Animation offers a lucrative career option in a variety of fields.

Just a few years ago, animation was seen as being kids’ entertainment, and was restricted to cartoons. But that’s not the case anymore. There has been a tremendous shift in the audience for animated movies and animated movies have gained huge popularity amongst adults and grown-ups. Blockbuster movies like Ice Age and Shrek, which were equally popular among the adults, are an example of this.

The animation industry is among the fastest growing segments of the entertainment and media industry and it has matured a great deal in terms of technical expertise over the last five years. As per the latest FICCI reports, the value of the global animation industry is estimated to reach the staggering worth of INR 1530 billion by 2010.


The size of the Indian animation industry still stands at a modest 17.4 billion. This industry gained significance in India as an outsourced destination for animation work primarily due to low cost and skilled labors-and India is already considered to be the hub for global outsourcing in 3D animation and visual effects. Some of the movies that depended hugely on an ultra-modern animation technology and complex computer graphics are Jurassic Park, Independence Day, Tomb Raider, Harry Potter, 2010, Dhoom, Blue, Ghajini and Raaz. Many giant companies like Walt Disney, Sony Pictures and Turner Entertainment are also off-shoring animation content to India.

This is a clear indication of the kind of growth that is seen for the industry despite the current recession and there is a huge opportunity waiting to be grabbed. And though the biggest consumer of animation still remains the entertainment industry there is lot more beyond it too.

Architects in the construction industry use animation to create a walk-through of a new construction to ensure that every aspect is properly planned. Something as basic as the entry and exit Points of a shopping mall is designed and planned using 3D animation because any mistake in that cannot be rectified easily after the completion of the project. This is also the case with engineers, who give wings to their experimental creations with the help of animation technologies.


The aviation industry uses 3D animation in the simulators used to train pilots. The automobile industry uses 3D animation in the simulators used to train pilots. The automobile industry uses 3D animation with other software to see the real time effect of various road conditions on an automobile. Two-wheeler manufacturers have developed simulator machines using 3D animation that gives a prospective buyer the “feel” of a bike before he can decide on his purchase. Apart from this, Animation is also becoming very dependable as with a recent development, 3D animation is now being used in medical science. Today, surgeons can actually practice and understand complicated surgery by first working on a 3D animated surgical procedure before going into the actual operation. The gaming industry too is booming at a very fast pace. Console gaming is currently the largest share holder in the overall revenue of Indian Gaming Industry, registering a total revenue of INR 4.1 billion in 2008 which is expected to spiral to INR 9.4 million in 2013.

With animation gaining such tremendous popularity, it is very important one should develop creative orientation, understanding of film-making, storytelling and visual sense. Clear grasp of concepts in animation is critical, alongside the actual software training. But there is a tendency to neglect these. Specialization is also now being more and more required by top companies. It is also advisable to do such courses from premium institutes which deliver quality products and services and can eventually offer their students a lucrative and exciting career.

To get into the field of animation, a person should complete 10+2 or any other degree and should have the passion for creativity, after which there are various short term and long term courses available to suit an individual’s needs.


But that’s not all. The best part is the kind of work a person gets to do after acquiring these skills. There are vacancies in animation studios, gaming studios, visualization and walk-through units, and also lot of freelance work and work involving small companies which utilize all-rounder. Advertising is another booming area where animation is used more & more. There are openings for special effects artists, visual effects artists, creative visualizers, and graphic designers. As far as the salaries are concerned, it varies from studio to studio based on the quality of the job. If studio hires a fresher then they provide hands-on training on to the project so the salary could start from Rs.10,000, which can easily pocket upto Rs.40,000 per month within two years depending on the work quality of the individual.

To gain all this, of course choosing the right institute is important. When hunting for the right training institute for Animation, Comics Design and Visual Effects, there are few key important points which one must keep in mind:-
The training institute/company must have an active production background which is important since it helps translate the latest developments, requirements & production qualities into effective curriculum & teaching methodology. This also ensures constant interaction with technical & creative experts & enables as much needed exposure to active animation production. For instance, VIC associates virtualinfocom studio as the backbone of VIC’s academic development.virtualinfocom studio situated at Kolkata has over 85 artist in animation, game development, game design, comics design, mobile application development, i-Phone Development and has also produced animation series "Little Tuli", "Archer Comics" , "Banglar Dakat" , Corporate presentations , NOKIA Apps , "Mahabharata " Games which is the first Indian contect game on PC and Mobiel and Online platform .

have a look at http://www.virtualinfocom.com and  http://www.virtualinfocom.org for all the details you want .

Industry Alliances:-In addition to a production background, the training institute/company must have active alliances with the top players in the industry for placements, technical seminars/workshops & more. For instance, our alliances with some of the top studios in India enables us to bring, on one platform, experts from the industry & the huge talent pool pursuing courses with us.

Student Demo-reels /Work: The quality of courses can be easily observed by looking at the quality of student demo-reels at work. We are proud of our students who have made films which have not only won awards in India but have also excelled on the international film festival circuit. Many other things can be claimed easily without genuine effort but the quality of student work can never be disguised.


Placements: Last but the most important, check the placement record of the training institute. virtualinfocom takes pride in the fact that our students are placed at some of the finest companies and studios in India such as Rhythm & Hues, UTV, EA Sports, Crest Animation Studio, Ani2Pix, Activition, TCS, Tata Intaractive Services, CTS and more. We feel elated that these apex companies have given their stamp of approval to our students. The above is a proven method of assessing the quality of the institute.