[DJNelson]

Hey guys! I am new to CG hub. I am currently enrolled in a new online school called CG Spectrum, that I thought I would write a quick review letting people know about it. I found out about it through forums like this, from awesome people who took the time to write these, so I thought I would return the favor.

I had been looking for a school to learn animation for quite some time now. 3D animation has always been what I've wanted to do, but I could not find a decent school. And by decent, I mean one that won't send me 70K-80K in debt, for a mediocre education. To be honest, I was preparing to take on that amount because this is the profession I feel drawn too and I'm sure we've all heard the "follow your dreams" speech. I had found schools like Animation mentor, which are reasonably price, but I felt like they sacrificed quality of education, for price. I would rather go in debt and learn something that will get me a job, than to save money and have almost nothing. That was when though, I read about CG spectrum through a forum post! Let me start out by saying, I am a term in, and absolutely thrilled with it. When I first read about it I emailed the admissions director and within a few hours he emailed me back answering everyone of my questions and offering to meet me online to answer any more questions I had or simply talk about the industry. I met with him a few days later and spent almost 2 hours just discussing 3D animation and the school. I found out he himself had been a working professional (not just a business man) and had only started the school very recently because he saw that students online, were not getting proper training. I thought I would lay out the major bullet points that sold me on the school.

• 1: All of the instructors are working professionals. Most of them work all day, then teach in the evening time. My first term instructor has worked for the likes of nickelodeon and has been involved in the job hiring process for tv studios, so he has a lot of knowledge how what studios look for in portfolios and reels. The other instructors have worked on big projects like The hobbit, Smurfs, and Superman, to name a few.
  
  
• 2: It is around the clock. I myself am in the states, but the instructors are spread out around the world. My instructor is in australia, so he is almost almost 18 hours ahead of me. This means I can work on my homework all day, and submit it, then by the time I wake up, I have a full critique and video waiting for me, so I can jump right in.
  
  
• 3: They actually open your maya files, and send you a video critique. This was probably the biggest selling point, to me at least. I have found I learn the most when someone is actually standing in front of you, demonstrating how to do it. This is the online equivalent. They take your work, open it one their computer, and then proceed to break your work and find every problem inside of it. (it's painful to watch, but REALLY helpful) A lot of online schools don't do that.
  
  
• 4: They actually care about you succeeding. There are times when I feel like I take up too much of my instructors time! They are willing to spend as much time as they need, in order to teach you the material properly. For instance, when I was not getting an assignment, I submitted half of it a few days early, and just told him I was really having trouble with it and it just wasn't coming together, within a few hours my instructor had sent me back a half hour video just going through all the problems with my work and showing me how to fix them, so that when I submit it to be graded, it will be THAT much better.
  
  
  5: Their class sizes are small. One of their bragging points is that they limit classes to only 5 students max. And at first, this didn't really mean much to me, but now I understand how important this is. In my class there are only three of us and geez is it nice!! When we meet in the evenings, my instructor has to only critique three students and can give the needed time to every one of us. versus a class size of 15-20 students, do the math, that's like 15 minutes each in a 2-3 hour class.
  
  
• 6: They are really reasonably priced. You get a ridiculous amount of training for the price. And it's good training!!
  
  7: They are not just animation. They have the same setup for modeling, Concept art/illustration, and Digital effects.

Overall, I am thrilled to death with this school and it's nice to not feel like I'm financially ruining myself while pursuing my goals! http://www.cgspectrum.com/

[CeliaM]

The school sounds so cool. I really like the small sizes and the fact that they go into your files. I'm thinking of applying for the next semester for animation. Do you have any advice for newbies to Maya, to prepare before starting cg spectrum?

[DJNelson]

Hey,

Yeah, when I first met the admissions guy, he had the same concern that students do need to somewhat be familiar with maya. I had already been very accustomed to maya from my past modeling training, but he had said some students are not. He had a bunch of online videos and materials that he would suggest to students who were interested in applying. I would just email them and ask. A nice thing they do though, is in the lectures my first term instructor would point out hotkeys and tricks he's doing, separate from animation, for those who aren't as used to maya. What it basically amounts to is knowing how to navigate the window. Anything more specific can be found by googling (it's what I do ) or through videos.

[nkr10]

I just want to second DJNelson here, I'm also a student at CGSpectrum and it has been a great experience, no regrets at all. The instructors are great, the classes are small and very personal, you have space to chat and ask questions anytime, and more importantly to see a professional working right in front of you, and showing you how they would do something or fix something that you were having troubles with. And they become great contacts and friends later on.


As for the question about Maya, you do need to know the basics of the interface and basic tools, but it's not a big deal, they have free tutorials on their youtube channel where you can learn those things pretty quick, and if you have any questions they will answer them or explain you what you need to know. Don't be afraid in that sense, just talk to them, they are very friendly and they will help you out a lot!

[CeliaM]

Thanks DJNelson and nkr10 for the replies. Your replies are very informative.

I've been reading through Maya tutorials and articles all day. It's a bit overwhelming to read about tangents (I still can't wrap my head around tangents and splines) but I figure I have a few months to get the hang of it. I don't want my poor Maya skills to get in the way when I start the program.

I'll ask the admissions person a lot of questions when I speak to him, but would one of you (or both) be willing to answer more questions in the meantime? I can't help but ask more questions. The more I find out, the more I get excited about the school.

Questions:

1. How long are your video critiques that you get from your mentor? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? Does it vary from week to week?
2. Odd question...but how do you learn the material each week? Is there a video lecture or something?
3. What character rigs do you use? Do they have their own or do you have to find rigs online yourself?
4. What do you do during class? Does the teacher pull up your file or is that only for your video critique? I read on some other forum that the students log in in intervals to get feedback on their shot. Not sure if that's true.
5. I'm not sure where you two are in the program, but if you are near the end, do you feel ready for the industry due to the hard work you put in and the education you got?
6. This is my biggest question. Are your teachers good at teaching? I read elsewhere that at some online programs, some teachers are fantastic animators but not good teachers. I don't want to be stuck in that situation.
7. What made you choose the class option versus the one-on-one option?

Thanks in advance!

[DJNelson]

Hey, No problem, I'll try and answer what I can.

1: They vary from week to week, but the actual critiques are around 30 minutes for each assignment. But you get those twice a week at least.

2: There is a video lecture yes, as well as some reading material, reference video..etc.

3: They sponsor a rig called Morpheus. It's a great character rig that is very customizable.

4: Because of the small class sizes, you all log onto a video meeting. Your instructor then will open your file and talk you through your critique, answering any questions you have and discussing it with you live. The classes end up being longer than the first critique, which is nice.

5: I am not towards the end. So far it's been excellent though.

6: Yes! My current instructor is enrolled in an online teaching program at a college to learn more on teaching specifically. And I've watched some of the critiques from the other instructors, they are very clear and great at it. I understand what you mean though. I have encountered that with an old maya instructor of mine at a college I attended for a short while. I think it comes from them all being professionals and having all gone through college to learn animation, they all understand the pain that comes with learning. So, instead of them just being "teachers" , they are professionals who also teach. They relate to you very well.

7: for me it was the synergy. I have taken actual classes at a college and one thing I really like was the fact that I could lean over and ask the buddy next to me how to fix something, or something I was having trouble at. It also really helped me wrap my head around things when I could talk it out with someone other than my instructor, and hear other perspectives on the same topic. So I was a little hesitant about online classes, due to that reason. What is nice though, not only do I have 2 other classmates are are learning along side with me, but the way the school is set up, the director of admissions will explain this further, is as a community. They have a facebook group where students can talk and communicate, and get to know each other better. As well as they encourage blogs, and part of the program is commenting and giving feedback on each others work, constructively of course.

Hope that helps,
-David

[nkr10]

Hey Celia,

No problem at all, I will also answer the questions based on my own experience since I'm in a different class than Nelson:

1. How long are your video critiques that you get from your mentor? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? Does it vary from week to week?

It depends on what the critique is, they are usually around 30 mins, but you can even get a 50 mins critique if the assginment needs it. As long as the concept is clear, they will spend the time they need to teach you.

2. Odd question...but how do you learn the material each week? Is there a video lecture or something?

It works like this: The instructor gives you a recorded lecture and the assginment, you watch the lecture and start off the assginment, submit it and get critiques, and once a week you meet live with the mentor to check the progress. Sometimes the lectures are live, sometimes recorded, it depends on the topic. But either way, if you have questions you can ask by email, they are always available.

3. What character rigs do you use? Do they have their own or do you have to find rigs online yourself?

We mostly use Morpheus: http://www.joshburton.com/projects/morpheus.asp
Amazing free rig byt Josh Burton. But you can use any rig, as long as you have permission to use it.

4. What do you do during class? Does the teacher pull up your file or is that only for your video critique? I read on some other forum that the students log in in intervals to get feedback on their shot. Not sure if that's true.

In live critiques the instructors opens your file and shares the screen with the whole class, everybody can comment on it or ask questions, and you get to watch other people's crtiques as well.

5. I'm not sure where you two are in the program, but if you are near the end, do you feel ready for the industry due to the hard work you put in and the education you got?

I'm in the third semester. I feel pretty good, was better than 6 months ago. I still have lots to learn, but compared to other students I feel more confident since the classes simulate real environments in a way.

6. This is my biggest question. Are your teachers good at teaching? I read elsewhere that at some online programs, some teachers are fantastic animators but not good teachers. I don't want to be stuck in that situation.

They are AMAZING!!! Mark Pullyblank is very famous in the program, he is great at explaining, he has the ability and has a lot of experience teaching, he was at animation mentor teaching before, his classes are super fun and very clear. But really, every instructor know how to explain, and the great thing about that is that each one of them has their own workflow and methods, you learn different ways of doing the same things until you develp your own. I learn about good posing with Jeff Pepper, overlapping and timing from Nick Fredin, faster blocking from Neil Kennedy. They are all great, there is no bad choice!

7. What made you choose the class option versus the one-on-one option?

This is a good question. The classes are small enough to be very private and personal, but big enough to create good environment, a dialogue and good and healthy competition. You get to meet people from all around the world, in my class we are from: Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Kazakhastan. Your classmates become your friends and immediate contacts, we always keep in touch for feedback and you learn A LOT from them, since everybody has different strenghts and methods, also levels of experience. I would definitely go again for the class option, it is a great international experience.


I hope this all helps, and thanks for posting this Nelson! It's great tobe able to tell other people about cgspectrum!

Celia, feel free to add me on Facebook if you have any other questions or anything: https://www.facebook.com/fernando.ortegasalgado

I can add you to the CG Spectrum group so you can start learning even before starting the program. That place is a good way to start getting familiar with Maya,don't be afraid to ask anything!

Cheers,
Fernando

[CeliaM]

Thank you both for your help again. I don't have facebook (shocking, I know) but I'll have to join soon. I'm so glad that this thread started because I haven't been able to find any other informative threads about this school.

[CeliaM]

What do you guys know about the concept art program? Does that have the same small classes? Do you know anyone who's in that program and how they like it? I'm trying to figure out if I want to do animation or concept art.

Your response will help not only me, but also anyone who's interested in the concept art program. Thanks!

[DJNelson]

Hey Celia,

I myself am in the Animation program, but I know one of the instructors who teaches the concept art program, and he's really good! I try to study 2d illustration and concept art on my own time, and a few weeks ago I was able to sit in on one of the concept art program critiques. The instructor was really knowledgable in form and value, and really knew what was interesting in a concept piece. As far as the structure of it goes, I'm fairly certain it works the same as the animation program, but you could always ask the admissions dude for help on that.

I would advice doing which ever one you enjoy more. We're in this business because we love it right?

Hope that helps! That's really lame about having no facebook! Feel free to message me or email if you have any other questions. :-)

Cheers,

-David