This fall I hope to get into Animation Mentor. I have registered, completed, and passed a competancy test. I was told there were a lot of registrations this semester and to expect to wait for a while before I hear back from them. That said, my chances of entering are good, but not promised.
Anyway, I wanted to ask, would it be smart to use Blender instead of Maya in these courses? They say you can use whatever software you want, so I’m not worried about it affecting my grade. What I wonder about is it affecting my hireability.
I kinda know the answer, but I thought it would be fun to ask this here.
The course was specifically designed for Maya, from what I’ve heard, but if they’re giving you the option to use your own software, I would take that opportunity.
What is hireability? The skills to use Maya or the skills to produce good animations? I assume you have Maya and Blender (Duh!), so would it be a problem to do the course in both programs? If you pull it off with both programs, it increases your hireability because you prove that your skills is independent of the software.
I don’t have both programs yet, but I will. That’s a good idea toontje!
I’m not a professional animator, but I think that the ability of doing successful animations (regardless of the program you are using to create them) lies in the sense of timing, weighting, right emotions and being aware of the integrity etc.
Nevertheless if you choose the application that enables you to do things more easily and efficiently (whatever application you prefer), you get more time to get right everything mentioned earlier.
I wonder if Maya Personal Learning Edition could be used through the Animation Mentor courses.
I think for that, even tho i’m a die-hard blender fanatic, I’d probably use whatever they’re most familiar with. Trying to teach/learn something as complex as animation doesn’t need any more hurdles to try to leap over. You could always do some of the courses twice, once with both apps, hehe. You’d be getting twice as much experience… you’d be getting half as much sleep tho…
As was said already, once you know the fundamentals on animation and how to move stuff, the only real problem is translating that knowledge from one app to the next. You might have to change your workflow to get from Maya to Blender, but the stuff you learn in one should be able to go with you to any app you’d want… or even to 2d animation (actually, i know they require 2d animation work as well… start practicing those flour sacks 
)
Two days ago I saw an ad by a company looking for an animator to do some product work. They were interested in results and didn’t care what program the project was done in as long as it met their requirements.
You have to realize, someone can know all the animation software in the world and not be able to make even the simplest character come alive. It is more important to have a creative spark and do work that catches a viewers eye. It is easier to train someone to use software, it is impossible to “train” creativity.
Good luck.
J
Ref their catalog. If using Maya they will provide all the rigged models you need for your assignments and projects. If using Blender you will have to provide your own. Their examples and assignments are tailored to Maya. You can get a student discount for Maya after you enroll.
I don’t know how much a headache using Blender would be for you. Personally, I would want to get right to animating with their models and not have to worry about coming up with my own. If I was spending 16 grand on classes I would probably go ahead and buy Maya too. Being familiar with and able to learn different apps can be a plus come interview time too, so I’ve heard.
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After reading your surprisingly fair and balanced suggestions, I have decided to go ahead and use this opportunity to learn Maya. It is very likely that I will only be able to afford a student license, and I have plans to go commercial on a couple of projects. Even after getting a job, it’s likely that I will choose to use Blender for my personal projects.