Top 15 Online Courses on Character Animation

This modern era with increasing works in the field of animation has put forward special importance on character animation. Character animators are called ‘actors with mouse’ because of their ability of bringing into life the animated characters. Character animators are specialized in their duties overlapping creature animation and visual or graphic effects. With increasing spotlight on the continuum of the gaming industry, character animation courses are quite in-demand. If you have a passion in this field, then it will be worth your time, money and effort to take some character animation certification courses. There are many institutions that offer online courses and certifications helping students learn the best practices of character animation.

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It's not unknown that for a successful business, successful branding is essential. It's a crucial thing for the outlook of any website. Character animation takes an integral part in the success of business too. A company needs to create unique advertisements or animated characters for attaching more customers so, if the designer is trained with character animation training, they'll have high chances to get hired. The character animator usually creates and manipulates characters.

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If you want to get trained in character animation, then there are several courses available online as well as offline. If you are in the business field, then you must know that character animation helps to stay the product or brand in the mind of the viewers, so, to have a successful business you can take the Adobe character animator course. To help you with this, we have compiled a list of top online courses & certifications from top providers that will equip you with every aspect of character animation.

Here's a list of some of the best character animation courses to pursue right now.

1. Ultimate Blender 3D Character Creation & Animation course

If you want to learn the A - Z of character animation then look no further! This is one of the best character animation courses that teaches you everything from scratch. Using the 3D program Blender you take on projects and learn through practice. This is one of the ultimate 3d character animation courses offered in the Udemy platform.

Platform: Udemy

Duration: 32 hours

Cost: Rs. 8640

Topics covered

• Getting started with Blender
• First character Animation Cube Boy
• Second Character Animation Cube Boy
• Third Character Animation Wooden Mannequin
• Fourth Character Animation Human Character
• Fifth Character Animation Alien Talking

Also read: Become A Motion Graphics Artist With These 19 Online Courses

2. Save your time in Character Animation for After Effects

One of the best character animation courses to master After Effects, this course will teach you the difference between good and great Animation. You'll also learn to produce high-quality character animation. You'll be able to rig a character in After Effects. This course has 10 sections of 39 lectures. After the course, you will be given certification.

Requirement: Adobe After Effects Software

Platform: Udemy

Duration: 4.5 hours

Fees: Rs. 3200

Topics covered

• Character setup in Adobe Illustrator
• How to download and open project files
• Rigging the character
• Turning the head
• Setting up the Lip sync, controllers
• Activating the controllers
• Animating the character
• Automated Blinking and Additional switches
• Replacement Animation

Also Read - Animations by BHU University, Varanasi via Swayam

3. After Effects CC 2019: Character Animation Essential Training

This is one of the finest character animation courses provided in the LinkedIn platform to teach you the basics of animation in After Effects software. You'll learn looping animation, creating rig characters, and how to use the rigging tool. Also, you'll be taught about lighting animation, adding and adjusting keyframes, Animation with motion paths and sketches, and more. Moreover, you will learn to add 3D layers and cameras to your scene, and more.

Requirement: After Effects Software

Platform: Lynda from LinkedIn

Duration: 3h 5m

Fees: Rs. 1150

Topics covered

• Working with layers and shapes
• Rigging character controls
• Creating Multiplane Environments

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4. Creating a Finished Character Animation in Blender 2.9

This is one of the shortest 3D character animation courses where you'll learn to use the free tool blender 2.9 that will breathe life into a character. It allows 3D artists to animate and tell stories. With the principles of character animation, you will be able to create walking, talking of an animated character. You'll learn to use the animation tools in a blender, flesh out and light scenes, and more. In this, the main focus will be the creation of the characters with the help of some essential tools and shapes. You'll develop a complete methodology in this course.

Requirement: Blender 2.9

Platform: Lynda from LinkedIn

Duration: 2h 35m

Fees: Rs. 1400

Topics covered

• Where it all began, planning your animation
• Meet Arthur
• Character Animation
• Refine the Details
• A brief overview of Render settings in Blender
• The Journey has just begun

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5. Cinema 4D for Character Creation

In this Cinema 4D character animation course, you will know the difference between software interfaces, character design, modulation of objects, and more. A certification will be provided by the end of the course.

Requirement: Cinema 4D R16 or higher

Platform: Domestika

Duration: 9h 11m

Fees: $ 44.99

Topics covered

• Developing characters step-by-step
• Fruits and vegetables
• Food and packaging
• Animals and plants
• Monsters and people

6. Character Art School: Complete Character Drawing course

Always dreamed of designing awesome animation in the style of Disney, Comics, Manga, films, games and so on, but your fear is stopping you? Don’t worry any more. This is one of the best character animation courses that can teach you to draw confidently.

Platform: Udemy

Duration: 26.5 hours

Cost: Rs. 8640

Topics covered

• Intro to Art Fundamentals
• Drawing Fundamentals
• Character Forms and Proportions
• Gesture Drawing Foundations
• Character Drawing Workflows
• Character Composition and Design
• Facial Expression and Emotion
• Hair and cloth Dynamics
• Character Post- Production
• Comprehensive Character Demos

7. Learn Character Animation: Create Authentic Facial Expressions in Adobe After Effects

One of the top 3d character animation courses, this class will provide you with the knowledge of tools that are needed to level up your Animation. You'll be given certification by the end of the course.

Requirement: Adobe After Effects Software

Platform: SkillShare

Duration: 1h 13m

Fees: 149 per months (Free trial for 7 days)

Topics covered

• Adobe After Effects fundamentals
• Practical applications of Joysticks n' Sliders for expressive Animation

Also Read - Basic 3D Animation using Blender by IIT Bombay via Edx

8. Simple Character Animation

If you are looking for online degree courses to learn character animation, this course is for you. This is one of the succinct 3D character animation courses where you will learn to design in Illustrator where you can create Character with After Effects, by taking it from Illustrator and importing it to After Effects to build your Animation.

Requirement: Adobe After Effects Software

Platform: SkillShare

Duration: 60m

Fees: 149 per months (Free trial for 7 days)

Topics covered

• How to use the Adobe Illustrator
• How to rig character for simple emotions
• How to finalise actions
• Movement of character

9. 3D Animation for Non-Animators With Cinema 4D

One of the top Cinema 4D character animation courses for designers, illustrators, animators, this course teaches 3D, 4D motion graphics and Animation. The instructor will teach you to carry out any 3D animation project properly. Later, you'll learn to animate with dynamics and to work with hard and soft elements. At the end of the course, you will learn to integrate real and 3D images.

Requirement: Must have basic knowledge of Cinema 4D and After Effects

Platform: Domestika

Duration: 3h 45m

Fees: $ 44.90

Topics covered

• Cloning models
• Mograph models
• Hard things, soft things and dynamic things
• Make the dancing doll
• Render with the Cinema 4D, Octane
• Putting everything in together in After Effects
• Integration with Real image
• Editing with After Effects
• 3D animation and for non-animators with Cinema 4D

Also Read - Animation and CGI Motion by Columbia University, New York via Edx

10. Animation and Design of Characters in After Effects

If you are someone who has a keen interest in character animation and is looking for online diploma courses and certifications, this course is for you. This is another one of the finest character animation courses that teaches the basic principles of After Effects. You'll learn everything steps by step from this Adobe character animator training. The instructor will teach you the necessary keys with which you can work your animations in gif format. Also, you will learn to design your characters, and with the rig, you'll be able to give life to your Character and make them move both the head and body.

Requirement: No previous knowledge on After Effects is required

Platform: Domestika

Duration: 3h 31m

Fees: $ 44.90

Topics covered

• Presentation and Influences
• Designing for the GIF format
• Introduction to After effects
• Head Design
• Rig design
• Rig of the body design
• Full Rig
• Animation of the character, loop
• Animation of the character riding in a bike
• Final composition

11. Basics of Character Animation with After Effects

This is another one of the top character animation courses by Domestika that teaches in a well structured manner how to bring animated characters into life with Adobe After Effects, illustrators, animators, and designers. Here, the instructor will teach you about working your Animation in After Effects with an illustration that you create in Photoshop and Illustrator. Later, you will learn to animate a complete character. You will be taught everything step by step in this course. Also, you'll learn to plan, create and improve.

Requirement: Must have basic knowledge of Adobe After Effects and Photoshop

Platform: Domestika

Duration: 5h 48m

Fees: $ 44.90

Topics covered

• Your first animation
• Your second animation
• Illustration for animation
• Avatar
• Complete character
• The promo
• Final project

12. Advanced Animation of 3D Character

This is one of the best character animation certification courses which focuses on the physics of movement. In this 3D character animation course, you will get to know the idea of Animation that you will be making. Also, you will learn to pass your Animation to spline and will be able to define it in much better timing, spacing, balances, arcs and more. In the end, you will learn to refine your Animation then will be going to the polishing of the Character. The completion of the course will give a certification.

Requirement: Solid animation knowledge in any 3D program is needed

Platform: Domestika

Duration: 5h 2m

Fees: $ 44.90

Topics covered

• Creating an idea
• Layout and blocking
• Spine and refined: in search of fluidity and coherence
• Polishing and rendering: putting the final icing
• Advanced animation of 3D characters

Also Read - Certificate Course Animation Technology by Manipal Institute of Communication, Manipal

13. 2D and 3D Animation with After Effects and Cinema 4D

This is one of the longest character animation courses from Domestika that teach you how to combine 2D and 3D animation techniques. You'll learn to give your characters of each frame a storyline with different camera angle movements, and transition into a scene made in 3D. You'll learn to design your Animation of 3D components into Cinema 4D. For composting and giving your Animation a final touch, you'll learn to export your 3D Animation into After Effects.

Requirement: Adobe After Effects and Cinema 4D software

Platform: Domestika

Duration: 18h 33m

Fees: $ 44.90

Topics covered

• Turn words into moving pictures
• Two dimensions
• The third dimension
• The last touch
• Final project

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14. 3D lettering: Modelling and Texturing with Cinema 4D

In this character animation training course, you'll learn to collect visual references, and to use the tools of modelling efficiently, texturing, sculpturing, and more. A certification will be given by the end of the course.

Requirement: Previous knowledge Cinema 4D and Illustrator is required

Platform: Domestika

Duration: 3h 28m

Fees: $ 44.90

Topics covered

• Introduction
• Project 1: Letter M - Cabaret style
• Project 2: Letter E - Hairy style
• Project 3: Letter S - S of Salmonella
• Project 4: Signboard - Punk!
• Final project

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15. 3D Character digging for Animation in Cinema 4D Masterclass

In this Cinema 4D character animation course, you'll learn to create the base rig using the Character Object. Also, you'll learn to work with the Cloth Surface Object when digging a character. Moreover, you will get to know about Inverse Kinematics and forward kinematics in this course. By the completion of the course, you will be given a certification.

Requirement: Must know the basics of Cinema 4D and 3D

Platform: Udemy

Duration: 8 hours

Fees: Rs. 8640

Topics covered

• Preparing the character
• Rigging the character - creating the rig
• Posting the character
• Improving the rig
• Binding and weighing the character
• Posing the character

Also Read - Introduction to Programming and Animation with Alice by Duke University, Durham via Coursera

Conclusion

We have already informed you about the importance of taking Character Animation online courses, and to ease your choice, we have already mentioned several courses that you can get within your budget. Moreover, Front-End Developers are highly in demand. Doing the course will help you to have a stable career. Wondering if you'll get a certification or not then I must tell you that all the paid courses offer certificates at the end of the course that you can add in your CV. So, you can even make an online course comparison to enrol in the best courses.

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