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.
$110K - $130K *
Advance your career by leading FPGA development for innovative space applications. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure technical requirements are met, while mentoring junior engineers an...
5 days ago
Mechanical Design Engineer III
$80K - $95K *
Join a dynamic team to drive innovative mechanical design solutions for specialized machinery in the entertainment industry. Collaborate across departments to ensure project success from concept to ex...
3 days ago
Senior Software Engineer - Design Systems
$200K - $250K *
Drive the evolution of design systems by building and maintaining core components, enhancing accessibility and performance, while integrating AI to empower product teams and streamline development pro...
2 days ago
Senior Software Engineer - Design Systems
$200K - $250K *
Empower our Design Systems team by building and maintaining essential UI components. Your expertise in frontend development and AI will enhance product efficiency and accessibility, driving innovation...
2 days ago
Senior Software Engineer - Design Systems
$200K - $250K *
Empower product teams by building and maintaining design system components, enhancing accessibility and performance while integrating AI technologies to streamline development and foster innovation ac...
2 days ago
Senior Software Engineer - Design Systems
$200K - $250K *
Champion the development of a cutting-edge design system, enhancing UI patterns and components for seamless integration across products. Leverage AI and modern technologies to elevate user experiences...
2 days ago
$105K - $130K *
Shape the future of client audiovisual projects by designing, deploying, and maintaining innovative AV control systems, collaborating closely with clients and engineering teams to deliver robust, inte...
Reposted 1 week ago
$138K - $165K *
Empower high-performance PHY design by leading all phases from RTL to GDSII delivery, ensuring excellence in physical design and integration while collaborating with cross-functional teams to meet ind...
2 days ago
$174K - $225K *
Drive physical design excellence by leading partition architecture and implementation. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure timing closure and optimize methodologies for high-frequency, l...
3 days ago
$174K - $225K *
Innovate in the realm of physical design by managing netlist-to-GDSII processes, ensuring timely project delivery while collaborating with architecture teams to optimize hardware design specifications...
3 days ago
$175K - $263K *
Unlock potential by driving the design and implementation of advanced clock networks. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize performance, power, and area while ensuring timely project del...
3 days ago
$150K - $225K *
Optimize design processes by collaborating with teams to enhance partition architecture, ensuring timely implementation and verification while driving innovative solutions for power efficiency and are...
3 days ago
$110K - $130K *
Transform the future of GPU design by executing block-level physical design tasks, ensuring optimal performance and power efficiency through innovative techniques and rigorous analysis. Collaborate wi...
3 days ago
$174K - $225K *
Engineer cutting-edge physical design solutions, driving timing closure and implementation for complex SoCs. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize methodologies and ensure design goals a...
3 days ago
$108K - $130K *
Innovate in physical design by implementing partitions and optimizing place and route flows. Collaborate on floor planning, timing checks, and power optimization to ensure high-performance digital log...
3 days ago
$150K - $225K *
Join a dynamic team to transform high-performance PHY design from RTL to GDSII. Engage in static timing constraints, floor-planning, and physical design verification while developing methodologies for...
3 days ago
$130K - $155K *
Shape the future of high-performance PHY designs by collaborating across teams to deliver exceptional physical designs from RTL to GDSII, ensuring quality and innovation in every phase of the design p...
1 week ago
$120K - $145K *
Shape the future of life science projects by leading multi-discipline teams, ensuring project delivery excellence, and fostering client relationships. Drive business growth while mentoring staff and m...
1 week ago
$115K - $165K *
Shape innovative design solutions by leading a dynamic team, managing client relationships, and overseeing project execution from concept to completion in a fast-paced environment...
1 week ago
$100K - $140K *
Empower your creativity by designing impactful visual assets for government clients. Collaborate with teams to produce compliant, engaging content across digital and print platforms while managing mul...
2 weeks ago
$216K - $324K *
Unlock potential by driving physical design aspects in complex digital logic projects. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize placement, timing, and power integrity, ensuring high-perform...
3 days ago
$110K - $150K *
Grow your career with us as you lead aerospace design projects, creating innovative mechanical systems. Collaborate with cross-functional teams, mentor junior engineers, and ensure compliance with ind...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$140K - $150K *
Champion user-centered design by leading UX initiatives across product teams. Collaborate with cross-functional partners to create intuitive, data-driven experiences that enhance product quality and d...
1 week ago
$81K - $111K *
Unlock your creativity as you collaborate with a dynamic team to develop impactful visuals for high-profile retail campaigns across various digital channels, ensuring alignment with client goals and i...
Yesterday
$81K - $111K *
Join a team that's shaping impactful visuals for high-profile retail clients. Collaborate with creative leads to develop engaging content across social media and email campaigns, ensuring alignment wi...
Yesterday
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.