Do you love to watch a 3D printer in action?

Do you notice great character models in games and animation?

Would you like to sculpt products of the future, from earbuds to airplanes?

Animation of a building being constructed in The Sims If you want to bring your ideas to life there are many career fields where you can put your creativity and computer skills to work as a 3D model designer!

What Do 3d Modelers Do

3D modelers work in:

  • games

  • animation

  • movies

  • product design

  • engineering

  • architecture

  • and more!

Each of these areas requires specialized skills. 3D modelers are creative and analytical. You'll focus on how your model looks and how it works.

Architecture

Flaticon Icon Make 3D visualizations to communicate design ideas with clients

Animation and Game Design

Flaticon Icon Build models of characters and objects for use in movies and games

Product Design

Flaticon Icon Build models of new products and 3D print your prototypes

You'll Love It If...

  • A team looking at a laptop, smiling You enjoy working with a team and accepting feedback

  • You are interested in the 3D geometry of objects

  • You want a career that allows you to be creative and solve problems

  • You enjoy sculpture, model making, or other 3D art forms

Look For Another Career Path If...

  • Lego figure gets frustrated and throws computer You don't like learning new software

  • You don't want to work at a computer all day

  • You don't like to spend time on attention to detail

Quiz

Which of these is an essential characteristic of a 3D modeler?

But Will It Pay The Bills?

Flaticon Icon In the U.S., the average salary for a 3D Modeler is $72,900 USD.

Flaticon Icon In Canada, the average salary for a 3D Artist is $51,162 CAD.

Where Can I Find A Job?

Flaticon Icon There are opportunities for 3D modelers in architecture and industrial design in many cities. Opportunities in animation and game design can be more limited.

The top cities in the world for game careers are Tokyo, London, San Francisco, Austin, Montreal, Los Angeles, Seattle and Vancouver.

The top cities in North America for animation careers are San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York, Toronto, and Seattle .

Take Action

A 3D printer making a vase

Does this sound like a career for you? Try these steps to continue exploring careers in 3D modeling.

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