Maya Schools

[slayerment]

hey im actually going to college for 3d. any help there would be great also. thinking about OTIS or University Advancing Computer Tech.

[Deviant-Dreams]

Gnomon would be nice but it's very expensive. My options are Gnomon and a school in canada.

[wedge]

i'm hoping to transfer to RISD, but it's not just a graphics college... its an art school, as well as a core liberal arts university.

[matty429]

Studio Arts (http://www.studioarts.tv)

[ryguy]

If you're in the US and down south Florida, check out:

International Academy of Design (http://www.academy.edu)

Full Sail (http://www.fullsail.com)

Ringling School of Arts (http://rsad.edu)

All schools listed have a computer animation and a game design class or degree.

Hope this helps.

~Ryan

[eX-one]

If you come up to Canada's west coast, there's a couple schools here that are pretty well known, both are art schools rather than trade schools, but from what I hear, the programs are pretty good.


Vancouver Film School : www.vfs.com
Centre for Digital Imaging & Sound : www.artschool.com


edit :

vfs has a 1 year Maya program (I think it's 1 year, most of their other courses are that length) and CDIS's course is 2-3 I think.

[BRUTICUS]

Im learning Maya at the International Fine Arts College in Miami.

www.ifac.edu

Sheridan College in Ontario Canada is supposed to be one of the best. Im Canadian and I would have went there but one reason I came to IFAC is the program is an acredited bachelors degree program.

[4toons]

What you should do is look at how many law suites the school has against it. VFS and other private schools have quite a few.

As far as canadian schools... go (ie. same or better education for less money) Sheridan is one of the best in the world (started by disney animators in the '70s.) One that is quickly gaining a good reputation is Capilano College in Vancouver. These two also stay out of the courts.

[erwin1978]

What's the lawsuits about?

[Heinrich]

I used to go to the Art Institute of Ft Lauderdale , its a great school in a cool area. They teach Maya (its huge there). Now I go to the Art Institute of Philidelphia and it SUCKS!!!!!! They ONLY teach 3D Max because there limited to what jobs are offered in Philidelphia. They barely have any good 3d classes (unless you want to be a 2d animator or design for games) Im leaving and looking for a new school because they suck! Look at the Ft Lauderdale school they have a lot to offer at a good price and Ft Lauderdale is a cool place to hang for a while (you dont want to live there forever)

[Chappo]

Anyone have experience with Maya schools in the Netherlands ?

they suck here :(

[4toons]

The students suing the school due to an inadequate education.

[the3DBEAST]

I go to Ringling School of Art and Design as a Compter Animation major. The diffrence in all the schools and ringling, and i know from experience, is that Ringling focuses on Animation. There arent enough animators, and that is what companies want, animators.

Ringling is amazing, the program is so strong. I recommend it to anyone. If any one has any questions about it, ask. Ringling is an ART SCHOOL, not only do Computer Animators learn Maya, but we learn Concept Development which consists of storyboards, charachter design, acting, all of that. We also go through traditional animation classes. They teach it all.

the diffrecen is, Gnome, The school in canada, the turn you into a assembly worker. they teach you the program, and thats it. you do some concept, but, concept, is SO IMPORTANT and they dont touch on it half as much as Ringling does. A senior last year won an Academy Award for his thesis. We also got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in Siggraph this year and we were nominated for others. If anyone has any questions.....just ask.

the3DBEAST

[Deviant-Dreams]

Where might this school be located?

[the3DBEAST]

Ringling School of Art and Design is in Sarasota, FL

right on the beach...what more could you ask for..haha. it really is great man. I swear, i dont work for the school or anything. I am a sophmore.

the first year, EVERYONE goes through CORE. CORE is figure drawing, basic design concepts, Sculpture, things like that. EVERYONE does this. Photography, Illustration, Interior Design, Graphic Design, and Computer Animation. Rinling only accepts 45 Computer Animators a year. Its VERY hard to get in.

You must turn in a porfolio, mine was strictly illustration. I promise you, if you came, you wouldnt be disappointed. this is the best school in the country for Computer Animation. We had interns at Lucas Arts, EA Sports, and ILM last year.

[Deviant-Dreams]

Now they do maya courses ccorretc and what might the cost be and how long does it take? Is it a certification course? Also do they get their students internships with other studios[i.e.=Pixar or Dreamworks?]. i know i'm asking alot of questions but i really am interested in this school or Gnomon. Is there and number i can call or a form i can fill out that i can get info from them. Classes, sourses, campus, terms, etc? Plz let me know.

[the3DBEAST]

Ok, no prob bout the questions.

Ringling is a private 4 year college. Every year, the courses change, and become better, according to the industry. So, it takes 4 years. and, private institues are NOT cheap. My tution is around $20,000 a year. I had to get loans.

NO PLACE can get you an internship, NO PLACE. you have to do that. But, Ringling has, Career Services, and they help find the internships. EA Sports was here last weak, Sony is here this week, Dreamworks, ILM, Disney, and others, they come next semester. GNOME is a assembly school..they teach you the program, thats it.

The industry has changed so much, that now, preforming, acting, and drawing are held higher than actual Computer Animation.

Pixar doesnt come around much...they really dont go anywhere..they dont need to. Pixar normally, NEVER hires kids out of school....you need INDUSTRY experience. All the others do. They also, hire Traditional Animators before they hire Computer Animators. they have their own software, and they have a 90 class that teaches it to you...

Here is ringling's website, forgive the design, some CRAP people did it.
http://www.rsad.edu
and here is the link for the CA department:
http://www.rsad.edu/academics/ca/

if you have questions...just ask. :)

[Deviant-Dreams]

I sent them a message, and asked if they could send me an info packet with there indo or not. And asked some other questions.:applause: Do they use Maya?

[Deviant-Dreams]

Final question where do i find an e-mail address for the Computer Animation people cause i hate that stupid form e-mail applet.

[ryguy]

Originally posted by 4toons
The students suing the school due to an inadequate education.

The problem with this statement is, most students that feel there education was inadequate weren't deticated. The school that I graduated from had many of these students, they were so dependant on the teachers to baby them for everything. Humans learn by experience. You could read 400 books on 3d animation, but if you don't play around and get the hands on experience, those books woundn't help you at all.

A great deal of work needs to be done by students... and not just on campus, off campus work too. The students that make the perfect grade on their projects are never late and have that extra touch of quality along with a few bells and whistles... the students that rush their project the day it's due... well it shows and most professors at any art school are honest about "crap" work and they will tell you it's crap (but in other words :) )

Most art colleges prepare you for the real world. They won't sit there and go step by step on how to rig your character or how to model a human head. Does anyone's boss do this? Sure, they'll give you a helping hand, however they won't sit there and do your work for you. Experience, experience, EXPERIENCE!

Also, if you are unsatified with your education, you can do stuff about it, however if you took out any loans, you still have to pay them back (this is true for the United States).

These lawsuits will only cost you money. Usually if a student wins, the school take back your diploma and retract all the classes from your record (as if you never took them). I know they can't take away what's in your head... but would it be worth it?

Just my two cents about that subject. Sorry about the rant guys. :)

PS. Ringling is an excellent school.

~Ryan

[matty429]

What about Studio Arts....I go there ...it's pretty darn cool


Check it out ...If you want to do the LA thing its a good alternative to Gnomon

www.studioarts.tv (http://www.studioarts.tv)

[the3DBEAST]

Yes, we use Maya, Shake, Deep Paint, and others....that applet should work. i could give you the department heads email, but, i dont know how smart that would be, kinda invading his privacy. i know for a fact that applet works...try that first, if you dont get a reponse, i will get you what you need.

[4toons]

True... experience is very important, that goes without saying.

The statement wasn't written to get you back up but merely as a warning. There are allot of animation schools out there (most of them private) that are charging people allot of money and pumping allot of hopeful people through their doors. Motivated or not, only a small fraction of them get jobs. Where do they all go?

My advice, if you want it, is to ask yourself these questions:

How long have they been around?
How large are the class sizes?
How many graduates do they have per year (20 or over 50?)
Do they they have internal scholarships (paid for by student tuition) or are the scholarships industry supported?
Do their admissions recruiters make a commission for every student they enroll? (a sign they are in it for the money)
What are their entrance requirements? How hard is it to get in?
Do they work hard to place you into an intern position? (yes it does occur)

And remember: Just because they have a link on the Pixar website doesn't mean they earned it (they may have just bugged them enough to get them to put it on.)

My wife has represented people in class action suits and some of the reasons sited is that the schools have inadequately prepared then for the realities, and heart aches, of the industry. (ie. you have to know what you don't know in order to ask...)

RESEARCH! Allot of these schools do allot of advertising. They have the money for it because they charge high prices for tuition. Do not get drawn in. Just because someplace is well known because they advertise heavily doesn't mean you will get a good education.

One last thing, choose a school based on the education you will get there, not because of climate or it's location to the beach. Due to the nature of this business you will be working very long and sometimes frustrating hours to produce a good demo reel so you wont have time anyway. If you aren't you are just throwing money away.

That is my experienced opinion.

[the3DBEAST]

that is why i reccomend Ringling. They care...big time.

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