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2D/3D Animation

From first keyframe to a rendered showreel piece

Four weeks across the principles of animation, 2D character motion, 3D modelling and lighting, and a rendered final piece for your reel. Live critiques every week and a mentor on your work.

Enrol — $999See the four weeks
  • 4 weeks of training
  • 8 weeks of access
  • Live critiques + mentor
  • Certificate
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Who it is for

Built for people who want to finish

What to bring

  • A computer that runs the free tools we use; a tablet helps but is not required
  • No prior animation experience; drawing helps for 2D, not required for 3D
  • Eight to ten hours a week for four weeks
01

Illustrators and designers who want motion in their portfolio

02

Beginners with a clear goal: a showreel piece and a certificate in eight weeks

03

Marketing and product people who need to brief and review animation with confidence

Curriculum

4 weeks, 4 modules, one test each

Every week closes with a compulsory module test and something you have built. The final week ends with the exam and the project.

  1. 01Week 1

    Principles and 2D keyframing

    The twelve principles as working tools, timing and spacing, and your first exercises with real weight in a 2D animation tool.

    • The twelve principles of animation, shown in shots you know
    • Timing and spacing: frame rates, charts and easing
    • Squash and stretch, anticipation, follow-through and overlapping action
    • The 2D workflow: keyframes, breakdowns, in-betweens and onion skinning
    • Planning a shot: thumbnails, reference video and a shot list
    • Arcs, secondary action and appeal in a short exercise
    Module test
    Module test: 20 questions on the principles plus a graded ball-bounce exercise (pass mark 70%)
    You build
    Two 2D exercises: a bouncing ball with weight and a flour sack with an attitude
  2. 02Week 2

    Character motion and rigging

    Posing, walk and run cycles, a simple rig so you animate a character instead of redrawing it, and the basics of faces and lip sync.

    • Posing: line of action, silhouette, balance and appeal
    • Walk cycles: contact, down, passing and up positions
    • Run cycles and personality in locomotion
    • Rigging a 2D character: bones, pins, deformers and switching parts
    • Facial expression and lip sync fundamentals
    • Blocking to polish: a review workflow with draw-overs
    Module test
    Module test: 20 questions plus a graded walk cycle (pass mark 70%)
    You build
    A ten-second character shot: a walk, a turn and a reaction
  3. 03Week 3

    3D modelling, lighting and camera

    Into 3D: modelling a prop and a set with clean topology, materials, three-point lighting and camera moves that tell the story.

    • The 3D viewport, navigation and scene organisation
    • Modelling a prop with clean topology and sensible scale
    • Building a simple set: blocking, detail passes and instancing
    • Materials and texturing: PBR basics and UVs without pain
    • Lighting: three-point setups, mood and colour temperature
    • Camera language: framing, lenses, moves and depth of field
    Module test
    Module test: 20 questions plus a graded lit still (pass mark 70%)
    You build
    A modelled, textured and lit set with one animated camera move
  4. 04Week 4

    Rendering, compositing and the reel

    Rendering inside a time budget, compositing passes and colour, sound, and cutting the final showreel piece.

    • Render settings and passes: quality against time
    • Compositing: layering passes, colour correction and simple effects
    • Combining 2D character animation with a 3D set
    • Sound design basics and timing animation to audio
    • Cutting a showreel: order, length, titles and export settings
    • Final exam and project review
    Module test
    Final exam: 50 questions across 2D and 3D, 75 minutes (pass mark 70%)
    You build
    Render, composite and cut the 30-second final piece, then submit the reel and the project files for grading

Showreel

Thirty seconds that get you the call

Week four ends with a rendered, composited piece cut to sound: a 2D character in a 3D set. It goes on your reel with the certificate.

00:30 · final piece
How it runs

How the four weeks run

Recorded lessons and exercise files during the week, a live class and a live critique, and a mentor who reviews your shots frame by frame.

  1. 01

    Learn

    Recorded lessons with project files for every exercise, at your own pace.

  2. 02

    Meet

    A live class and a live critique every week; both recorded.

  3. 03

    Test

    A compulsory module test and a graded exercise close every week.

  4. 04

    Review

    Your mentor reviews your shots with draw-overs, one to one.

How the access works

4 weeks of training, 8 weeks of access

Enrolment opens everything on day one. The taught weeks run first; your access stays on for 4 more weeks to finish, resit and download. After that the account returns to the free plan.

Your account, day by day

56 days

  • TrainingWeeks 1–4
  • AccessWeeks 5–8
  • Free planFrom week 9
What stays onTrainingAccessFree plan
Lessons, project files and recordings
Live sessions with the instructorWeeklyRecordings
One-to-one mentor reviewsWeeklyFinal review
Module tests and the final examResits
Final project submission and gradingWeek 4
Community space for the cohort
Your certificate, files and results—
What you finish with

An exam, a project, a grade and a certificate

Four steps in the final week. Pass them all and the certificate is issued the same day.

CareerFocus Area

Certificate

2D/3D Animation

Career Focus Area certificate in 2D/3D Animation

Awarded to4 weeks · final exam · graded project
1

Final exam

A timed 50-question exam on the principles, 2D and 3D workflow, sat in week four.

2

Final project

A 30-second animated piece that combines a 2D character with a 3D set, rendered, composited and cut with sound.

3

Grading

Exam at 70% or above and the piece graded against a published rubric: motion, staging, technical finish and storytelling.

4

Certificate

A Career Focus Area certificate in 2D/3D Animation, with a link to your reel and your graded rubric.

Pieces from the course

project_01

The late commuter

A 2D character sprinting through a 3D station.

project_02

Product turntable

A modelled, lit and textured object with a reveal.

project_03

Title sequence

Type, camera and sound cut to a beat.

Your instructor

Taught live, reviewed one to one

Your instructor runs the live sessions and is also your mentor: the same person reviews your work every week and grades the final submission.

O

Owotasere

Lead instructor and mentor

Teaches the live classes and critiques, reviews your shots with draw-overs each week and grades the final piece against the published rubric.

Live session
Teaches the week's material live, with questions.
One-to-one review
Reviews your work and your test each week.
Grades the finale
Marks the final project against the rubric.
Course FAQ

Questions about the course

Drawing, software, the price and what happens after week eight.

It helps in the 2D weeks but it is not required. The rigging approach means you pose a character rather than redraw it, and the 3D weeks need no drawing at all.

Enrol

Join the next cohort

Small cohorts so every shot gets a critique. Enrol now and we send the start date, the schedule and the project files.

  • 4 weeks of training
  • 8 weeks of access
  • Live critiques + mentor
  • Certificate

Course price

$999one-time

4 weeks of training, 8 weeks of access, live sessions, mentoring, the exam, the project and the certificate. Nothing to renew.

Enrol — $999Ask a question first

Employer paying? Ask for an invoice at checkout. Teams of five or more: see the corporate page.