3D designers turn concepts into compelling digital and physical experiences. They create models, environments, animations, and visualizations for industries such as technology, entertainment, architecture, product design, advertising, and manufacturing. Explore vetted 3D Designer opportunities on Ladders, including roles with compensation of $100,000 or more.
Responsibilities vary by industry and employer, but often include building and refining 3D models, developing textures and materials, lighting and rendering scenes, creating animations, and preparing assets for production. Designers may collaborate with art directors, engineers, product teams, animators, and clients to translate briefs and technical requirements into polished visual work.
Employers commonly seek strong visual design fundamentals, spatial reasoning, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate ideas clearly. Depending on the role, useful experience may include 3D modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering, real-time workflows, and visualization. Tools vary across teams and may include Blender, Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, ZBrush, or real-time engines such as Unreal Engine.
3D designers can specialize in areas such as product visualization, architectural visualization, character and environment art, motion design, virtual production, or interactive experiences. With experience, professionals may advance to senior designer, lead artist, art director, or other creative leadership roles. Requirements and compensation depend on specialization, experience, location, and employer.
Browse Ladders for vetted professional opportunities with salaries of $100,000 or more. Explore 3D Designer listings, compare role requirements, and discover opportunities that align with your creative strengths and career goals.
Director of Business Development
$125K - $150K *
Drive your career with a strategic role focused on new business development, leveraging strong interpersonal skills to build relationships and achieve aggressive revenue targets across diverse industr...
5 days ago
Project Manager - Capital Planning
$90K - $120K *
Optimize building assessments and capital projects while leading teams and managing client relationships. Oversee project scopes, budgets, and timelines to deliver impactful outcomes in a collaborativ...
Reposted 1 week ago
Application Engineer (Technical Sales) - Defense
$108K - $181K *
Create impactful technical solutions in military electrification projects. Collaborate with defense clients and provide expertise throughout the proposal process, ensuring compliance and mission effec...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
Configuration & Release Manager (Senior)
$110K - $130K *
Manage configuration and release processes for software, ensuring accuracy and traceability of components, dependencies, and documentation. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to analyze impacts a...
1 week ago
Control Systems Integrator III - Energy
$95K - $115K *
Drive the development of advanced control systems for energy projects, leading technical initiatives and collaborating with clients to enhance manufacturing processes through innovative automation sol...
2 weeks ago
Lead Platform Engineer (Full-Stack)
$125K - $150K *
Manage and execute the full SDLC for a cutting-edge application platform, leveraging AI tools and leading a small team. Design architecture, oversee database management, and ensure security compliance...
1 week ago
$90K - $120K *
Transform media operations by planning and coordinating across various areas, ensuring efficiency and adherence to best practices while driving productivity and cost savings in a dynamic environment...
2 weeks ago
Forward Deployed Engineer, AI & Agentforce
$110K - $130K *
Join our AI acceleration team to drive impactful client engagements, rapidly prototype solutions, and demonstrate innovative agentic capabilities, all while collaborating closely with stakeholders to...
3 weeks ago
$95K - $115K *
Join a team that's dedicated to crafting exceptional user experiences. As a UI/UX Engineer, you'll design intuitive interfaces and collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance digital products...
2 weeks ago
$160K - $200K *
Shape the future of creative leadership by setting visionary strategies, driving distinctive brand expressions, and empowering a talented team to deliver integrated, high-impact marketing campaigns th...
Reposted 2 days ago
Head of Design (North America/Europe - Remote)
$171K - $218K *
Drive the design vision for a leading SaaS platform, enhance user experience by leading a lean design team, and influence product development with data-informed decisions to create an effortless produ...
Reposted today
Associate Staff Engineer - INFOR M3 Technical Consultant
$90K - $110K *
Contribute to seamless enterprise integrations by designing and developing Infor M3 solutions. Leverage your expertise in Infor OS, ION, and APIs to enhance data exchange across applications and suppo...
3 weeks ago
$95K - $115K *
Lead the charge in advancing show control systems by designing large-scale projects, mentoring engineers, and developing best practices to enhance performance and user experience across diverse entert...
1 week ago
$95K - $115K *
Optimize show control systems by leading large projects, mentoring engineers, and developing best practices. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance performance and ensure seamless integrat...
1 week ago
$100K - $120K *
Shape the future of show control systems by leading large-scale projects, mentoring engineers, and developing best practices to enhance performance and user experience across diverse entertainment app...
1 week ago
Product Manager, Consumer & Mobile Applications
$110K - $130K *
Advance the homeowner experience by leading the vision and execution of mobile and web applications, integrating legacy systems, and enhancing self-service capabilities for seamless customer interacti...
2 days ago
$115K - $130K *
Transform the contracting process by managing the lifecycle of agreements, ensuring efficient execution while balancing risk and compliance. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support business...
1 month ago
Assistant Project Manager (Mission Critical)
$86K - $112K *
Drive project success by supporting the Project Manager with scheduling, cost management, and compliance while maintaining client relations throughout the project lifecycle. Leverage your estimation e...
Reposted 1 week ago
Senior AI Developer - Product Operations
$140K - $170K *
Drive the development of AI agents, shaping architecture and standards while ensuring production quality. Collaborate with Product Managers to enhance product lifecycle efficiency and foster team grow...
Reposted 1 week ago
$150K - $180K *
Empower engineering teams to innovate and deliver high-quality SaaS products. Lead technical direction, enhance system architecture, and foster collaboration across teams to drive user-centric solutio...
3 weeks ago
Software Engineer 4 (Commercial Nuclear)
$113K - $178K *
Drive your career with a senior role focused on software development for control room simulators, collaborating with engineers to enhance plant models and ensure high-quality deliverables in a dynamic...
3 weeks ago
Director of Tier 3 and Support Engineering
$125K - $150K *
Lead the charge in enhancing customer support by managing Tier 3 Support and Support Engineering teams. Drive technical resolutions, streamline escalations, and foster team development within a dynami...
3 weeks ago
$120K - $130K *
Unlock potential by leading the design and optimization of secure cloud-native platforms. Collaborate across teams to enhance software delivery, implement CI/CD pipelines, and drive best practices in...
4 days ago
Lead Backend Developer, Distributed Systems (Remote)
$147K - $192K *
Join a team that's pioneering the next-gen AI decisioning layer, leading the architecture and implementation of a scalable, fault-tolerant distributed system for real-time messaging across multiple ch...
5 days ago
$135K - $160K *
Champion the design and delivery of modern data platforms, focusing on Microsoft Fabric and Azure. Lead client engagements, define architectures, and establish best practices for data solutions across...
Reposted 6 days ago
What does a 3D designer do?
A 3D designer creates digital models, scenes, animations, and visualizations. The work may support products, architecture, games, film, advertising, or other experiences, depending on the employer.
What skills are important for 3D designer jobs?
Commonly valued skills include 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, rendering, visual design, spatial reasoning, collaboration, and clear communication. Specific requirements differ by role and industry.
Which software do 3D designers use?
Tools vary by specialty and team. Common examples include Blender, Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, ZBrush, and Unreal Engine.
What industries hire 3D designers?
3D designers work across technology, entertainment, architecture, product design, advertising, manufacturing, and other fields that use three-dimensional visualization or digital content.
Can 3D designers find jobs paying $100,000 or more?
Yes. Ladders features vetted professional jobs paying $100,000 or more, including opportunities that may suit experienced 3D designers. Compensation depends on factors such as experience, specialty, location, and employer.