Charli Infinity wrote:
anyone with formal training in here?
Yes.
how many are there?
We'll never know for sure. Some people who have it won't want to say, and others will lie and say they have it when they don't. The people who have formal training tend to downplay its importance but acknowledge that it kept them focused, like IvanBenjamin just did.
what kind of education background will count as formal training in CGI?
The answer to that varies by person. I'll give the way I look at it below, as a person whose degrees are in another field.
When I hear "formal training" I take that to mean that the person has a degree or substantial coursework from an accredited school. Then there are all sorts of other levels of training. These can be unaccredited certificate programs, online tutorial companies, taking mini courses here in SL, and/or just grabbing tutorials as needed from things like YouTube.
If I understand from reading up on the subject, any of these can work if you are dedicated and follow through. I'm starting to learn a 3D program myself and I'm trying to go the route of using online tutorials.