An ever expanding list of resources related to all things animation and VFX.
Updated: 7/7/2024
All links are property of their respective owners unless stated.
Artists
My favorite artists in the industry that have been inspirations of mine.
Blogs, Books & Reading
Here are some blogs, books (both digital & print) and other various reading materials related to either animation or VFX.All links are property of their respective owners unless stated.
Blogs
- AnimationMentor Blog
- Anim Expat Blog (no longer updated)
- AnimSchool Blog
- Animators Resource Kit
- Escape Studios Animation Blog
- FXRant
- iAnimate.net Articles
eBooks
- Acting for Animators
- Animal Locomotion for Animators
- Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Masterclasses
- The Animator's Survival Kit
- The Illusion of Life
- Masters of Anatomy Series
- Simplified Planning for Animation
Industry Websites
Online Communities
Various communities of like minded folks on the web that are animation or VFX related.All links are property of their respective owners unless stated.
Challenges
Forums
Online Communities
Subreddits
YouTube Channels
- Arvid Schneider (Lighting / Lookdev)
- Animate with Arran (Animation)
- Animators Journey (Animation)
- before & afters (VFX)
- Corridor Digital (VFX)
- Ducky3D (Blender)
- Edwin Schaap (Animation)
- Ilse Zamarripa (Animation)
- James Baxter (Animation)
- Jean-Denis Haas (Animation)
- Mark Masters (Animation)
- Pierrick Picaut (Blender)
- Shot, Drawn & Cut (Film)
- Sir Wade Neistadt (Animation)
Online Learning
A list of schools and workshops created by some of the best in the industry.All links are property of their respective owners unless stated.
Animation Courses & Mentorships
- Animation Collaborative
- AnimFocus
- Animation Guild: 2D Animation Courses
- AnimationMentor
- Animation Sherpa
- Animotion Academy
- AnimSchool
- CG Spectrum
- Griffin Animation Academy
- iAnimate.net
- Jason Ryan Animation
- Lupin House Animation
- Monster Emporium
- P2Design Academy (Blender)
- Spungella Animation Workshop
- Sophoria Academy
- TOAnimate (Blender)
Animation Exercises & Tutorials
General CG Courses & Tutorials
Python / MEL
Rigging / Character Simulations
FX / Simulation / Scientific Papers
Unreal Engine
Other
Reference Sites
These sites contain a plethora of reference material like motion reference, animal/creature behaviors, anatomy, and character design.All links are property of their respective owners unless stated.
2D / Drawing
Anatomy
- Anatomical Basis of Facial Expressions
- Anatomy for Animation
- Human Anatomy by Stuart Sumidia
- Masters of Anatomy eBooks
- Skeletons for Animators/Riggers by Stuart Sumida
Animals & Creatures
- Animal Gaits for Animators
- Animal Locomotion for Animators by Stuart Sumida
- Bug Gaits for Animators
- Greenscreen Animals
- Muybridge Animals
- Nature Footage
- Quadruped Blog Beta
- RhinoHouse
Cinematography & Camera
Flight
Humans
- AnimationReference.org - Live Action
- Animator Guild: Motion Lab
- Bodies in Motion
- Endless Reference
- GingerNinjaTrickster
- Kevin Parry: 50 Ways Series
- Motion Actor Inc
- Muybridge Humans
- Stickybones
Physics Fundamentals
Underwater
VFX & Motion Graphics
Rigs / Props / Other Assets
Links to all types of animation rigs, props, models, and other scene assets available to download, both free and paid.All links are property of their respective owners unless stated.
3D Rigs & Props
- Agora Community Assets
- AnimationBuffet
- AnimationMentor Free Rigs
- Animation Methods
- Anima.to
- AnimProps
- Ashwin Inamdar Rigs
- Kiel Figgins Store
- Misset.com
- Mrinal Soni Rigs
- ProRigs
- Truong CG Artist
- Universal Human (Blender)
3D Models
3D Environments
Textures
VFX Stock Footage & Motion Graphics
Stop Motion Components
Tools / Scripts / Plug-Ins
All types of tools, scripts, and plug-ins worth downloading or purchasing to speed up your workflow.All links are property of their respective owners unless stated.
Maya Plug-Ins
Maya Scripts
- arShake (generate camera shake)
- CameraShake (generate camera shake)
- Camera Shake / Noise Maker
- Debris Emitter
- Generate cv curves from motion trails
- kfSaver (version up scene ui)
- LMspring (easy overlap)
- OverlapHelper (easy overlap)
- Overlapper (easy overlap)
- Smart Layers (suped up animation layers)
- SwitchCams (shortcut based cam switcher)
- Universal IK/FK Switcher
Maya Tool Sets
Blender
Unreal Engine
Content Viewers
Software Packages
Other
Other
Links that's don't really fall into any of the other categories but are still worth checking out.All links are property of their respective owners unless stated.
Job Postings
- Animation/VFX/Game Industry Job Posting Spreadsheet by Chris Mayne
- AnimatedJobs
- ArtStation Job Postings
- SaltyAnimators Salary Collection Spreadsheet
Website Building/ Hosting
Expat Resources