FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A: We have had students with no previous training, those with years of experience, and others who are somewhere in between. We are a serious school and only accept those students who have a good attitude and are eager and ready to learn. If you are new to 3D or game designing we welcome you to enroll in a few of our workshops to see if this is the field you would like to pursue. The most important part of training is to be fully committed to investing all of your time toward learning. This is not an art that you can do casually or even as distance learning because of the interaction required in a studio setting. Our workshops operate very much like a real studio because it is one and you will be worked very hard with no tolerance for missing class or poor workmanship.
Q: How long is your workshop training?
A: Our workshops are comprised of three sessions. Evening workshops are three hours per session, for a total of nine hours of training. Daytime workshops are eight hours per session, for a total of twenty-four hours of training. Students may enroll in as few, or as many, workshops as they feel are necessary to reach their training goals or finances will allow. Students are always amazed at how much they've learned in our workshops and how much knowledge they've retained. This is what makes training at 3D Training Academy so unique and valuable.
Q: How much do the workshops cost?
A: 3D Training Academy's workshops average a few hundred dollars each. For students enrolling in multiple workshops, we do offer discounted rates. Discounts can be discussed during your school tour. Because we have so many workshops available, we do not post all of our available workshops on our website. However, we are more than happy to give you more information after you contact the school to express your interest in enrolling.
Q: How do I enroll?
A: At the 3D Training Academy, we are highly selective in the students we choose to accept. Therefore, students interested in enrollment must pass our thorough selection process, which includes the review of your current portfolio or samples of creativity. To ensure that each and every student receives the personal attention that they deserve, it is important to schedule a personal meeting and tour of our facility prior to enrollment.
Q: What makes 3DTA a better choice then one of the many online 3D and Game Design schools?
A: Nothing can compare to the effectiveness of classroom learning and experience. Just the simple interaction with instructors and fellow classmates gives our students far better results and improvements in their skills. The instant feedback, mentoring and personal attention of 3DTA's staff make the learning experience both enjoyable and effective. The students we have trained have specifically wanted to be in a classroom setting because they felt the need for a structured and disciplined environment from which to learn.
Q: Is it realistic for a beginner to gain the skills necessary to become a 3D artist or animator by taking your workshops?
A: Yes, but it does require hard work and dedication to apply what you already may know with what you learn in our workshops, to improve your skills to a point where you can demonstrate an industry level proficiency. The key to gaining a career in the 3D entertainment industry relies strongly on both the quality of your work and who you know within the studios. A strong portfolio will contain industry level examples of your work that demonstrate both a complete knowledge of the necessary tools and techniques used in the 3D industry, and your confidence in using them. You will need to invest the necessary time to train properly and to develop a sufficient number of industry level portfolio pieces. 3D Training Academy is able to provide mentoring and critique from industry veterans during your portfolio development. Many of these industry veterans are instructors at 3DTA and others (studio managers, producers, and art directors) are invited guests who visit the classroom and provide feedback on student work. Because work experience is usually a requirement at studios, having the opportunity for an internship is important. See our Internship page for more information on internships.
Q: Do you offer placement assistance?
A: 3D Training Academy works closely with leading recruitment companies in the Seattle area to assist our students with career placement. We also have relationships with several leading studios who come to us directly with requests for our students to fill their internship openings.
Q: Do you offer loan options or federal assistance?
A: At this time we do not offer private or federal loans such as Sallie Mae. Because our training is very affordable and considerably less in cost than traditional institutions, many students find personal loans or family assistance to be a better option for convenience, keeping their loan debt to a minimum and more manageable for the future.