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requirements

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS:

There are six minimum requirements a student must meet in order to be considered for admission to Animation Mentor.

A student must:

  1. Be 18 years or older upon the first day of class.
  2. Have a good understanding of the English language, as our classes are only offered in English at this time.
  3. Be a high school graduate or have a GED or the foreign equivalent to a high school graduate.
  4. Have intermediate computer software skills.
  5. Meet the minimum system requirements (see below).
  6. Achieve a passing score on a basic aptitude test (Wonderlic test). This measures basic understanding in math and verbal skills. Once we receive your application, you will be sent this test.

Click here to apply

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

  • Windows: XP, Vista and Vista 64 bit
    Processor: 2 GHZ or higher
    1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
    Browser:
         Preferred – Chrome / Safari / Firefox 3.6 or higher
         Supported – Internet Explorer 7.0
    Flash Player 10
    Acrobat Reader
    Winzip
    QuickTime Pro
    Broadband Internet: 256k minimum
  • MacOS X 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6 through 10.6.2
    Processor: G5 / Intel
    1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
    Browser:
         Preferred – Chrome / Safari / Firefox 3.6 or higher
         Supported – Internet Explorer 7.0
    Flash Player 10
    Acrobat Reader
    QuickTime Pro
    Broadband Internet: 256k minimum

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Upon entering orientation, you can download Animation Mentor's suggested Hardware/Software recommendations on the "Academic Programs" page.

WEBCAM: A webcam is an essential tool that will allow students to capture images from their sketchbook, record video reference to analyze as well as interact with their mentor and fellow classmates.

SKETCHBOOK: All students are required to do sketchbook assignments which help them observe and capture the essence of what is happening in the world around them and help put that into their work.

BOOKS: The Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston and The Animators Survival Kit by Richard Williams.

COMPUTER ANIMATION:

Students planning to do computer animation will be responsible for supplying their own computer equipment, software, broadband internet access, and other materials for AnimationMentor.com's assignments.

We provide software training in Maya®. Shortly after enrollment, students will receive information allowing them to purchase Maya® at the student rate.

Maya® is considered the industry standard for professional character animation studios. As such, our fully set-up characters, examples, and assignments are tailored to Maya®. However, we strongly feel that the key to success as an animator is solid skills in the art of animation rather than experience with any particular software package. Because of this, our students may work in any 3D software they feel most comfortable with. For students using Maya® 2008 or higher, we offer fully modeled and set-up characters so you can focus on animation right away. *

We currently support Maya® versions 2008 and 2009.

*Once enrolled, students will receive a welcome email with information to various discount and animation supply vendors, some of which Animation Mentor has arranged special discounts for our students.

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