INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3D Artist positions are at a 14% growth rate, which is faster than average. With that said, there are currently 48,200 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 7,000 to 55,200 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the 3D Artist jobs was $49,120 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $22,100, and the highest 10% more than $112,930.
Our conclusion? The 3D Artist job market is wide open for candidates.
Top 3D artist sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers & results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write the perfect 3D artist resume experience section
3D artist experience section: checklist
- List your positions in chronological or reverse-chronological order;
- Go for 4-6 bullet points;
- Add only relevant work experience;
- Include information about the challenges you’ve faced, the actions you’ve taken, and the results you’ve achieved;
- Use action verbs instead of filler words.
We’ve selected some of the top 3D Artist resumes made using the Enhancv platform to illustrate what a great experience section looks like. Use them as inspiration when building your own resume:
- successfully launched a indie title Truck Off Racing multiplayer game
- Assist in visualizing future road project Nolte road simulation
- Helped create 3d content packs
- Under the guidance of the architectes and the project manager, I manage and advise on project 3d resource planning and schedules.
- I provide feedback to the Creative Director for review purposes and I manage and work with a team of 3D artists to maintain quality throughout the project.
- I am specialized in content design, motion design & concept visualisation
- Managed deliveries and technical input specialization inside the scope of 3d Modelling which help the business saved over 150k of 3rd party vendor contracts.
- Part of a 3 man team that created over 34 video production projects and 3 uniquely complex video production while the primary contributor of Info graphics animations over the course of 2+ years.
- Serves as one of the Branding Champion for Automation Solutions a business platform for EMERSON
- Delivers with an of average 5+ image assets weekly for the purposes of Web application, Marketing automation, Social Media Listening, Events and Trade shows.
- Creates assessment for new and upcoming projects with the objectives of process efficiency and on time delivery.
- Managed 5 different projects with a sustainable and competitive business model.
- Successfully collaborated with clients and POC's on 4 different Mobile game projects with a result of early product shipment.
- Digital models and Image assets QA with added ability to troubleshoot.
- Managed team workload and schedules of an 11 people team with a wide range different specialization.
- Designed and Implemented Efficient project pipelines creating a an agile and flexible workforce.
- Created over 20 Digital sculpts projects for 3d printed figures output.
- Produced various 3d models for 3 game projects.
- Established the art direction of Ridge Racer Draw & Drift, Rakoo's Adventure, and several more mobile games.
- Supervised and worked on the creation of game assets, UI, animations, concept arts, environments and characters.
- Hired, led and mentored the studio art team (up to 7 artists), making sure they enjoyed their job and delivered awesome work on time.
- Created high quality marketing art for our games and our studio, including logos, websites, app screenshots, key arts, trailers.
- Directed and worked on game cinematics and short films, from storyboard to compositing and editing.
- Oversaw and managed external art resources.
- Built 3D levels for mobile and console games (Playstation 3) using Unreal and Unity engines, following level design directions.
- Modeled, textured, baked environment assets and characters, ready for realtime usage.
- Drew concept arts for environments and characters.
- San Andreas
- Mad Max Fury Road
- Avengers Age Of Ultron
- Ant-man
- Coordinated with Design and Content Team to develop a full Project on E-Learning Module
- Worked with Senior Management and the account team to understand the business objectives and advertising strategy
- Liaised with the creative agency team and consumers to develop media strategies and campaigns
- Undertaking research and analyzing data using specialist industry resources
- Worked as a 3d Animation artist
- Looked after 3d Product and human modeling using 3d applications
- Worked as a rendering person to render the entire episodes using high-end MAYA rendering mechanism.
- Design of Ganja Hotel
- Design of private houses
- Design of turkish candy shop
- Created and launched a Mobile Game (Munch Elite)
- Currently developing a web platform (Staffyourself.com.au) and launched innital prototype stage
- Currently prototyping a 3rd person action game "Project Doughnut"
- UX Design
- Website Design
- Graphical design
- 3D animations
- Post production
- Character animation
- Modelling
- Post production
- Creating TV commercials, movie effects
- Post production
- Developing story-board
- Creating TV commercials and main titles
- 3D modelling
- Developing interactive characters
- Improved quality and style of Animation (From Mocap animation to classic hand animated)
- Established better workflow and communication among the departments for more efficient working
- Gained a lot of experience as a supervisor with multiple responsibilities
- Maintaining the Animation Archive
- Supervising and communication with freelancers
- Gained experiences in a small team of professionals
- Working closely with costumers and other art departments
- Working efficient and deadline oriented
- Improved my skills in making the perfect coffee for each individual
- Managed internal development team of five to produce original casino games 3D environment reporting to Managing director in Belgium
- Produced and led the redesign of online slot Machine 3D environment
- Implemented new ideas with help of team members in planning new projects
- Recruited to bring a fresh approach to Companies flagship online casino games
- Responsible for producing 3D environment, production Management and worked closely with HR team to recruit candidate
- Responsible for Facial animation –“Pandavas -The five warriors” full length animation feature production ,which was widely recognized for its technical innovation
- Was part of Organizing / Volunteering Committee of EGO 2000 a 3 day forum for the entertainment graphics industry worldwide
- Joined as a Project trainee ,3 months later promoted to animator
- Successfully lead a team to technically setup an iCombat game arena; installing sensors, lights and programmable media players (Nov-Dec 2016)
- Creating CG models and animations for production
- Laser animation and programming
PRO TIP
Include quantitative data throughout your 3D Artist resume to impress the hiring manager. Real facts and figures that show off your competency as an audit manager go a long way. Did you reduce the costs of audits? Manage a large team? Boosted efficiency? Show off the real numbers!
Action verbs for your 3D artist resume
Recommended reads:
3D artist resume: how to write a strong skills section
The ultimate 3D artist skills section checklist:
- Balance between all kinds of hard skills – technical, analytical, etc.
- When it comes to technical skills, match them to the job description;
- Add keywords present in the job advert to pass ATS;
- Don’t forget to list transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, work ethic, and presentation skills.
Top skills for your 3D artist resume
3ds max
Modo
Zbrush
UE4
Substance Designer/ painter
XNormal
Communication
Active listening
Conflict resulotion
Stakeholder management
Empathy
Openmindedness
PRO TIP
When describing your experience, don’t go too far from its terminology. Recruiters use ATS systems to filter resumes based on them having certain keywords, so make sure you use at least a few keywords mentioned in the job description.
3D artist resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your 3D artist resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your 3D Artist resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.
3D artist resume summary: things to include and things to avoid
Job-winning 3D Artist resume summary checklist:
- Mention your total years of experience in the field;
- Highlight one or two of your top achievements;
- Avoid getting into too much detail – you’ll do that in the experience section;
- Focus on short sentences that are easy to read and add value to your application.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Read the job description carefully and understand what the hiring company is exactly looking for. After that, write your summary accordingly while highlighting your potential and ability to be the best at that job.
Recommended reads.":
Highlighting education, courses, and certifications in your 3D artist resume
Education section checklist:
- What? Where? What’s the result? Answer these questions when mentioning education and courses on your resume;
- Give preference to courses and degrees that are relevant to the job position;
- Be honest! Some recruiters love checking with colleges and universities to see if you’ve really been enrolled in them;
- Share more about certifications that have helped you turn into a professional, and mention the bodies that have issued them.
Top certifications for your 3D artist resume
Blender Environment Artist: Create 3D Worlds
Learn Blender 2.8 basics & its Eevee Rendering Engine. Create 3D Assets For Video Games & Make Unique Environment Props
The Complete 3D Artist: Learn 3D Art by Creating 3 Scenes
Learn 3D Modeling, Sculpting, Lighting, Texturing, Rendering & Compositing using Blender in One Complete Course
Learn Blender 3D - Become a 3D artist today
Learn the basics and beyond of modelling, texturing, rendering and animation using Blender3D
The Blender 2.8 Encyclopedia
Complete beginner-to-advanced guide for Blender 2.8 and 2.9
ZEN and the art of making a living as a 3D artist
Stop looking for 3d artist jobs and think like an entrepreneur
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
3D artist resume format 101
If a couple of years ago 3D Artist resumes could be text files with no graphic elements, today’s recruiters need a bit more to remember you.
And yet, you can still choose between three basic resume formats:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
But when it comes to choosing the right format for your 3D Artist resume, there are two factors to keep in mind: your experience and whether you’re looking for an industry change.
The reverse-chronological format is the most common one. That being said, it gives recruiters exactly what they’re used to in terms of order and information. However, it’s not suitable for applicants with employment gaps or not enough experience.
We at Enhancv suggest the functional skills-based resume format for people with limited work experience who find reverse-chronological resumes irrelevant. This format showcases the applicant’s most significant accomplishments, skills, and strengths.
Don’t miss our resume format checklist:
- Go for a traditional easy-to-read resume font sized 10-12p;
- Don’t risk it: choose standard 1-inch resume margins;
- Make sure your 3D Artist resume fits in one to two pages;
- Save your resume in PDF to avoid having it edited by someone else.
Looking for more tips? Check out our job-winning guide for crafting a resume that gets you remembered!
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical 3D Artist resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
Other sections for your 3D artist resume
If the position you’re applying for allows for that, you can include some non-traditional sections in your resume. This will add a bit more depth to your application and will also give the hiring manager a better idea of who you are as a person.
Some ideas include:
A 3D artist resume recruiters would love
You’ve drafted an amazing 3D Artist resume, but are still not sure whether it will make a strong first impression? After all, recruiters go over tens of resumes each day, right?
Right! And the recipe for getting their attention includes a dash of creativity.
What’s more, a creative resume is perfect for adding your personality to the mix. For example, you could mention your favorite books, quotes, movies, or even what your day usually looks like.
Regardless of what you choose, make sure your levels of creativity match the industry, the company, and the position. Otherwise, your resume might look silly and inapt.
What makes a great 3D artist resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
