Escape Studios 3D Animation Reel 2026

Escape Studios is delighted to present our latest 3D animation reel - a selection of the best 3D animation completed at Escape Studios in the past year. Congratulations to all our students on their excellent work.

3D Animation Evening Class Returns 23 June 2026

Chameleon by Dave Novis 

Our 3D Animation Evening Class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught online by veteran animator Matteo Sanna.

Students start with basic exercises and build towards an industry-ready demo reel.

The 3D Animation Evening Class returns on 23 June 2026. 

BA/MArt 3D Computer Animation Returns Sept 2026

Spiderman animation by Escapee Giorgos Konstantinou

Escape Studios is accepting applications for our BA/MArt in The Art of 3D Computer Animation; teaching starts in September 2026.

Applications are through UCAS, and you can find out more about our undergraduate 2D & 3D Computer Animation courses at the official site.

Our  BA/MArt in The Art of Computer Animation was first launched in 2015, and our first group of animation students graduated in 2019, going on to find jobs and success in the industry.  

3D Animation Evening Class Returns 30 March 2026

Chameleon by Dave Novis 

Our 3D Animation Evening Class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught online by veteran animator Matteo Sanna.

Students start with basic exercises and build towards an industry-ready demo reel.

The 3D Animation Evening Class returns on 30 March 2026. 

MA 3D Animation Returns 14 Sept 2026

Animation by Jamie Floodgate

Our next Short Course and MA (Master of Arts) in 3D Animation returns on 14 September 2026.

The Short Course and MA in animation is taught both online and in-class at our new North Greenwich Campus.

Our Short Course and MA animation students have created many award-winning film projects such as "Alma", "Flame", "Hat Shop", "Mafia Mix-Up" and "Moon Rockz".  

3D Animation Evening Class Returns 8 Sept 2025

Our 3D Animation Evening Class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught online by veteran animator Matteo Sanna.

Students start with basic exercises and build towards an industry-ready demo reel.

The 3D Animation Evening Class returns on 8 September 2025. 

Last Call for 3D Anim Evening Class Starts 7 April

Our 3D Animation Evening Class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught online by veteran animator Matteo Sanna.

Students start with basic exercises and build towards an industry-ready demo reel.

The 3D Animation Evening Class returns on 7 April 2025. 

Meet the 3D Animation Team at Escape Studios

Who teaches 3D Animation at Escape Studios? We are fortunate to have many talented tutors in our large and growing animation department.  

We have a depth of talent and skills among our staff that ensures we can teach all aspects of the animation pipeline, from concept art through storyboarding, animation and final render. 

Below (in no particular order) are some of our talented tutors you will find teaching 3D Animation in our classrooms at Escape Studios.

MA 3D Animation Returns 24 February 2025

Animation by Jamie Floodgate

Our next Short Course and MA (Master of Arts) in 3D Animation returns on 24 February 2025.

The Short Course and MA in animation is taught both online and in-class at our new North Greenwich Campus.

Our Short Course and MA animation students have created many award-winning film projects such as "Alma", "Flame", "Hat Shop", "Mafia Mix-Up" and "Moon Rockz".  

3D Animation Evening Class Returns 7 April 2025

Our 3D Animation Evening Class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught online by veteran animator Matteo Sanna.

Students start with basic exercises and build towards an industry-ready demo reel.

The 3D Animation Evening Class returns on 7 April 2025. 

Animation Evening Class Returns on 23 Sept 2024

Evening Class in 3D Animation Starts 23 Sept

Our 20 week part-time evening class in 3D Animation  returns on 23rd September 2024.

This online animation class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught by veteran animator Matteo Sanna.

Students start with basic exercises and build towards an industry-ready demo reel.

MA 3D Animation Returns 23 Sept 2024

Animation by Sunny Asadi

Our next Short Course and MA (Master of Arts) in 3D Animation returns on 23 September 2024.

The Short Course and MA in animation is taught both online and in-class at our new North Greenwich Campus.

Our Short Course and MA animation students have created many award-winning film projects such as "Alma", "Flame", "Hat Shop", "Mafia Mix-Up" and "Moon Rockz".  

Animation Tutorial in Maya - Fish Swimming

Animate a fish swimming in Maya

In this simple tutorial we show how to animate a fish swimming, and then add some underwater lighting using Maya's software renderer. 

Start with a single side-to-side rotation of the fish; then copy and paste the curves down the fish's body, offsetting each curve by two frames. 

The result is the distinctive swish of a fish's tail.  The underwater lighting with caustics can be done with a few clicks. 

Using Houdini to Generate an Animation Path

 

In this video tutorial and blog post, Escape Studios tutor Simon Browne explains how to use Houdini to generate an animation path.  One common computer animation technique is to use a path to control the motion of a subject, commonly a vehicle.  Many animators may not know that there is a tool in Houdini that can generate an animation path automatically from features and attributes present in the scene environment.  To find out more about Houdini, follow this link to the Houdini tutorials at our Vimeo Tutorial Channel.

Animation by MA Student Tanya Kerner

Check out the superb animation above by Escape Studios animation student Tanya Kerner.  Tanya is studying on our Master's Degree in 3D Animation, taught by veteran animator tutor Lee Caller. This complex and well-structure shot was completed as part of the formal assessment on her course.  Congratulations to Tanya on her excellent work.

150 Animation Exercises to Boost Your Skill

150 Exercises to boost your skills

We're loving this list of 150 animation exercises created by Escapee David Mattock at his website Animator Artist Life. 

Escapee David Mattock took our short course in 3D animation at Escape Studios, and has now created a wide variety of exercises for any animator to tackle, from simple tasks like animating a vibrating telephone or a falling leaf, to complex character animation.  It's a great list, super useful for any animator who might need a little practice or inspiration for what to animate next. 

Animation Evening Class is Back on 21 Aug 2023

Our 20 week part-time evening class in 3D Animation  returns on 18th September 2023.

This online class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught by veteran animator Matteo Sanna.

Students start with basic exercises and build towards an industry-ready demo reel.

IK- v - FK: What Does It Mean? And Which is Best?

IK - v - FK - which is best?

One question that often confuses student animators is "IK vs FK" - Inverse Kinematics (IK) vs Forward Kinematics (FK).  The IK -v- FK debate is a bit of a techie question - it's not immediately obvious what these terms even mean, let alone how to explain which option you should choose.

IK -v- FK is really about hierarchies - usually shoulders, arms and hands.  If a character's hand controls are set to IK, then you are controlling the hands from the bottom of the arm hierarchy, from the hand control.  If you set the controls to FK, then upper arm, shoulder and body is in control of what the hands do.

In a walk cycle, you usually set arms and hands to FK, because the arms are swinging, controlled from the shoulders. But if you were to animate a sword fight, where the position of the hands is key, then you would likely choose IK.  For a bit more visual clarity, watch the short video below.

Last Call for Anim Evening Class on March 7th

Our 20 week part-time evening class in 3D Animation  returns on 7 March 2023; there are still one or two places available. 

This online evening class runs for 20 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7-10pm, and is taught by veteran animator Matteo Sanna, currently working at Weta Digital, the studio that brought The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit to the big screen.

MA 3D Animation Returns on 27 March 2023

Our MA (Master of Arts) in 3D Animation is back, with a new class starting on 27 March 2023.

The MA in animation will be taught both online and at our mid-town campus at 190 High Holborn in central London.

In recent years our MA animation students have created many award-winning film projects such as "Alma", "Flame", "Hat Shop", "Mafia Mix-Up" and "Moon Rockz". Many have also gone on to enjoy successful careers in industry. 

If you're looking for an animation course that teaches you how to animate to a professional level, and also leads to a formal qualification in the field, then this could be the right course for you.