Dragon Animation Masterclass

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  • Mentor: Jonathan Symmonds
  • Skill level: Intermediate
  • Course time: 12 Weeks
  • Software: Autodesk Maya
  • Project files: Included
  • Course Cost: $999 USD
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Course overview
Have you ever wanted to learn how to animate a Dragon? This 12 week course course will take you through all the fundamentals you need to know to accomplish the infamous challenge of animating a dragon in all it's glory. The only one of it's kind online!

In this 12 week course you will learn how to animate a dragon flight cycle, dragon walk cycle. build animation asset to use later on, learn how to land the dragon and roar! At the end of the course you will learn how to animate the Dragon taking off.

Your instructor has also created animation presets for you to load, aswell as cached animation files to enable you to reference in real-time while you work.

Animating a Dragon is no easy task, the course starts off with an in-depth introduction to the character and the rig before you actually begin. Do not skip this part as there is so much to learn!

Jonathan Symmonds, your instructor, former lead animator of the Game of Thrones and House of Dragons, will teach you all the tips and tricks you need to know. Join now!

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Dragon Animation Masterclass

About this 12 week course

One of the hardest characters to animate (besides and octopus) is a dragon! Why? Because there is hardly any reference of dragons and knowing how to get the timing correct on such a magnificent creature is a real skill. That being said, Jonathan Symmonds has over 8 years experience animating dragons, so who better to teach you than the man himself.

He will take you on a 12 week course where you will learn how to set up the scene for animating, build the environment and set up the cameras and lighting. You will take a deep dive into the rig and he will explain everything there is to know about the rig and how to use it properly. From there, animation begins, you will learn different flight cycle setups, from climbs, to glides, to turns and then you will put this into practice on a path.

Once the animation path is working it will be time to land the dragon. You will learn all about the weight of the dragon and how to slow it down before settling on the ground. Next you will be animating a roar! This is so cool!

From the roar it will be time to do a walk cycle and build your asset library for the final stages and take-off. The last part of the course will be the take-off and final output for your demo-reels!

Welcome to the course!

Course Information

  • Course Duration: 12 Weeks
  • This course can be taken at any time
  • Category: Animation
  • 999 USD
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Software required: Autodesk Maya 2019+
  • Instructor: Jonathan Symmonds

What will I learn?

  • Introduction to the rig and how a dragon moves
  • Understand the fundamentals of flight
  • Create your own set of flight cycles and build up your library
  • Learn how to animate a character on a path and landing
  • A much better understanding of weight and timing
  • Landing a dragon and moving into a roar
  • Behavioral shifts in creatures during action
  • Asset library build and layered animation design
  • Learn how to take-off an extremely heavy creature
  • Camera switching and scripting cameras
  • Basic lighting setups for final look with Light Rig
  • Playblasting techniques and fine-tuning animation
  • Learn how to animation a Dragon Walk Cycle
  • Learn how to animate and cut an in-scene camera
Don't hesitate

Learn from the Game of Thrones Lead Animator!

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Flight Cycles & Walk Cycles Included!

Including the cached files from your instructor to help when animating

Course Lessons

Discover our unique Dragon Picker!

Kindly sponsored by MGLAND for Sophoria Academy Students!

Choose your own Dragon Textures

Dragon Rig License

If you purchase this part of the course, you will have the ability to purchase other parts of the course at a discounted rate (as you will not have to purchase the Dragon Rig license twice) Which is valued at $750.

If there are any queries regarding this please contact us and we can answer any questions you might have.

For example, if you buy "Dragon Course - Option A" for $1149 you will have access to "Dragon Course - Option B"  for $299 and "Dragon Course - Option C" for $199.

Discounts on other Courses!

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Frequently asked questions

Is this a Mentored Course & do i Get any Feedback?

This question has been asked numerous times. While the course is pre-recorded there is the possibility of submitting your work to the Mentor for reviews at any time, FREE of charge! We don't expect you to just enroll in the course and off you go. The instructor, Jonathan is available to give you recorded reviews on your work as you progress through the course.

In order to submit your work for review, simply upload it to Dropbox or Syncsketch and Jonathan will review it and provide feedback on the animation progress.

Do i need to be an advanced animator to start?

No. This course is designed to accommodate all artists, from beginners to advanced. Your instructor mentions areas in the course that can be skipped over if you are familiar with certain parts of the animation process, so the more advanced animators can move forward while giving the beginner animators time to catch up.

Do i get access to the Dragon Rig?

Yes you do! The Dragon Rig is included in the course! Not only is the rig included, but in some of the lessons, your instructor actually gives you final animation to reference from in the form of a cache that you can import into your scene to act as a guide.

Is there a payment plan available?

At the moment, unfortunately there is not a payment plan. We get asked this a lot! We are aware that a lot of students cannot afford to pay the full amount up front and as we would love to offer the course on a payment plan, the issue is that the Dragon Rig is available in the first week. The value of the Dragon Rig is $750USD and is included in the price of the course. If a student was to join on a payment plan, they then would be able to gain access to the Dragon Rig at a very low price and this would not be fair to the other students.

That being said, we are looking into ways that we can make the course more affordable, there are alternative options to joining the course, please visit these pages to find out more.

Dragon Course - No RIG- $799
Dragon Rig - $499
  • Age: 39
  • Speciality: Animation
  • Experience: 20+ years
"Surround yourselves only with the best. The better they are, the better you will become!"

Meet your instructor

Jonathan Symmonds

Jonathan Symmonds has worked for over 18 years as a senior animator having worked on titles such as James Cameron's "Avatar," "Prince of Persia," "Dark Tide," "Knerten," "Trollhunter," to name but a few. He is more famously recognized as the 'Lead Animator' on the "Game of Thrones" and most recently "House of Dragons."

He has extensive knowledge of creature animation and is one of the co-founders of Sophoria Academy. He was nominated 3 times for a VES Society Award and has even done his own TED Talk.

Join him as he takes you through this fantastic course and learn some insider knowledge from one of the greatest animators around!
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Benefits of
Sophoria Academy

Learn from some of the best instructors in the World from the comfort of your own home.

We want you to learn all the skills you need to become a VFX artist in your own right and at a price you can afford. No more expensive learning.

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When you join the academy, you will join other students from all over the World. Share your work in the forums and meet new friends!

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Project Files

Our courses have all the working files set up and in an easy to understand format. Your instructor has prepared everything for you already!

Mentorship opportunities

Some of our courses offer mentorship features. Be sure to get a course with mentorship so you can have direct feedback from your instructors.

Get this course for only

$999

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  • Instant access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Download Project files
  • Exclusive community
  • Dragon Rig Included
  • Cached animations
  • 12 weeks of videos
  • Lifetime access
  • Custom Picker

Bundles - Get a deal!

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