From simple mechanical animations like the bouncing ball and pendulum, students will now focus on the basics of character animation. Giving a synthetic character “life” is the goal. Using Maya, students will study arcs, breaking of joints, overlapping action, spacing, timing, editing animations with curves using the graph editor, and all the principles that make an animation look appealing. We will discuss how to pose and animate characters with appeal. Students will then tackle a variety of tasks that will prepare them for more advanced acting and real world of production skills as a character animator. Video reference and animation clip studies will further the knowledge of what makes animation work.

In this second (more advanced) modeling module, students will build upon their skills founded in Modeling 100. Attention to detail will be key as students learn to build “animation- proficient” characters and props with proper topology. Additional techniques will be introduced to add realistic detail to models and speed up modeling times. This class also includes learning supplementary tools and software to support a variety of modeling and creation pipelines.

This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of acting for the purpose of creating animation. The exercises will teach students how to perform actions differently for various characters and personalities: how to properly do anticipations and reactions for each action; how to do verbal and non-verbal acting, acting between two characters, increasing imagination and creativity and how to act with body language first and facial acting second.

This course focuses on lighting and shading in VRay and Maya. Students will focus on how light and materials are perceived. How mood can be accomplished through lighting and composition. Students will also be taught how to better understand render settings and apply their real world knowledge to get photo-realistic results in CG imagery.

In this course, students are introduced to 2D compositing using The Foundry’s Nuke and NukeX. Here they explore how effects are created and how they are integrated into live-action and CG plates. Our goal is to give students a strong foundation to which they can fully understand the depths of visual effects for Feature Films, TV Series and TV Movies.

These include Particles, mattes, color keying, camera tracking, stabilization, and using simple yet effective effects such as glows, flares, depth of field and color correction to achieve a “photo-real” look will be all covered. This course is essential to the understanding of various methods of compositing in order to achieve aesthetically beautiful and believable imagery. We take the students from introductory to moderate level techniques over 14 weeks and prepare them for entry level positions in the VFX Industry.

In this course, students are introduced to the world of the visual effects artist and the skills and techniques that are used in the field. We discuss how effects are created and how they are integrated into live-action and CG plates. Our goal is to give the students a good understanding of how movie magic is achieved. Particles, mattes, color keying, camera tracking, stabilization, and using simple yet effective effects such as glows, flares, depth of field, and color correction to achieve a “photo-real” look will be covered. This course is essential to the understanding of various methods of compositing in order to achieve esthetically beautiful and believable imagery.

The purpose of Digital sculpting 200 is to teach students the necessary tools to be able to function effectively in a professional working pipeline. This course introduces students to the new techniques and possibilities that Zbrush provides. Students will develop strong fundamentals of pose / proportion. Students will also learn all the necessary techniques to effectively finish sculpting a model and prepare it for pipeline production. Students will also learn how to work between Zbrush and other major 3D applications (such as Mudbox) for superior results.

Throughout this course, students learn how to work with art assets in the Unreal game engine and apply what they learn to a class project. While working on the project, students get to focus on and learn what they want to pursue as a career. Topics covered include normal map generation and painting, advanced UV techniques, importing geometry, collision meshes, animation systems, and more. Students will feel more than comfortable within the Unreal engine , have the knowledge to adapt to any realtime/game work environment, and know how to keep their digital assets efficient and of high quality.

Information Coming Soon.

During a Monitored Lab you will be reviewing your progress on current running projects assigned in various classes throughout the week. Each class is structured to provide individual coaching for each student in order to ensure goals and timelines are met on all assignments. A senior academic advisor or TA is made available during Monitored Lab to coach, critique and troubleshoot as needed any problems that arise. Monitored Lab ensures each student gets the necessary help needed in between classes.

Production 200 allows students the time needed to develop and deploy their final demo reel concepts. The class will also focus on developing the relationship the student will need to get started in the industry after graduation. Outings to mainstream studios in Vancouver and visits from top industry professionals will serve to inspire and guide students to create viable demo reels that will get them hired by the employer of their choice.

Students will design and sculpt a second complimentary character bust further developing their skills learned in first term. Elements of character design will be emphasized in the second term.

In this 7 week extended workshop students will learn how to go from a sculpted model to a production ready and efficient game model. Emphasis will be on workflow and problem solving so that when students are finished the course, they will have a production ready model. Confidence is essential when entering the final demo reel semester, and this course will solidify student’s knowledge base on all things character creation.

Advanced look at developing Environments for CG, with a focus on Environments for Games.