Sir Wade's Fall Animation Challenge
Download the Project Files
Download the challenge template, and the character rig files!
Characters ready for animating in Maya's Viewport, and another variant that's render-ready.
You'll also find a robot sidekick, an awesome keytar, and a simple lighting setup to get started.
What more could you need? Remember to reference your files for easy switching!
DOWNLOAD CHARACTER RIGS + TEMPLATE FILEChallenge Prizes
NVIDIA RTX 30 Series GPUs
NVIDIA Studio is providing an RTX 3090 / RTX 3080 / RTX 3070 to 1st / 2nd / 3rd place, respectively
Wacom One 13 Display Tablets
Wacom for Education is providing a brand-new display tablet and stands for each Top 3 winner
JangaFX Suite Licenses
Makers of EmberGen, JangaFX is providing 4 perpetual licenses to their tools: Top 3 + Best FX
Animation Reel Reviews
Demo Reel critiques from former multiple award winning PIXAR artist of 20 years, Michal Makarewicz
Challenge Shot Reviews
Shot reviews from animation director at Paramount/Nickelodeon, Jean-Denis Haas
animBot 1-Year Licenses
1-Year Premium Licenses for Top 3
1-Year Pro Licenses for 5 Creative
RAZER Hardware Accessories
Thunderbolt 4 docks + 130W USB-C GaN Chargers
(Both for Top 3; 130W GaN Chargers for 5 Creative)
Judging in Progress!
Any additional submissions will not be judged, but can be included in the final montage
Timezone Converter
RULES + SUBMISSION
24 FPS | 120 - 360 Frames (5-15 sec) | 16:9 Aspect Ratio | 1080p+ | 100MB Max File Size
• Must loosely follow the template file / motion flow from screen left to screen forward-right
• Must feature at least one of the two included character rigs
• Playblasts / Renders must be clean (no visible manipulators, controls, selections, non-geo objects, etc. - see FAQ)
• Only one submission per artist
Ready to submit your final animation? Fill out the Google Form link here to complete your challenge entry.
You will be asked to sign into your email in order to upload your file to Sir's Google Drive via the form.
Meet the Judges
Sir Wade Neistadt
Sir Wade is a Character Animator and a YouTube Content Creator working to make animation and 3D education more accessible for aspiring and professional artists through his videos and industry training.
Michal Makarewicz
Former PIXAR Artist of 20 years, Michal is the founder of the Animation Collaborative and ProRigs. He's received 2 Annies (Soul, Ratatouille), been nominated for a VES award, and a Reuben Award.
Ilse Zamarripa
Lead 3D Animator at Steamroller Animation with a passion for character performance, dynamic scenes and body mechanics, Ilse is creating The Worldspace: a series of Animation Industry Videos on YouTube.
Jean-Denis Haas
Animation Director at Paramount / Nickelodeon (formerly Warner Brothers Animation and ILM), teacher at AM, his Spungella Animation Workshop, the Academy of Art University, and on YouTube.
Harvey Newman
Founder of Proxima Games Studio, Harvey is an Animation Director at Build a Rocket Boy. He has worked in the games industry for nearly 18 years and creates on YouTube.
Clint Jones | pwnisher
Creator of the popular 3D Community Render Challenges, Clint is a Director, a 3D / VFX Artist, and a Photographer who creates 3D Challenges, Tutorials, Live Streams and Breakdowns on YouTube.
Need Support?
Join the Animation Challenge Community Discord
If you need support, questions answered, or animation feedback from your peers, jump into the server and participate in Sir's community of artists.
It's always more fun to work with others, so get involved!
JOIN SIR WADE'S DISCORDFrequently Asked Questions
Can I submit more than one entry?
What happens if my submission is longer than 15 sec?
Can I work as a team with others?
Do I have to render a whole 3D scene / can I playblast?
Are there Blender rigs for these character?
I have questions. Where do I ask them?
Challenge Sponsored by
Prize Sponsors
Sir Wade's Autodesk University Talk
FTV142121-D | Exploring Maya's Workflows for Character Animation
In this talk, examine the variety of features and toolsets inside Maya that can be leveraged by artists to create compelling and engaging animated performances, in sometimes unexpected ways.
Learning Objectives:
- Experiment with new creative workflows in Maya
- Examine the differences between keyframe animation and motion capture workflows
- Utilize a variety of tools to visually enhance your scenes
- Animate with confidence and an understanding of what's happening under the hood
Image courtesy of Pejman Rajabi
Maya for Animators
In this online course, we cover the entire production pipeline of what Maya has to offer. All topics are covered to give you a generalist understanding of the tools, but with an emphasis on Character Animation Workflows and the needs of Feature and Game Production.
What started as a 5-hour training series at DreamWorks Animation is now over 20 hours of recorded lecture content for you to absorb at your own pace.
SEE WHAT'S INCLUDED