3D Animator / CGI Artist

What you'll do

Part production, part annotation. You build 3D character animations in Blender, Maya or Cinema 4D for an AI training dataset, applying rigging and movement techniques so the motion is accurate, and then you annotate video to point out what makes an animation read correctly: the weight shift, the arc of a limb, the difference between a believable walk cycle and a floaty one.

The rest is the usual shape of a micro1 annotation project. You clarify the annotation guidelines with project coordinators, keep your submissions visually consistent, and feed back on how the annotation approach itself could be improved. The customer and the model being trained are not named.

Who fits

• Working proficiency in at least one of Blender, Maya or Cinema 4D
• A solid grasp of rigging, skinning and character movement
• Familiarity with CGI and VFX pipelines; prior asset review or video annotation helps
• An eye for subtle differences in motion and visual style, plus the words to describe them
• Clear written communication for remote work

The ad is explicit that this is for entry-level and mid-level animators and that senior expertise is not required. A strong student reel or a year or two in a studio is closer to the target than a lead animator's CV.

What it pays

$15–80/hour, micro1's published band. That is more than a fivefold spread, and nothing on the listing says what decides where you land. The bottom of it is below what most freelance animation pays, so treat $15 as the figure to plan around until an offer says otherwise.

No compensation structure, weekly hours or project length is stated.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Open to early-career animators, which is rare for paid 3D work
• Any of three mainstream packages qualifies; you are not locked to one tool
• Remote, with no country restriction named
• Teaches you how motion quality is judged, which feeds back into your own work

Less good:

• One opening, so competition per seat will be high
• A $15–80 band with no stated basis for placement
• Nothing on hours, duration or whether pay is per hour or per task
• Creating assets for a training dataset means the work will not be portfolio material you can show
• Contractor engagement: no benefits, your own tax to manage

About this listing

Posted by micro1 on its own jobs portal and read on 24 September 2026. The $15–80/hour band, the single opening and the qualifications above are its published text. micro1 runs the same band on a set of video-editing listings (Adobe, Avid, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro); this is the only one where you create 3D content rather than work with existing footage. See micro1.