Description
Create three-dimensional animations for films, games, television, and advertising, bringing characters, creatures, and objects to life with keyframing, motion capture, and professional 3D software within established production pipelines.
- • Design and produce complex 3D animations using creativity, judgment, and professional software.
- • Animate characters, creatures, props, and cameras via keyframing, curves, and rig controls.
- • Achieve lifelike motion by applying animation principles and refining poses and facial performance.
- • Block, spline, and polish shots to final quality under tight deadlines.
- • Create previs, storyboards, or animatics to map scenes, timing, and camera moves.
- • Integrate, clean, and retarget motion capture data to production rigs.
- • Collaborate with modeling, rigging, FX, lighting, and editorial to ensure seamless integration.
- • Use rigs, constraints, and basic simulations for believable interactions and secondary motion.
- • Prepare playblasts and dailies; address director and supervisor notes through iterations.
- • Export animation caches or game-ready clips; test and integrate in engines when needed.
- • Maintain organized scenes, naming conventions, and version control in asset management systems.
- • Translate live-action plates or scans into animated shots via matchmove and layout collaboration.
- • Participate in shot planning, tracking, and scheduling to meet quality and milestone targets.
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Related Pathways
Arts, Entertainment, & Design
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
