, but i just procrastinate sometimes. see, ive made the decision to go to scool for this stuff, no question about that, but its basically all about where ill go depending on what kind of education i can get. id rather go to a school that focuses completely on 3d rather than the regular university thats all academic stuff. i see those schools for people who dont know what they want to do in the future. at the art institute, ill ALL of my classes (except for 2 in the first two semesters) are focused around my major. so i dunno. i think itd be beneficial for me, also due to the fact that i dont expect to get hired right out of high school.

[MonteCristo]

Well, good luck then. Sounds like you have it figured out pretty smartly.

Sooo... I'll leave you with one parting shot that RockStarKate mentioned in page 2 of Honki's last link. This is the best advice I can give you, so listen to it.

"Those that live it, succeed."

Doesn't matter what the "it" is music, art, drama... the ones that get there are the ones that actually dive in. Sounds like you will, but you keep making sure you are several steps ahead of the rest of your class. Don't assume because you are doing what they are doing that it's enough. Chances are they are naive and know nothing much about anything. So study hard, read forums, practice insane amounts (within reason, of course) and just live 3d for the next few years. This will put you ahead. The cool part is, if you really love 3d, you'll enjoy all this focusing.

[MonteCristo]

Ok, so next piece of advice, a little one, but a good one.

"Build real things."

Orcs and Goblins are all well and good, but the best way to build a portfolio is to create a foundation of real-world objects and people. You see, you can throw a bunch of trolls on someone's desk (not literally, before you say, Honki), and they can be the most detailed trolls in the world. But then, who's to say you went wrong anywhere? Who's to say the large collection of bumps on the troll's forehead are correctly placed, or that the oversized nose is big enough? Nobody. There is no real-world reference. For this reason a detailed human-being will always be more impressive than a detailed troll.

Good Luck.

[Oniram]

thanks. ill keep that in mind. ive actually started up a "detailed human-being" as youve mentioned. ill be sure to show it to you when its near completion. ive actually been doing it based on the eva wild series.

[MonteCristo]

LOL. Sounds good. I look forward to seeing it. Remember this too, though... Once you've got the Eva Tutorial figured out, make sure to try to find your own style. Once the Joan of Arc tutorial went up, we had (and still get) so many posts of people saying things like: "Ninja Girl", and it is so obviously the Joan of Arc model. Be careful of that, that's all I'm saying

[Oniram]

haha. okay. well ive gone through some tuts, including joan of arc (though there are most i havent completed, i just do them to get the feel of it). ive done Joan of Arc, Subdivision Modelling (girl), Eva, and ive taken a look at swordmaster but never followed any of it. and i also have a dvd i purchased from amazon that teaches 3 different organic modelling methods. all these different styles, and ive actually taken a strong liking to poly by poly (which i did on my first head model.. of an orc. lmao).

[MonteCristo]

LOL! Sounds like you're putting in the work, my friend. Keep it up!.

[Bigley]

I know I got in on this thread kinda late but,...

let me say that this is a subject that comes up alot and as a current student at the Art Institute of Dallas I really don't have any regrets in choosing this school. In the previous thead of mine that Honki posted there were a few that said AI isn't worth it... When I got here I was at the beginning of a new program because they completely redesigned it.
It went from a 2 year degree to a bachelor's degree got a new director for that major and tons of new teachers that are in the industry and teaching as a side job.

One of my teachers, Klingler, has worked on over 30 2D Disney movies. Directed a fair share of movies, worked on tons of games (Call of Duty 4 being one I recall) and has 3 degrees.
I know for some people in the field have had better careers but this just is nice to know that he knows what he is teaching.

I don't expect anything less from teachers here.

And you my friend have the opportunity to go to a AI in Florida. That is almost like being one from California. I envy you.

I am sure you have already made up you mind to get a degree so don't listen to the ppl who say it isn't worth it... because when you start your career, you WILL have alot more knowledge than someone who is just starting and doesn't have a degree.