Why study medical animation? - Maya Tutorial

- [Instructor] I became a medical illustrator and animator because I was fascinated by the human body and the many things happening beneath our skin. Since working in the field, I've realized how valuable it is to progression of medical teaching and also for having the general public understand more about how their body works. This field is full of variety and allows creatives like myself to work closely with science and healthcare professionals. I look forward to giving you this introduction to the fundamentals of medical animation and I hope it inspires you to go on to study further in this area. First, let's talk about medical animation and what it's used for. Medical animation has a wide range of applications from patient communication and information to medical training and teaching. It is also used by the pharmaceutical industry for the commercialization of products. You might also notice that some television studios use medical animations in the productions of documentaries, popular medical or crime dramas, and advertising. In brief, medical animation is the perfect medium to communicate complex biological mechanisms, surgical procedures, and chemical processes. Visualizing the processes within our bodies, which usually goes unseen to the naked eye. Just like other forms of animation, it is a way of storytelling that can be adapted to work for any level of education and access anywhere in the world. It serves as a valuable resource for patient information, translating confusing medical terms into easy-to-follow narratives which can alleviate some anxiety associated with surgical procedures or health conditions. Some of the career opportunities that exist for animators specializing in medical animation can be within the public or private healthcare sectors, for commercial healthcare device manufacturers, in universities, in medical schools and hospitals to aid research, or to create in-house medical training videos and resources. Advances in technology have dramatically changed how people learn about medicine and the human body. There are endless opportunities for them to display medical information and it's no longer contained to the science textbook. It is an effective training tool for rapid learning, which is needed in a constantly developing field. One of the most exciting parts about working in medical animation is giving a complex medical subject matter the wow factor while also maintaining scientific accuracy. There are many ways you can approach a subject and with molecular animations, you have the freedom to experiment with color, lighting, and atmosphere, creating eye-catching cinematic imagery.