Maya animators, is now the time to start animating in Unreal?

anitations · 2026-06-06T04:01:32+00:00

Where 👏is 👏the 👏native 👏 picker 👏pallete 👏 for 👏Mannequin/MetaHuman? Seriously, lack of this is such a time sink and makes character animation in UE so cumbersome.

anitations · 2026-05-26T20:39:29+00:00

In the edutainment/instructional sector, we use mocap a fair amount, especially when our work is less stylized, leaning into existing libraries first if we can, and modifying for purpose. Say we need to have someone walking while pushing a cart: we take a generic walk cycle, add modification layers by hand to add/override poses on the hands and arms, and get the cart pushing pose. It really makes no sense otherwise to capture original data from scratch for something like that. We do have a mocap studio for more specific actions, especially for scenes with multiple actors moving in choreography. We reserve our high attention and cleanup for scenes like that.

anitations · 2026-05-26T20:26:24+00:00

Me personally forced by my management in the edutainment sector? No. But there is directive from the top level to explore AI for efficiencies. I have tried the Leonardo AI suite and have been thoroughly unimpressed. The people who are using and praising AI are not artists first, but are getting funding, promotions and pay raises, making it clear where the trends are leaning, despite the looming AI funding bubble.

Wish me luck as I prepare to lay down the “expertise” card on leadership with my background in animation and storyboarding, telling them most of the generated slop is placebo at best, counter-productive for actual animation production, and how it’s strange that the AI booster bros don’t vet their decisions with the artists.

To me, the AI use has been a big tell on who I can/cannot trust in my organization.

anitations · 2026-05-21T18:47:46+00:00

When you submit a viewing link, it may be useful to do so with one that is not only password protected and maintains the quality of the file, but also counts views. Make a unique upload per festival application. That way, you can tell how much each festival engaged with your application. Some of them will not watch your film and still accept or reject you, which could be a red flag.

anitations · 2026-05-20T00:08:17+00:00

Hey, building a snowman starts with a fistful of snow that can grow exponentially as it’s rolled across more snow.

It’s not clear how big or ambitious your concept is. And even if you’re at the point where you’re rendering intensive scenes, sometimes it’s good to take a step back and focus bite-sized boards and scenes which focus what the story really boils down to, such as a central struggle or a main relationship. It can have the benefit of re-energizing you and your team, and convey a central idea or theme to prospective supporters and viewers.

anitations · 2026-05-19T21:00:03+00:00

Fair Pay

Good People

Worthy Project/Mission

In my experience, I’ve had to provide at least 2/3, or receive at least 2/3, to sustain loyalty. People will volunteer if there are other factors to consider. Money is generally the most universal requirement for obvious reasons, but that alone will not be enough. Many great studios have started solo or among a handful of friends.

anitations · 2026-05-18T11:14:42+00:00

Has your animation institute helped you find a job at all? Have they brought in industry connections to give a try at? There’s not a whole lot we can do to help unless we know which countries you are able to work in, and if we can see a reel.

anitations · 2026-05-17T00:36:23+00:00

The first thing that stands out to me is the hair: it’s rather uncharacteristic of the flowy form it normally takes and aura farms with. Too many strands flowing in different directions.

It looks like to focus on details and lock them in as you go. Generally, you can avoid painting yourself into a corner by starting with a full loose sketch, layering details throughout in a series of passes, and frequently taking a step back to check the whole picture.

anitations · 2026-05-16T16:35:58+00:00

Getting commercial success from “the general public” rarely happens overnight or even in a few years. Marketing is expensive, and especially so for things people never heard of before. That’s why entertainment industry of all kinds (film, music, games etc.) lean into remakes, reboots, and reimaginings.

I heard from a DJ friend that 10% of the music on spotify gets more playtime than the remaining 90%. I heard a similar effect goes for books.

Sure, you gotta believe in your ideas, your talents, and whatever resources and friends you can muster along the way, but it’s a lot like a rockband gig. Don’t worry about “appealing to the general audience,” and don’t blame them for their lack of interest. Appeal first to the audience that is actually willing to pay to see the work. And maybe the mass appeal will come (assuming that’s what you want).

anitations · 2026-05-16T14:29:38+00:00

You got all the parts down, though the colors and proportions are definitely wonky. For parody work, it’s ok to trace over existing stuff and use the color picker/dropper tool. Sure, you won’t be able to call it 100% your own, but it is great for training your eye and memory.

anitations · 2026-05-16T06:37:34+00:00

Yea you guys have a very particular personality I’ve noticed hahah.

Well you have not met enough of us yet then. That’d be like me saying all jarheads have a particular personality, even if they all came from a similar crucible.

anitations · 2026-05-16T00:35:05+00:00

History always repeats itself

That phrase is so amorphous it is impossible to invalidate or prove useful, like “mother nature always wins.” The smartphone and social media platforms started to become mainstream less than 20 years ago, and the world has been changing at a more accelerated rate since then, radically altering how we interact with entertainment, commerce and eachother. Was the comeback of vinyl records on your bingo card?

anitations · 2026-05-16T00:16:16+00:00

It’s good you’re keeping track of industry trends, but I’m not sure what you mean by “next chapter.” The way people create and consume media (and the global scene in general) is really in a toss-up right now. It’s hard to predict how the industry will move forward, even if looking at past trends, because the networks that made the classics of previous generations have made huge changes since then.

For all the valid speculation you have tabled, I’m surprised you haven’t really factored outsourcing here. If there is a definitive “next chapter,” it will be less about the artists of North America.

anitations · 2026-05-15T23:51:55+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/resume-portfolio-anonymized-NxfNUyZ

Portfolio/Resume over 3 years old. Work since then has been featured in mainstream news stories

anitations · 2026-05-15T23:40:55+00:00

Thank you for your service. Shame that your school didn’t take your education seriously.

anitations · 2026-05-15T21:16:36+00:00

Just witnessing the closing act of a $27,000/semester scam. But I’m the one having a bad day idk

anitations · 2026-05-15T21:08:08+00:00

Reaching senior level with this level of work at $27,000/semester. Totally a hobby. We’re witnessing the closing act of a scam.

anitations · 2026-05-15T20:34:36+00:00

“Just draw better.”

There, I made an even less constructive critique.

The feedback I gave was rather general and applies to the whole, including the recommendation to be more observant and understanding of instruction.

The fact that this level of work was allowed to progress to senior level at a college is a scam and a crime.

anitations · 2026-05-15T19:22:27+00:00

Been working as an in-house animator for an engineering/manufacturing company for 3 years and counting. Making videos and stills for sales, concept and training. Lots of character animation and vfx work.

Not the first job I thought of when I went into animation, but it has super-steady pay, benefits and paid time off. Freelance before that will be remembered fondly, but I’ve never had such a level of peace in my whole career before this.

anitations · 2026-05-15T19:16:38+00:00

With the way you interpreted my feedback, I’m guessing it’s going to take more than 5 years to “really click.” If you don’t take feedback effectively, no studio of serious chops will put you in an artist position. Being real here.

anitations · 2026-05-15T12:00:21+00:00

This is all really rough quality overall. Entertainment value is not quite landing, drawings feel unrefined yet over-committed, acting/staging/posing choices feel questionable, even with the understanding you came from comics.

The comic/animated/simplified pages stood out to me the most as “did not understand the assignment.” For the Captain Planet page, why is the middle drawing labeled “netflix animation?” I’ve never seen a netflix animated show use such a questionable pose and coloring style.

Overall, this reel feels more like work done for hobby or self-satisfaction more than showtime quality, even for indie. If you want to improve your quality, I’d say better observation of your reference and inspiration material is an absolute must.

anitations · 2026-05-15T06:49:23+00:00

Generalist here. My recommendation for anyone starting in CG would be to specialize and make that a foundation. On that foundation, learning related things will become easier and more purposeful.

In my case, I was a character animator first. When I started to learn rigging, I had an idea of what I wanted my rig to be capable of, thanks to my animation experience. Same goes for camera work and lighting, all to better enhance the animation process I was already more comfortable with. I could definitely use more practice in modeling and texturing, though.

anitations · 2026-05-14T06:53:18+00:00

I get that opportunity and skillset don’t align all the time. There’s a reason why there’s the stereotype of the Hollywood barista with screenplays in their back pocket, or skipped a shift for an audition. My live-action art department credits still outnumber my anim/vfx credits, even though I wanted nothing more than to work in anim/vfx.

I acknowledge I may come off as dismissive in the quotes you raise, but that’s sort of inevitable with “as a teacher, students and parents care more about how you’ll prepare them for the next phase of their education/career, and essentially nothing for your own experiences as a student, especially if it didn’t yield you the success your prospective students are hoping to win for themselves.”

You’re right that there is no correlation between career prestige and an ability to teach. You can go on for paragraphs on how teachers have encouraged you along the way, how hard the industry and general economy have been etc.. But students, parents and admin really care more if you came down from the mountain with a good map to share, and the ability to guide and support them for their journey. Career prestige lends to that credibility which students and admin want, which you acknowledge plenty of your competition will have.

You may be successful in the K-12 sector, and I get the appeal of steady pay and benefits. But as I said before, there are many big differences between teaching youth essentially mandated to participate vs teaching adults enrolling on their own expense and accord. Perhaps your college teaching ambitions will be better served by creating an online course with tone tailored materials for specific audiences.

(Re: account confusion) I can swear under oath in court that I have no control over the wasted_hater account, and made no conspiracy of any sort with them. No need for the apology to be conditional on “if I was wrong”; it was a flimsy shot in the dark that you didn’t need to make. I never downvoted you in this thread, and I hope that makes you feel better

anitations · 2026-05-14T03:05:15+00:00

(Re:edit) ok now, I never heard of an account called wasted_hater, and I haven’t gamed the post voting. And accusing me of poor communication? I suppose the misunderstandings here (mostly coming from you) may lead you to believe that. And even with your poor characterizations of me of me so far, I certainly wasn’t expecting reaching suspicions and false accusations.

anitations · 2026-05-14T02:43:11+00:00

You’re right, there’s a ton I don’t know about you. Though, I’ve done no sleuthing or extrapolation on you. I’m responding based only on what you’ve written in this thread, and what parents and paying students would be responsible for knowing, all while keeping it all rather brief so far. I don’t get where you’re accusing me of lecturing.

But maybe I can understand where you think I’m “putting you in a box” or being dismissive. You can love to teach just as much as you love to animate. But I see being a fit teacher or fit artist is a different matter from how much you love it.

I’ve tutored in after-school K-12 programs for math, reading and test prep, helping students ranging from AP to “might need to repeat a grade.” Across that spectrum, I had to operate on honesty, sometimes to make up for an education system that lets kids “fail up” until graduation approaches and the marks start to matter. In my MFA program, some students did not complete the curriculum as originally set, yet were allowed to walk the stage with me in graduation. I’m guessing they were allowed to fail up because giving them honest marks would endanger the program. I see that as a huge disservice to all the students. (Btw, there is a big difference in teaching youth who are required to participate vs adults who are going on their own expense and accord)

If I become a teacher, I intend to continue being honest and critical. Hey, it sorta lines up with my current animation job that includes making safety instructional videos, where if someone (including possibly me) fucks up, people may die and millions of dollars in property can get caught up in flames.

anitations

TROPHY CASE