BA (Hons) 3D Game Art (Online) drafted

Program Overview

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Do you love computer games? Kick-start a career designing the animations that bring them to life with a degree in 3D Game Art. On this online course you’ll have access to industry standard software, ensuring everything you learn is current and relevant.

Taught by industry experts this dynamic course gives you the skills and knowledge you need for an industry role and the chance to create a varied portfolio of work to display your talent.

Program Outline

Modules

This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our

Academic Advice section

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This course has Opportunity modules.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers.

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Year 1 Core Modules Credits

Introduction to 3D Modelling 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll study how to make a 3D mesh, using the 3D modelling toolset from a modelling application. Through the process, you will also  develop your observation skills using real objects and / or reference material. You will be expected to keep and submit a reflective learning journal as supporting evidence for their project.

Texturing and Look Development 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll study how to texture a 3D model according to reference material, how to create the maps needed to accurately shade & render an object so that it will appear indistinguishable from the real thing, and how to recognise and replicate the properties of real-world materials. You'll be given models complete with UVs for workshops & practice. You'l...

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Texturing and Look Development

Credits

20.00

You'll study how to texture a 3D model according to reference material, how to create the maps needed to accurately shade & render an object so that it will appear indistinguishable from the real thing, and how to recognise and replicate the properties of real-world materials. You'll be given models complete with UVs for workshops & practice. You'll discover how to set up a three-point lighting setup and replicate it in CG, techniques for on-set lighting in film production, why each technique might be used in different scenarios and how to match these in CG for visual effects elements. You'll study the role of lighters in the VFX industry, and managing your time and scenes efficiently.

Lighting and Rendering 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll discover how to set up a three-point lighting setup and replicate it in CG, techniques for on-set lighting in film production, why each technique might be used in different scenarios and how to match these in CG for visual effects elements. You'll study the role of lighters in the VFX industry, and managing your time and scenes efficiently.

Animation Principles and the Moving Figure 20.00

Credits

20.00

This module aims to give you an understanding of the principles of animation & practical skills to animate simple 3D rigs with weight, force & expression. In the animation studio environment you'll cover essential topics and develop the skills to create animation using industry standard software and will analyse the workflows used in the industry.

Visual Narrative 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll study the core methods and principles of communicating a story with moving image. You'll have the chance to develop your understanding of cinematic techniques, using 3D software to experiment and test the creative possibilities of visual narrative. You'll also study the fundamentals of lighting and cameras.

Opportunity Modules

You must choose 2 x 10 credit Level 4 Opportunity modules from the Opportunity module catalogue.

Year 2 Core Modules Credits

Games Engines 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll learn about Games Engines and how they are used to construct game levels from 3D assets. You'll also look at other types of asset commonly found in games and how to set them up to achieve the full user experience. You'll study how basic interactivity is achieved through the application of customisable scripts to level assets.

Virtual Environments for Games 20.00

Credits

20.00

A key task of any 3D game is to build a game environment. This module covers the processes involved in building a one suitable for use in a games engine such as Unreal Engine. You'll study how to design & build a set of assets and from these create a 3D game level. You will be able to import additional resources to ensure your level feels complete.

Digital Sculpting 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll discover how to use digital sculpting software to create models that look and feel organic, with a focus on character modelling. You may choose to create a hard surface model of suitable complexity for your level. You are not expected to produce character concept work themselves but can do so with agreement from their lecturer.

Simulated FX 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll explore the simulation processes used in creating animated destruction, looking closely at how particles and rigid/dynamic bodies behave & interact with each other. You'll study key techniques like simulating dust, debris and how to shatter & collapse objects. Destruction is often accompanied by other simulations such as particles & smoke.

Optional Modules Credits

Plan your showreel (placement) 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll consider your career objectives in both the short, medium & long term, then focus on your short to medium term goals. You'll produce an action plan of the path you intend to take to achieve your aims. You'll research job roles, analyse inspirational showreels of professionals, and look at how you can create a meaningful showreel of your own.

Rigging 20.00

Credits

20.00

The rig is never seen by the audience but, for a computer generated character to be convincing, this is a critical aspect that has to work according to the brief. Rigging is a logical process, requiring strong organisation and problem solving skills. You’ll learn to create a rig for a humanoid character and bind the mesh to the rig.

Project 20.00

Credits

20.00

This unit provides you with an opportunity to work on a small project, ideally in a small team but individual projects are possible where appropriate. You may also work with people studying other disciplines. Projects are the basis of much creative work and typically involve pre-production, production and postproduction phases, as well as teamwork.

Character FX 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll study 2 aspects of Character FX work: groom and clothing. You'll look at how to set up, render and style clothes and digital hair on a humanoid character, as well as how to make a basic test simulation. You'll then render outputs into a short animated sequence and write a 2000 word evaluative learning journal of your character FX project.

Opportunity Modules

In addition, you must choose 2 x 10 credit Level 5 Opportunity modules from the Opportunity module catalogue.

Year 3 Core Modules Credits

Industry Production Project 20.00

Credits

20.00

You'll complete an industry style brief, fulfilling one or more roles (modeler, animator, compositor, groom artist and others) in an appropriate pipeline. The brief will be set and approved by the lecturers in conjunction with industry advice.

Portfolio