Are you considering pursuing a career as a 3D rendering artist? If your answer is yes, it doesn’t hit us as a surprise. This career path is not only lucrative but also challenging, fun, and exciting to be engaged with. Being a 3D artist is a great plus because you already know a thing or two about 3D art, its use-cases, and its importance.

You should know that professional growth and development plays a vital role here. What does it mean? You will have to learn, practice, and improve regularly. “Yes, but where do I start?” you might wonder.

Don’t worry – there are plenty of resources that can help you build a healthy foundation of knowledge. If you want to become a professional 3D rendering artist, you can pursue any of the seven learning paths below.

Bear in mind that you don’t have to stick to only one. If you have time on your hands, you should learn from different resources to make your knowledge diverse and learn different skills.

College Courses

Many colleges now offer bachelor’s degrees in 3D arts. There are certain advantages of choosing a college course over other learning paths. First of all, college courses are well-structured and carefully paced. You can start from scratch and learn about the basic 3D art concepts.

Courses are also balanced in terms of theoretical and practical knowledge. You’ll get to practice your newly acquired skills in the latest 3D rendering tools. This experience can help you identify the right tool for you – one that you can turn into your go-to 3D rendering software once you graduate.

Some colleges also offer an online 3D arts degree. It can be convenient for those of you who don’t have the time on your hands to travel to and from the college and attend classes.

Getting a 3D arts degree is not only a good thing to have on your portfolio. It will qualify you to work in various niches, including graphic design, illustration, game creator, and entertainment. We won’t list all the 3D arts college courses, but you can find the best ones here.

Not all college courses are the same. To make sure you’ll be learning about 3D rendering, you should look for courses with 3D modeling modules. These courses will enable you to learn all about rendering, texture mapping, modeling, and rigging. With a degree in your hands, you can pursue your 3D artists’ dreams, no matter how wild they are.

Tutorials and Training Videos

The Internet has enabled a new era when it comes to learning. There are thousands of professional growth and development opportunities out there. You might also value the fact that most online tutorials and training videos are completely free of charge. What makes this learning path valid for an aspiring 3D rendering artist?

First of all, we have an abundance of learning material. There’s no one 3D rendering topic that’s not addressed in these tutorials and training videos and from different angles. In many cases, you’ll learn from the established 3D rendering artists who are selflessly sharing their knowledge with their social media followers or YouTube audience.

Tutorials and training videos will also cater to your specific needs. Let’s say you want to learn about 3D rendering on one software solution specifically. You’ll find 3D rendering tutorials and best practices on the official software side. Additionally, if you choose a tool with a big and active community, you can find highly-specialized 3D rendering tutorials for the tool in question.

If you already have a job as a 3D artist, you may find this option more convenient than college. It allows you to learn at your own pace and in your free time. You won’t have to make big changes to your schedule. Tutorials and training videos will be there for you always.

You can learn from the convenience of your home workstation and put to the test new knowledge as soon as you acquire it.

Online Books

If you are an aspiring 3D artist with a sweet tooth for books, you won’t be disappointed. There are plenty of online books to help you master 3D modeling and rendering. There are both paid and free options. Online books on 3D rendering cover a variety of concepts so tread carefully. We suggest you take your time to read the book reviews and explore the topics it addresses.

If you do some quick research, you will find out that some books cover the 3D rendering fundamentals, including the ones that are quite specific, designed to teach you how to master 3D rendering in a specific rendering tool.

A good thing about online books is that you can learn from them whenever you can, even if you are on the move. You can download some of them to your computer or mobile device to make the learning even more convenient.

3D rendering books are good because they provide a nice overview of a complex topic. You’ll learn about 3D rendering fundamentals and logically expand your knowledge. If you encounter something difficult to comprehend or an instruction too complex to remember, you can always go back and reread it.

3D Rendering Blogs

There’s a reason why blogs are still so popular learning material. Although they compete against college courses, video tutorials, and books, 3D rendering blogs are still among the top viable learning paths for 3D rendering professionals.

The most obvious perk is that blogs can be consumed wherever and whenever you can as long as you have an internet connection, but it goes beyond that. 3D rendering blogs are a treasure cove of knowledge. They cover diverse topics in the 3D rendering niche.

Yes, there are blog posts about 3D rendering fundamentals. However, there are more specific topics, as well. For instance, you can learn how to master 3D rendering in a tool you picked to work in.

While you will find topics covering 3D rendering scattered all over the web, there are a couple of blogs, such as EasyRender, that specializes in publishing 3D rendering guides, overviews, and tips and tricks exclusively.

3D rendering blogs often feature relevant images and videos to help you better understand the topic and master the skill delivered to you in a step-by-step fashion. Popular blogs are very active too. It means that you’ll have access to new content weekly, if not daily. Blogs can help you change your mindset and continue to professionally grow and develop even after you become a professional 3D rendering artist.

Finally, every blog has a community behind it. You can engage with like-minded peers in the comment section. You can ask for an opinion, advice, or a direction to continue your studies.

Working Together With Experienced Professionals

Given that you are already a 3D artist, you have one more opportunity to learn 3D rendering – working with an experienced 3D rendering professional. It may be the most challenging way to start learning because you will have to send out your portfolio to various studios and hope you get the chance to be accepted in an apprenticeship program. It’s also a learning path that offers the most value.

Working with an experienced professional doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to skip learning 3D rendering fundamentals. It only means that you will progress at a very rapid pace. Everything you see and do while working with your mentor, you’ll have to read about after work or during breaks. It is perhaps the most efficient way to learn both the theoretical and practical sides of the craft.

The benefits of working together with an experienced pro are many. You can tap into their experience and learn something that you couldn’t learn anywhere else. You’ll also get to work on projects you wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

All of that creates a unique learning environment where you learn from a mentor and through practice. It will enable you to understand all the specific skills and why they are needed for jobs in the 3D rendering niche. 3D rendering professionals can also pass on knowledge and personal insights on all challenges and potential solutions. Something you can read in any book or find in any tutorial online.

In the end, working with an experienced professional opens the doors to amazing networking opportunities, allowing you to connect with colleagues in your niche and potential clients.

Practice Makes Perfect

3D rendering is rooted in knowledge and experience. Fortunately, you have complete control of both of these aspects. However, we suggest you emphasize experience or practice. The good old one “practice makes perfect” applies to the 3D rendering artist career path. We encourage you to spend as much time on your tablet or desktop computer, putting your knowledge to action.

That especially applies to those learning sessions when you are learning about some complex techniques or software settings. Don’t go through the entire lesson or tutorial. Take a break and try to apply what you’ve learned. It’s a great way to reinforce knowledge and use it later on without looking back at the tutorial.

Another great way to learn is to invent a project on your own. For instance, you can choose to create a breath-taking indoor render. Working on projects, even with limited knowledge, is a great way to progress. You will identify your knowledge gaps and choose the appropriate learning material to overcome the challenges.

If you want to learn and progress, you should never stay in your comfort zone for too long. Pick a project outside of your comfort zone. These projects often require something outside of your current skill level. They create fantastic opportunities to put your skills into practice but also to learn something new.

Projects outside of your comfort zone will help you build confidence and encourage you to take a new step – take on a project from a real client.

Keeping up With the Latest Trends

3D rendering is enabled by technology, and it’s a form of art. Both art and technologies change over time. You won’t gain a competitive advantage if you stick to the same practices. That’s why it’s important to grow and develop professionally. One way to do it is to keep up with the latest trends in the 3D rendering industry.

To keep up with the latest trends, you need to regularly check 3D rendering and modeling magazines, both offline and online. For instance, Easy Render regularly features new rendering trends in the architectural visualization niche.

Staying on top of the latest trends will enable you to create visually appealing 3D renders that cater to modern clients’ needs and requirements. It translates into landing more projects and building a compelling portfolio.

You can also join popular forums, social media groups, and other communities where 3D rendering professionals exchange their opinions and share their insights on the current developments in the industry.

Another viable way to do it is to listen to 3D art podcasts. Hosts of the podcasts are usually renowned 3D artists who often discuss trends with established 3D rendering artists working in various verticals.

Conclusion

As a 3D artist, you already have substantial knowledge of 3D modeling. If you want to move forward and become a 3D rendering professional, you have plenty of opportunities to do so. Whether you decide to go for a 3D art college degree or you want to learn from online resources, you’ll achieve your goals.

We’ve intentionally offered different ways to achieve the same results because we know that every individual is different. Hopefully, one of the learning paths will work fine for you.