CompuServe Thread

>> Also, if anyone can give me some names of colleges or universities, that would be great. << I don't know where you are located, but there is a Community college in San Antonio (San Antonio College) that has a great facility equipped with about 15 stations running 3D Studio. You can acquire an Associates in Applied Science there, and there are a few prerequisites such as Design and Art courses. The contact there is Joel Knocke, and he is VERY good at what he does. I don't know the number, but if you like I can get ahold of it. Another choice you may want to look into is Pratt in New York, I believe that is a four year plan. -James Franssen

My personal, very biased, opinion about what kind of college to look into: If you're quite sure of an interest in computer animation (which seems to be the case), then obviously you want a school with a good computer lab, and good teachers in the computer graphics field. I would argue that what the hardware/software particulars are is irrelevant, as long as the setup provides for good access by the students (i.e., a room with 20 '486 machines is better than one with 1 SGI Onyx, teaching-wise). (the really biased part)– My feeling is you would get more out of a place that has a good liberal arts/visual arts curriculum integrated into whatever specialty curriculum there is. Also, don't be put off by a school that won't let you into a 'comp. animation' class until after your first year: of the animators and computer artists I know, the ones who do good work almost invariably learned their basic visual language in another medium (of course, they were mostly born before 1960, too!) The best foundation class for 3D animation is called "life drawing", and all you need is cheap paper, charcoal, and a good teacher. Add to this some painting (to understand color), photography (to understand lighting), sculpture (to understand space), and music and dance (to understand timing), along with literature, history, and science (to get a sense of what it all might mean), and you can probably see where I'm coming from. Learning how to use the software is the easy part; learning *why* to use the software is the hard part. Just one old fart's opinion, —jeff.

Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL is an excellent art school with a Computer Graphics/Animation program. They have 25+ SGI boxes for the juniors and seniors running SoftImage and Wavefront. The first two years of the curriculum really focuses on traditional art media to provide a strong base for the computer classes. I highly recommend it … we have one exceptional employee that is a Ringling Graduate. – Dan / n-Space, Inc.

Andrew, Seton Hall University in New Jersey has a communication program where you can specialize in computer graphics including 3D Studio. -Kenneth Hoffman

Hi Andrew, I see you have gotten some excellent advice here. I can only reinforce what Jeff Brown has told you. Learning WHY to use the software is the important part. A LA college with some technology available is the best. Some times an engineering school like Harvey Mudd or otheres is a good way to go. That way you have a lot of background that brings appreciation for the craft side of things. Go for it, take your own computer, and make your teachers work for the money you pay them. The more you take charge of your own education the better you'll be. PV In State College PA.

He bro', my name's Adam, and I'm facing the exact same dilemna you are. I do plan to study more than just graphics, so it's a four year job for me, but here's what I know. Syracuse University is BIG on computers and design (as far as good private universities go). They offer a wide range of computer graphics and design courses. If you let any of these other people wow you with the hardware at their personal favorite instutions, let me trump them all. Come to Toronto. Alias software is set up right in the downtown, close to a thriving TV and film industry. Centennial College (which is far cheaper than ANY school stateside) has the LARGEST single concentration of Silicon Graphics machines IN THE WORLD. We are talking a whole whack of workstations here (somewhere around 100 or so, plus some mainframes). They do TONS of co-op work, and Centennial just happens to be the movie industry's favorite hunting grounds for new recruits (a lot of the Jurassic Park, and Star Wars Re-release whiz kids come from Centennial).