10 Online Courses to Learn 3D Animation For Beginners

Learn how to use different programs and techniques to improve your 3D animation skills

The world of 3D animation is becoming more and more popular, and it’s no wonder given all the exciting possibilities it offer. Moreover, you can choose from many software options that could fit your skills level and preferences to match your projects needs.

Learning to create, design and manipulate three-dimensional graphics are indispensable skills in different disciplines and professions. Therefore, acquiring knowledge and practice in this area has become a must in design, architecture, content creation in different formats and digital communication projects.

Whether you are taking your first steps or improving your 3D animation abilities, these ten courses will inspire you to reach new levels in your professional career.

Psychedelic Animation with Photoshop and After Effects, a course by Klarens Malluta

Trippy, colorful, and psychedelic are all terms that have been used to describe the unique illustration style of Klarens Malluta. For three years, the young visual artist has been sharing daily animations with his online audience, uploading his creations as a way of continually practicing and improving his work.

In this course, discover the colorful universe of psychedelic animation alongside Klarens. Transform simple pictures into retrofuturistic works of art and connect with your audience’s emotions. Combine Adobe Photoshop and After Effects to create trippy animations to share with the world.

Introduction to Voxel Art for Character Design, a course by Zach Soares

Step into the Voxel art universe, to create your own fantasy character made entirely of 3D cubes with Zach Soares, a self-taught Voxel artist with almost a decade of experience in the field. Start from the very basics and work your way up to creating a full Voxel render from scratch.

Blender for Beginners, by Carlos Sifuentes Haro

Nowadays, flexibility and speed are requirements for creating high-quality audiovisual content. Blender is your best ally when it comes to combining these two needs in a single software.

In this 7-course Domestika Basics, learn to handle the basic tools in Blender, learning all its features for composition, animation, and image and video editing. Digital artist Carlos Sifuentes will be your guide and show you how to create professional-grade 2D and 3D content.

2D and 3D Animation with After Effects and Cinema 4D, a course by Andrea Gendusa

Through the perfect combination of Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D, Italian animator Andrea Gendusa has created the ultimate animation dream team.

In this course, you will learn to combine 2D and 3D animation techniques to surprise your viewers, adding depth to your animations and breaking the linear limits of 2D.

Adobe After Effects for Beginners, by Manuel Neto

Adobe After Effects is the undeniable leader and most complete program on the market for creating animations and visual effects. With this program, you can create professional content for movies, social media, TV shows and any other AV format.

This Domestika Basics takes you from zero to pro in six courses so you can express your creativity through animation. Discover how to create motion graphics, 3D animations, and post-production effects step by step with illustrator and animator Manuel Neto, a ten-year veteran in the industry who has worked for clients such as Microsoft and Snapchat.

Animation for Typographic Compositions, a course by Holke 79

In this era of GIFs and videos, even the lyrics can use some animation to stand out.

In this Domestika course you will learn to take your typographic compositions to a new level, using Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D Lite to bring words to life with animation effects with the help of designer Holke 79.

Adobe After Effects for Character Animation, by Facundo López

Animating is much more than drawings or shapes with motion: it’s the ability to breathe life into your creations. Learn how to use Adobe After Effects, the leading software for animating characters. Discover the software alongside Facundo López, an Argentine animation artist who has worked with major clients like IBM and Cartoon Network.

Start your learning experience by opening After Effects for the first time, getting to know its interface and main features. Carry out some simple exercises to get familiar with the software, and discover how the pen tool works.

Animation Techniques with 3D Effects in After Effects, a course by Moncho Massé

Animation is usually linked to 3D animation programs such as Maya or Cinema 4D, although this depth effect can be created with other softwares.

The illustrator and animator Moncho Massé uses Adobe After Effects to create his funny animations to which he often adds a three-dimensional effect.

3D Typography: Playing with Color and Volume, a course by Thomas Burden

Influenced by the toys he was never allowed to have as a kid, Thomas Burden creates colorful 3D work that is both hyper-realistic and timeless. His unique nostalgic style blends 3D type and playful contraptions, getting him noticed and landing him freelance work with Nickelodeon, Netflix, Playstation, McDonald’s, Bloomingdale’s, and more.

In this course, Thomas takes you through his entire creative process for building typographical 3D animations using Illustrator, Photoshop, Cinema 4D, and Redshift. He shares some of his best work, teaches the essentials of each software, and explains his method for creating inflatable 3D type, a useful technique that can be applied to future design and illustration projects.

3D Animation for Non Animators with Cinema 4D, a course by Zigor Samaniego

Designer Zigor Samaniego has built his own ecosystem full of characters, many of them animated, who tell their own story and have already become a hallmark of identity.

In this course, you will learn how to squeeze all the possibilities offered by Cinema 4D to create 3D animations, easily and quickly, and that will help you to make your projects stand out on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

You may also like:

- What Is a Turnaround in Character Design and How To Draw One
- What Is Voxel Art?
- Meet Game Designer Zach Soares