March 29, 2024
Updated May 12, 2025
15 minute read
The World of the Computer Animator: Bringing Digital Creations to Life
A Computer Animator is a digital artist who creates moving images using computer software. These skilled professionals breathe life into characters, objects, and environments for a variety of media. From the blockbuster films কথার ঝলকানো (kathar jholokano - "dazzling visuals") on the big screen to the engaging characters in video games and the eye-catching graphics in advertisements, computer animation plays a pivotal role in how we experience digital content. This field combines artistic talent with technical proficiency, offering a dynamic and evolving career path for those passionate about visual storytelling.
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Find a path to becoming a Computer Animator. Learn more at:
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Reading list
We've selected some books
that we think will supplement your
learning. Use these to
develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a
deeper understanding of the topics covered in
Computer Animator.
This comprehensive and up-to-date guide, ideal for gaining a broad understanding and deepening your knowledge of Three.js. It covers core concepts, advanced techniques like shaders and physics, and integration with modern web technologies such as React and TypeScript, making it highly relevant to contemporary topics. serves as an excellent reference for both beginners and those looking to enhance their skills.
An overview of the topic to help beginners learn about game engines and their architecture.
Considered a classic and a must-read in the field of computer graphics, this book dives deep into the theoretical and practical aspects of physically based rendering, which is fundamental to creating realistic textures and materials in 3D. It is highly relevant for graduate students and professionals in graphics programming and rendering. provides a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the underlying principles behind contemporary texturing techniques. It definitive reference tool in the field.
Dives into the contemporary topics of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality development using the WebXR API, with significant coverage of Three.js and A-Frame. It's a must-read for those interested in creating immersive web experiences, directly addressing key areas mentioned in the course titles. The project-based approach solidifies understanding of these modern applications.
Offers a contemporary and in-depth look at creating digital textures and materials using the industry-standard Adobe Substance 3D suite. It is highly relevant for those interested in game development, architectural visualization, and other 3D fields mentioned in the course titles. It serves as a practical guide with a project-based approach, making it suitable for both students and working professionals looking to deepen their digital texturing skills. This book useful reference tool for learning contemporary workflows.
Is highly relevant to the provided course titles, specifically focusing on creating game assets using Unreal Engine and Substance Painter for texturing. It provides a practical, project-based approach to understanding the workflow of creating models and textures for games. It is suitable for undergraduate students and aspiring game developers and serves as a useful reference for the tools and techniques covered.
Similar to the Unreal Engine counterpart, this book focuses on creating game assets, with a strong emphasis on using Unity and Substance Painter for texturing. It provides a practical workflow for game development, making it very relevant to the course context. It is suitable for undergraduate students and those learning game development, offering a hands-on approach to texturing for interactive media. It useful reference for the tools and techniques covered.
This comprehensive textbook covers a broad range of computer graphics topics, including raycasting.
Provides a detailed overview of physically based rendering techniques, including raycasting.
This comprehensive book on game engine development includes significant sections on the rendering pipeline, which covers how textures and materials are processed and displayed in a game engine. It provides a deeper understanding of the technical aspects behind implementing textures in a real-time environment. It is highly relevant for students and professionals in game development and graphics programming. It key reference for understanding the technical context of textures in games.
This foundational book on WebGL provides essential knowledge of the underlying technology that powers Three.js. Understanding WebGL is crucial for advanced Three.js development, including writing custom shaders and optimizing performance. It's a classic and highly valuable resource for developers who want to deepen their understanding of 3D web graphics at a lower level.
Delves into the advanced topic of digitally modeling the visual appearance of materials, which goes beyond simple texturing to include properties like subsurface scattering, transparency, and reflectivity. It is highly relevant for those seeking a deep understanding of creating photorealistic materials in 3D graphics. Suitable for graduate students and researchers in computer graphics. It covers contemporary research and techniques in material representation.
This cookbook provides practical recipes and solutions for implementing various techniques in Three.js, focusing on specific tasks and effects. It's excellent for deepening your understanding by exploring advanced topics and serves as a valuable reference tool for developers looking to implement particular features or overcome common challenges.
Provides a broad understanding of creating textures in traditional art media. It offers numerous step-by-step lessons and techniques for rendering a wide range of textures, making it a valuable reference for artists of all levels. It is particularly useful for gaining foundational knowledge in visual texture creation. This book can serve as a helpful resource for those interested in the artistic aspects of texture before diving into digital applications.
Delves into advanced texturing and lighting techniques within Maya, a widely used 3D software. It's relevant for those looking to deepen their understanding of creating realistic textures and materials in a professional 3D pipeline. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals seeking to enhance their skills in 3D rendering. It serves as a valuable reference for advanced techniques.
Focuses on creating 3D models and textures in Blender, with a specific emphasis on procedural texturing. It is highly relevant for those using Blender and interested in generating textures procedurally, a key contemporary technique. It is suitable for undergraduate students and 3D artists looking to expand their skills in procedural texturing and rendering. It serves as a practical guide and reference for Blender users.
Provides a comprehensive treatment of classical mechanics, including rigid body motion. It is suitable for students with a background in calculus and physics.
Many game engines provide an API for controlling AI in games.
Provides a comprehensive treatment of mechanics, including rigid body motion. It is suitable for students with a background in calculus and physics.
Provides practical, recipe-based guidance for creating materials and textures using Blender's Cycles rendering engine. It's highly relevant for those using Blender for 3D modeling and rendering, as suggested by the course titles. It helps solidify understanding through hands-on examples and is suitable for undergraduate students and those learning 3D independently. It useful reference for specific techniques within Blender.
Focused specifically on leveraging Three.js for building 3D web games, this book is highly relevant for courses covering game development with the library. It guides readers through creating interactive 3D game environments and implementing game mechanics. While an older title, the principles of applying Three.js to game development are still insightful.
This volume in the 'Digital Painting Techniques' series often includes chapters dedicated to rendering different materials and textures digitally. It provides practical workflows and tips from professional digital artists for creating convincing textures in software like Photoshop. It is relevant for those interested in digital illustration and concept art. Suitable for undergraduate students and digital artists looking to improve their rendering skills. A good reference for specific digital painting approaches to texture.
Focuses on digital coloring techniques for comic books, which inherently involves rendering textures and materials digitally to enhance the artwork. It is relevant to the 'How To Color Comics' course title and provides practical workflows for digital artists. It is suitable for undergraduate students and aspiring comic colorists, offering valuable insights into creating digital textures for illustration. It serves as a useful reference for specific digital coloring techniques.
An earlier edition of a popular Three.js learning resource. While some of the content may be slightly dated compared to the latest version of the library, it still provides a solid foundation in Three.js principles and practices. It is useful for understanding the evolution of the library and core concepts, serving as valuable additional reading or a reference for features in that version.
Provides an in-depth look at writing game physics engines.
Teaches the fundamentals of ray tracing through a series of exercises.
Focuses on the design and implementation of 3D web games using Three.js, HTML5, and WebGL. It's relevant for game development courses and provides insights into the design considerations specific to 3D web environments. It helps apply Three.js knowledge within a game development context.
Explores the fundamental elements of textile design, with a specific focus on researching and developing color, surface, structure, texture, and pattern. It provides a good foundation for understanding the role of texture in a design context, particularly relevant for fashion and textile-related interests. It is suitable for high school and undergraduate students and offers a creative perspective on texture. More valuable for generating ideas and understanding design principles.
Provides a beginner-friendly introduction to sculpting characters in clay, with a focus on creating form and texture. It aligns with the interest in clay mentioned in the course titles and offers practical guidance for sculpting physical textures. It is suitable for beginners and high school students interested in character design and traditional sculpting. It is more of a practical guide than a comprehensive reference.
Offers a practical introduction to working with polymer clay, a medium where creating and manipulating texture is fundamental. It aligns with the 'Make it with Clay!' course title and provides hands-on techniques for creating physical textures. It is an excellent resource for beginners and high school students interested in exploring texture through sculpture. It is more valuable as a hands-on guide than a theoretical reference.
Offers a concise and example-driven introduction to the fundamental features of Three.js. It's a good starting point for beginners to quickly grasp the core concepts of creating 3D scenes in the browser. While an older publication, the essential building blocks covered remain relevant for gaining a broad understanding of the library.
While focused on textiles, this book provides a foundational understanding of how texture, shape, and color interact in design. It offers valuable insights into pattern creation and the use of texture in a tangible medium. can provide helpful background knowledge for anyone interested in the principles of texture in a design context, which can be applied to various fields including digital art and fashion. It is more valuable as additional reading for a broader design perspective.
An older but classic textbook on interactive 3D graphics, using OpenGL for examples. While the API is different from WebGL, the fundamental principles of 3D rendering, transformations, lighting, and shaders are highly relevant and well-explained. Provides essential theoretical background for anyone serious about 3D graphics programming, including with Three.js.
Delves into WebGL 2, the successor to WebGL 1. While Three.js abstracts WebGL details, understanding WebGL 2 can be beneficial for advanced users focused on shaders, performance, and leveraging the latest graphics hardware capabilities. It's a resource for deepening understanding of the underlying graphics pipeline.
Specifically tailored to the mathematical concepts used in 3D game programming and computer graphics. covers topics like vectors, matrices, transformations, and physics, which are directly applicable to developing with Three.js, particularly for games or simulations. It's a valuable resource for solidifying the mathematical foundation.
Provides a comprehensive treatment of physics in Spanish, including rigid body motion. It is suitable for students with a background in calculus and physics.
This book, while focused on inking, provides valuable lessons on using line work to create texture and form in comic book art. Understanding how inkers render textures traditionally can inform digital inking and texturing techniques. It is relevant for those interested in comic book creation and illustration. Suitable for high school and undergraduate students interested in traditional and digital inking techniques. A useful reference for line-based texture creation.
An introductory book to WebGL, focusing on getting up and running with creating 3D graphics in the browser. It provides foundational knowledge in the WebGL API, which prerequisite for a deep understanding of Three.js. Useful for developers who want to see what Three.js is abstracting away.
Focuses on the mathematical concepts underlying 3D computer graphics, using OpenGL to illustrate principles. A strong grasp of linear algebra, geometry, and calculus is beneficial for advanced 3D programming with Three.js, especially for custom transformations, physics, or complex animations. It provides essential mathematical background.
While focused on drawing the human head, this book provides excellent instruction on rendering different textures of skin, hair, and features using traditional drawing media. The principles of observing and depicting subtle textural variations are highly transferable to other subjects and media, including digital painting and sculpting. It valuable resource for artists looking to improve their ability to render organic textures. Suitable for high school and undergraduate students.
While seemingly unrelated, this book offers a comprehensive visual guide to the textures and materials used in construction and remodeling. Understanding real-world materials and how they appear is crucial for creating realistic textures in any medium, particularly for architectural visualization and environmental art in games. It serves as a unique reference for real-world textures and can be valuable for adding realism to digital creations. More useful as a supplementary visual reference.
Provides a comprehensive treatment of engineering mechanics, including rigid body motion. It is suitable for students with a background in calculus and physics.
Covers the principles of physics relevant to game development, such as motion, collision detection, and simulations. While not Three.js specific, the concepts are directly applicable when implementing physics within a Three.js game or simulation using a physics engine library. Useful supplementary reading for game development courses.
Explores artificial intelligence techniques used in game development, such as pathfinding, decision making, and behavioral AI. While not directly a Three.js book, the concepts are relevant for adding intelligent behavior to characters or elements within a Three.js powered game environment. Useful as additional reading for game development aspects.
Explores the artistic side of ray tracing, providing practical advice and inspiration.
Covers drawing and manipulating graphics using the HTML5 Canvas element and JavaScript. provides fundamental knowledge in programmatic drawing on the web, which can be a helpful precursor to understanding how Three.js renders to a canvas element. It's a good resource for basic web graphics programming.
An overview of the mathematics used in game development.
While not directly about Three.js (which uses WebGL), this book covers foundational 2D graphics concepts using HTML5 Canvas and CSS3. A solid understanding of 2D graphics and web drawing APIs can be beneficial prerequisite knowledge for working with 3D graphics in Three.js, especially for overlays or textures.
An overview of design patterns used in game development.
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