Student Artwork by Bavly Hanna Concept Feng Wei
Student Artwork by Bavly Hanna Concept Feng Wei

Overview

The BFA curriculum is designed to provide students with a 3D generalist education that prepares them to work as digital artists within the Visual Effects, Animation, and Games industries. Students have the option to choose a Concentration in either Game Art or Visual Effects Animation, which contains 27 unique units of concentration-specific courses.

3D Generalist Curriculum

Please note: this curriculum is subject to change.

  • Term 1

    Overview of Digital Production
    Language Arts 1
    Figure Drawing
    Earth Science
    Cultural Studies
    Visual Communications 1

  • Term 2

    Art History 1
    Storyboarding
    Color Theory & Light
    Perspective
    Character Sculpture 1
    Anatomy

  • Term 3

    Introduction to 3D with Maya
    Texturing & Shading 1
    Photoshop for Digital Production
    Quantitative Principles 1
    Digital Photography

  • Term 4

    Art History 2
    Texturing & Shading 2
    Animation & Visual Effects 1
    Hard Surface Modeling 1
    History & Principles of Animation
    Digital Painting

  • Term 5

    Digital Sculpting
    Lighting & Rendering 1
    Animation & Visual Effects 2
    Introduction to Compositing
    Animal Drawing

  • Term 6

    Character Animation 1
    HD Digital Filmmaking for VFX
    Hard Surface Modeling 2
    Art of Compositing
    Language Arts 2

  • Term 7

    Dynamic Effects 1
    Matchmoving and Integration
    Advanced Compositing
    Lighting and Rendering 2
    Introduction to Unreal

  • Term 8

    Character Animation 2
    Digital Sets
    Texturing and Shading 3
    Lighting and Rendering 3
    Dynamic Effects 2

  • Term 9

    Quantitative Principles 2
    Character Rigging Fundamentals
    Look Development
    Houdini 1
    Elective 300 (choose one):

    • Digital Matte Painting
    • Character Animation 3
    • Props and Weapons for Games
  • Term 10

    Narrative Structure
    Character Rigging for Production
    Social Science
    Lighting & Rendering 4
    Elective 400 (choose one):

    • Character Modeling and Sculpting
    • Creature Animation 1
    • Texturing and Shading 4
  • Term 11

    Oral Communication
    Demo Reel 1
    Demo Reel 2
    Elective 410 (choose one):

    • Houdini 2
    • Previsualization and Animatics
    • Creature Modeling and Sculpting
  • Term 12

    Portfolio Preparation
    Demo Reel 3
    Demo Reel 4
    Elective 420 (choose one):

    • Character Animation 4
    • Advanced Digital Sculpting
    • Maya Modules

Featured Courses

Digital Matte Painting

Create complex matte paintings in Photoshop and Nuke

Houdini 1

Dive into the possibilites of creating procedural art with SideFX Houdini

Game Art Concentration

Highlighted courses are unique to the Game Art Concentration grid. Please note: this curriculum is subject to change.

  • Term 1

    Overview of Digital Production
    Language Arts 1
    Figure Drawing
    Earth Science
    Cultural Studies
    Visual Communications 1

  • Term 2

    Art History 1
    Storyboarding
    Color Theory & Light
    Perspective
    Character Sculpture 1
    Anatomy

  • Term 3

    Introduction to 3D with Maya
    Texturing & Shading 1
    Photoshop for Digital Production
    Quantitative Principles 1
    Digital Photography

  • Term 4

    Art History 2
    Texturing and Shading 2
    Animation & Visual Effects 1
    Hard Surface Modeling 1
    History & Principles of Animation
    Digital Painting

  • Term 5

    Digital Sculpting
    Introduction to Unreal
    Animation & Visual Effects 2
    Introduction to Compositing
    Hard Surface Modeling 2

  • Term 6

    Props & Weapons for Games
    Animal Drawing
    Lighting & Rendering 1
    Game Creation 1
    Game Design

  • Term 7

    Character Modeling & Sculpting
    Character Animation 1
    Level Design
    Environment Creation for Games
    Texturing & Shading for Games

  • Term 8

    Language Arts 2
    Character Creation for Games
    Game Creation 2
    Animation for Games
    Dynamic Effects 1

  • Term 9

    Quantitative Principles 2
    Character Rigging Fundamentals
    Game Creation 3
    Houdini 1
    Elective 300 (choose one):

    • Digital Matte Painting
    • Character Animation 2
    • Lighting & Rendering 2
  • Term 10

    Narrative Structure
    Game Creation 4
    Social Science
    Visual Effects for Games 1
    Elective 400 (choose one):

    • Dynamic Effects 2
    • Creature Animation 1
    • Character Animation 3
  • Term 11

    Oral Communication
    Demo Reel 1
    Demo Reel 2
    Elective 410 (choose one):

    • Houdini 2
    • Character Rigging for Production
    • Creature Modeling & Sculpting
  • Term 12

    Portfolio Preparation
    Demo Reel 3
    Demo Reel 4
    Elective 420 (choose one):

    • Character Animation 4
    • Advanced Digital Sculpting
    • Maya Modules

Featured Courses

Character Creation for Games

Develop game-ready characters in Maya and Zbrush

Environment Creation for Games

Learn the process of building immersive game environments in Unreal

Visual Effects Animation Concentration

Highlighted courses are unique to the Visual Effects Animation Concentration grid. Please note: this curriculum is subject to change.

  • Term 1

    Overview of Digital Production
    Language Arts 1
    Figure Drawing
    Earth Science
    Cultural Studies
    Visual Communications 1

  • Term 2

    Art History 1
    Storyboarding
    Color Theory & Light
    Perspective
    Character Sculpture 1
    Anatomy

  • Term 3

    Introduction to 3D with Maya
    Texturing & Shading 1
    Photoshop for Digital Production
    Quantitative Principles 1
    Digital Photography

  • Term 4

    Art History 2
    Texturing & Shading 2
    Animation & Visual Effects 1
    Hard Surface Modeling 1
    History & Principles of Animation
    Digital Painting

  • Term 5

    Principles of VFX
    Lighting & Rendering 1
    Animation & Visual Effects 2
    Introduction to Compositing
    Character Animation 1

  • Term 6

    Art of Compositing
    HD Digital Filmmaking for VFX
    Dynamic Effects 1
    Houdini 1
    Language Arts 2

  • Term 7

    Houdini 2
    Matchmoving & Integration
    Introduction to Unreal
    Lighting & Rendering 2
    Dynamic Effects 2

  • Term 8

    Dynamic Effects 3
    Houdini 3
    Character Rigging Fundamentals
    Advanced Compositing
    Motion Capture

  • Term 9

    Quantitative Principles 2
    Houdini 4
    Dynamic Effects 4
    Virtual Production
    Elective 300 (choose one):

    • Digital Matte Painting
    • Character Animation 2
    • Digital Sculpting
  • Term 10

    Narrative Structure
    VFX Design
    Social Science
    Liquid Simulations
    Elective 400 (choose one):

    • Character Modeling & Sculpting
    • Lighting & Rendering 3
    • Visual Effects for Games
  • Term 11

    Oral Communication
    Demo Reel 1
    Demo Reel 2
    Elective 410 (choose one):

    • Lighting & Rendering 4
    • Previsualization & Animatics
    • Character Rigging for Production
  • Term 12

    Portfolio Preparation
    Demo Reel 3
    Demo Reel 4
    Elective 420 (choose one):

    • Character Animation 3
    • Advanced Digital Sculpting
    • Maya Modules

Featured Courses

Houdini 4

Learn to create complex procedural assets and tools in SideFX Houdini

Liquid Simulations

Create a varity of complex liquid simulations in SideFX Houdini