Animation

About Character Riggers:
Character riggers are experts in manipulating the geometry of characters in their interaction with environments. Character riggers accomplish this through a thorough understanding of physics and anatomy, operating systems such as UNIX, and software such as Autodesk Maya, Motion Builder, 3D Studio Max, and XSI.
Becoming a Character Rigger:
The most common degree path for aspiring character riggers is a Bachelors in computer animation with a character rigger concentration. Other degree paths include computer science with a character rigger concentration and commercial graphics with a character rigger or animation concentration. Anatomy and geometry courses are strongly recommended if you choose another related degree path.
In addition to a Bachelor's degree in any of the areas listed above, most employers prefer several years experience in the field. If you are just entering college, do your best to secure an internship or find work at a production studio or design firm in any capacity. This will give you a head start in gaining valuable experience that will help you secure an entry-level position once you have received your degree.
Job trends for Character Riggers:
Character riggers can find work in animation, games, advertising, specialized design services, the TV and film industries, computer systems design and related services, and software publishing. Opportunities in these industries are greatest in the states of California, New York, Washington, Texas, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Virginia.
Character Rigger salaries:
Salaries for character riggers depend on the industry, experience, geography, and the nature of the position. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report average salaries for character riggers, but several sites such as PayScale and Indeed.com list average salaries based on reports gathered from job sites and employees from various companies. Average salaries for character riggers, as reported by PayScale, are between $25,585 and $71,415 per year. Indeed reports that the average salary for character riggers is $46,000 per year.
Other sources place the range between $48,000 and $60,000 per year for three to five years experience, and $84,000 per year for six years experience or more. According to some sources, a lead rigger can earn as much as $108,000 per year.

Visual communication field is focused on communicating with clients and customers through any visual means available. That means, students will learn graphic design, illustration, animation, photography, and even the modification, or airbrushing, of photographs to better illustrate a given point. These skills are considered broad and comprehensive, and they prepare graduates to enter a number of exciting fields within the communications industry. Available career paths include graphic design, professional photography or retouching, illustration and professional animation, advertising, website design, and visual marketing departments.
Students in a visual communication program are generally either encouraged or required to choose an area of concentration, which can help them target their skills more broadly. Concentrations do include graphic design, but also include digital animation, professional digital photography, animation, computer illustration, mixed visual media, and advertising.
Graphic Design: A narrow focus for highly specialized skills.
The key thing to remember about graphic design, especially when compared to visual communication, is that it's a narrow, highly specialized field that focuses only on the creation of key graphics for a broader advertising campaign, website, or print materials. Graphic designers do not come with the broad set of skills that covers everything from animation to photography, nor do they produce a completely finished, visual product for clients. Instead, they focus on creating key graphical elements that fit within a broader visual communication process.
As a result, graphic designers typically learn a larger number of key computer applications. They learn how to put their graphics onto websites, print media, digital and print ads, and broader marketing efforts. They also learn the intricacies of colour selection, communications team collaboration, and new file formats that make images smaller in file size and more portable overall. These skills will scale well as graphic design standards and best practices change over time, and will set up graphic design graduates as key, expert advisers to visual communicators without a specialized skill set in this particular field.

There are many colleges in India for 2D and 3D animation which provide better education. In 2D and 3D animation, students mainly learn about character sketching, background artistic animator modular and illustrator.
Here are some of the best colleges for 2D and 3D animation:
1. MAAC-Pune
This is a premier private institute by Andhra Pradesh Tech. established in 2007 affiliated to IGNOU. This college offers better placements to the students and awarded as best the placement college for animation in last 2 year.
2. Arena Animation
This Institute provides the national and international level of learning in 2D and 3D animation. This institute has trained and certified faculty members which provide better education to their student. This institute has better placement scope as in past years almost 5K students got placed.
3. IIFA Multimedia
This institute is one of the best choices for graphics, animation, designing, fashion and jewellery field in Bangalore est. in 1991. This institute has a high tech. lab for students.

Autodesk 3Ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It is developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. [1] It has modelling capabilities and a flexible plugin architecture and can be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It is frequently used by video game developers, many TV commercial studios and architectural visualization studios. So, 3Ds Max is a great rendering program. Modeling in 3Ds Max is something you need to get used to (I come from inventor so it's completely different). You can do Cars/ Interior ect in 3Ds Max. You can even do animation. It is also used for movie effects and movie pre-visualization. For its modelling and animation tools, the latest version of 3Ds Max also features shaders.

There are thousands of people struggling in Animation industry. Many of them are working as assistant directors for 5 to 6 years but still didn't get any break.First thing, it's not very difficult to become a Animation director in India. You have to have good knowledge of the art and the craft of film making. So do that. Make as many films as you can, good bad, worse, great. Doesn't matter. Just Learn.
Second, This industry is all about contacts. If you know how to use your contacts to get where you want to go. You will be successful. So go meet people, make as many calls as you have to, look for jobs, paid or not doesn't matter. Just get working and build your network. That's the whole idea actually. Nothing else. And eventually you will get bigger and better.
There is not a certain path - that you will do step A then step B then step C and Boom! Success.
So get working. And hope for the best, and never give up.

Visual Communication is a course which made learning and communication easy through visual drawing, graphics, typography, etc. There are many colleges in India which offer this course. There are few good colleges in India for this course:
1. Asian Academy of Film and Television, Noida
This is one of the best colleges for this course. Asian Academy was established in 1991 affiliated to Marwah Film and Visual Studio. Students from all over the world come to this college. Till now, 12K students have graduated from this college.
http://www.aaft.com/
2. SRM Institute of Science and Technology-Chennai KTR
This college offers B.Sc in Visual Communication in regular and distance learning. This is a deemed university est. in 1985. The college is awarded A grade by NAAC. This college offers better placement scope to its student. SRM University is ranked 35 overall among the various universities in India by MHRD.
http://www.srmuniv.ac.in/
3. St. Joseph's College, Bangalore
St. Joseph's Autonomous College is one of the oldest colleges in India Est. in 1882 affiliated to Bangalore University. This college offers B.Sc in visual communication.
http://www.sjc.ac.in/
4. Madras Christian College, Chennai
One of the oldest colleges in Asia Est. in 1837. It offers a better education to students. This college offers Bachelors and Diploma in Visual communication.
http://mcc.edu.in/
5. Amity University, Noida
Amity is one of the best non-profit private colleges in India. This college offers B.Sc and Diploma courses through regular and distance learning.

Hi,
Below is a list of the best colleges offering visual effects (VFX) courses in India, The chief aspects on which these colleges stand apart include their state-of art teaching methodology, focus on practical learning and focus on results.
Arena Animation
Asian Academy of Film & TV, Noida
Frameboxx Animation & Visual Effects (multiple centres)
FX School
ICAT Design & Media College (multiple centres)
Indira Gandhi National Open University (multiple centres)
Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (multiple centres)
Zee Institute of Creative Art (multiple centres)
The increased usage of VFX in Indian movies is an encouraging sign for students who plan to pursue courses such as Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in 3-D Animation and Visual Effects, B.Sc. in Animation and VFX, Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Animation and VFX, Advanced Diploma in Visual Effects, Animation Diploma in Digital FX, Diploma in 2-D Animation VFX and Post production, Diploma in 3-D Animation and Visual Effects, Diploma in Digital Animation and VFX or Certificate in VFX and Digital Filmmaking from various VFX colleges in India.

Hi reader, In order to become a rendering artist, you have to start your career by earning a 2-year degree at a community college or technical school, such as an associate's degree program in CAD, CAID or drafting. Courses in these programmes usually focus on technical tools and computer software to create, plan and present product and other types of designs, such as 2D drawings and 3D models. Creativity is also an important component of 3D rendering. Successful designers have artistic talent as well as the ability to come up with unique solutions to design problems. In addition to strong technical skills and creativity, good interpersonal skills and customer service experience are important for working in teams and communicating with clients. After obtaining years of experience, 3D engineers are prepared for supervisory roles in the field. Technical specialist and management positions give 3D engineers more control in the planning and execution of projects.
In India you can earn Rs. 2,98,354 per annum as an average salary. but since its a creative salary you never know where it can lead you. salary rises based on your eligibility and experience.