3D Animation and Visual Effects School

You have the vision. Let New York Film Academy 3D Animation & Visual Effects (VFX) School provide you with the tools and training you need to bring your animated imagination to life.

The Academy’s 3D Animation & Visual Effects School in Los Angeles is an animation institute like no other. Whether you’re interested in mind-bending visual effects or 2D and 3D animation, the Academy’s animation college will teach you professional skills as you create your own original projects and explore a full range of animation topics, including methods, aesthetics, and software. Our commitment to hands-on learning in an intensive, focused environment is designed to shape aspiring animators for an increasingly competitive field.

Now more than ever, 3D animation and visual effects are the essential secret sauce in storytelling — not just in the film industry, but far and wide, in such diverse fields as game design and architecture. Applications for animation and effects are endless, and the possibilities for skilled animators and VFX artists are limitless. NYFA animation students who are interested in following a path at the Academy’s animation school will receive the most hands-on, intensive education in the world. With a program led by active industry professionals who have extensive experience and can offer their students up-to-date, relevant insights into the realities of an ever-evolving discipline.

For students serious about mastering the professional skills, software, equipment, process, and art of the 3D animation and VFX industry, New York Film Academy offers the expert faculty, intensive curriculum, and project-based learning to help make dreams a reality.

Review of the LA 3D Animation & VFX Program

3D Animation & VFX Courses LA

As one of the top 3D Animation & Visual Effects Schools in the world, the Academy offers a wide range of animation training, from immersive short-term workshops to an intensive Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program. When enrolling in the 3D Animation & Visual Effects School at the Academy, students can expect to take an animation course in some, if not all, of the following topics:

3D Essentials	Modeling I	Drawing & Anatomy
Figure in Motion	Cinematography	Drawing Lab
Animation I	Color Theory	Ecorche
Traditional Sculpture	Lighting & Rendering	Texturing & Look Development
Character Setup	Scripting in Python & Mel	Character Design & Creation
Matte Painting	Digital Environments	Fundamentals of Dynamics
Compositing	Screenwriting	Special Topics in Animation
Imaginatomy	Storyboarding	Professional Development in Animation
Matchmoving	Storyboard & Animatic	Movement & Improvisational Acting
History of Animation	Stop Motion Animation

3D Animation & VFX Classes LA

Students planning on taking an animation class at the Academy’s Animation School can do so year-round. The start dates and tuition costs for each animation class can be viewed here.

3D Animation & VFX Degrees LA

For students looking to earn a BFA Animation Degree at the Academy’s 3D Animation & Visual Effects School in Los Angeles should enroll in the following degree program offered exclusively at our LA campus.

• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation

3D Animation & VFX Workshops LA

Students who wish to commit to a full-time short-term animation workshop and learn the fundamentals of 3D animation will be interested in the following workshop offered at the Academy’s Animation School.

• Four-Week 3D Animation Workshop

3D Animation & VFX Programs LA

For those students looking to immerse themselves in the Academy’s 3D animation programs at our Los Angeles Animation School, the following program is recommended.

• One-Year 3D Animation Conservatory Program

3D Animation & VFX Faculty LA

The Academy’s 3D animation & visual effects faculty at our Los Angeles campus is a dynamic group of award-winning professionals who are continuously active in the fields of animation and visual effects, and are also passionate about providing invaluable insight and mentorship to their students. Meet some of our distinguished faculty members.

Craig Caton-Largent, Chair LA: Craig Caton-Largent has been creating VFX for the motion picture industry for over 37 years and has contributed to over 100 films. He has created animatronic puppets and worked as a puppeteer on movies such as “Jurassic Park,” “Terminator 2,” “Tremors,” “Batman Returns,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Return of the Living Dead.” Craig has maintained and puppeteered E.T., The Extraterrestrial, for commercials and public appearances since 1992. Craig has also worked as a technical director/visual effects artist on many films, including “Apollo 13,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Rise of the Guardians,” “Tangled,” “Total Recall” and “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.” He is one of the eight co-founders of Digital Domain.

Frederic Durand: Mr. Durand has worked on both animated and feature films, in addition over 20 years of commercial work. He has served at such companies as Disney Animation, Sony Imageworks, DreamWorks, Jim Henson’s Workshop, MPC, the Mill, and Digital Domain. His prior film work includes “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life,” “SharkTales,” “Speed Racer,” “2012,” “Beowulf,” “Monster House,” “Chicken Little,” and many more. Durand also serves on the faculty the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, the Global Cinematography Institute, the Otis College of Design, and the University of Southern California.

3D Animation & VFX Alumni

New York Film Academy’s 3D Animation & VFX School is honored and proud to shape a new generation of animators, producing noteworthy alumni that have worked on multiple noteworthy feature films and animated productions.

3D Animation & VFX Career Pathways

The Academy’s 3D Animation & Visual Effects School is designed to provide hands-on, real-world training. Students learn skills that have applications in a variety of animation career paths, including the following.

Character Animator	Character Designer	Environment Artist
Storyboard Artist	Modeler	Layout/Previz Artist
Visual Effects Artist	Character Rigger	Post Producer
Lighting Technician	FX Artist	Stop Motion Animator
Motion Graphics Artist	Production Coordinator	Texture Artist
Compositing Artist	Roto-Artist

Our graduates have gone on to work for some of the notable companies and organizations below.

Contact Us

For students wishing to learn about the art of animation at the Academy’s 3D Animation & Visual Effects School in Los Angeles, you can call the Academy at +1 (818) 333-3558 or click on the following links to get more information about the school.

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