| Note: To view a course syllabus, click on any course
that has a red, bold
title. |
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| This course provides an overview
of the primary industry software tools used in the
creation of 2D and 3D computer graphics. Students
will learn the concepts, commands, and interfaces
of industry standard raster, vector graphics, and
3D software applications in order to create and manipulate
2D images and 3D models. In addition to covering such
essential topics as team integration / communication,
asset management, source control, and localization,
there will also be an emphasis on creating content
suitable for a computer game engine. |
| Prerequisites: None |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
None |
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| Before a new game idea can enter
the development stage, concept artists must previsualize
the game elements and locations. This early design
work is critical to efficient asset creation later.
In this class we learn the methods used by game concept
artists including character design, storyboarding,
set design, logo design and more. This work is done
on paper and in 2D graphics applications like Photoshop. |
| Prerequisites: Design and
Life Drawing courses (or Instructor's consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available
at the ACC Bookstore): None |
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| GAME
1029 Concept Art II - Game UI and Mapping |
| The growth of realtime 3D graphics in games has not
reduced the need for 2D graphics, but actually increased
it. 2D artists produce the surface graphics for 3D objects
and characters that provide realism and polish. 2D artists
are also responible for the user interface, typography
and prompts that are the users' main interface with
the game. In this class we learn to design an effective
user interface (GUI), to construct maps for 3D objects
and other flat assets using Photoshop, PaintShop Pro
and other applications. |
| Prerequisites: Design and Life Drawing courses
(or Instructor's consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
None |
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| GAME 1027 Concept Art III - Game Art Direction |
| Modern game teams may include many graphics specialists.
The art director or art lead organizes the effort of
all of those talented people and is responsible for
the ultimate look of the game. In this class we learn
to define the overall visual design of a game and to
direct the work of a team of artists to implement it.
We will also plan workflow, track spending and interface
with technical and business specialists to insure a
successful game. |
| Prerequisites: Design and Life Drawing courses,
working knowledge of Photoshop (or Instructor's consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
tbd |
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| GAME 1033 2D Art for 2D games |
| This is a course whose focus is entirely on 2D game
issues. Tiling, sprites, low-res rendering, transparency,
alpha testing, antialiasing, orthographic perspective
choices, faking depth with overlapping, scaling and
parallax, 2D animation, rendering 3D to 2D, and 2D UI
will be covered extensively. |
| Prerequisites: working knowledge of Photoshop |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
tbd |
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GAME 1015 3D Animation I |
| This course introduces students to the fundamentals
of character animation for video games. Through a series
of exercises students will learn the 12 principles of
animation and how they apply to character animation
in video games. Students will apply changes in translation,
and rotation through space in time and be introduced
to camera control and composition. Students will learn
the 12 principles of animation and apply them in 3D
space. Game animation issues, such as animation of hierarchal
objects and character rigs, timing for in gameplay,
and in-game storytelling will be introduced. |
| Prerequisites: GAME 1030 Video Game Art, 3D
StudioMax & Photoshop proficiency (or Instructor's
consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
The Art of 3-D Computer Animation and Effects, Third
Edition, by Isaac Victor Kerlow, John Wiley & Sons,
ISBN: 0471430366; The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard
Williams, Faber & Faber, ISBN 0571212689; Recommended:
Introducing 3ds Max 9: 3D for Beginners by Dariush Derakhshani,
Randi L. Munn, Jon McFarland, Publisher: Sybex, ISBN-13:
978-0470097618 ; The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
by Ollie Johnston & Frank Thomas, Disney Editions,
ISBN: 0786860707; Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair,
Walter Foster, ISBN-10: 1560100842. |
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| GAME
1031 3D Animation II |
| This course will continue focusing on exercises to
refine the animator’s skill in the 12 principles of
animation. Exercises in body mechanics will be emphasized.
Focus will be directed towards a characters weight center
of gravity and mass. Other areas of focus will include
camera, staging and the animator’s ability to relay
personality through their animated performances. Bone
systems and rigging techniques will be introduced along
with discussion and various examples. This will include
skinning and weighting, FK and IK, constraints, mesh
deformers, morph targets / blend shapes. Students will
then explore animating their characters to test their
rigs, as well as discussions on optimization for export
into real time game engines. |
| Prerequisites: : GAME 1015 Object and Camera
Animation (or Instructor's consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
The Art of 3-D Computer Animation and Effects, Third
Edition, by Isaac Victor Kerlow, John Wiley & Sons,
ISBN: 0471430366; The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard
Williams, Faber & Faber, ISBN 0571212689; Recommended:
Introducing 3ds Max 9: 3D for Beginners by Dariush Derakhshani,
Randi L. Munn, Jon McFarland, Publisher: Sybex, ISBN-13:
978-0470097618; The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
by Ollie Johnston & Frank Thomas, Disney Editions,
ISBN: 0786860707; Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair,
Walter Foster, ISBN-10: 1560100842. |
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| GAME 1032 3D Animation III |
| This course emphasizes acting as a tool of studying
animated movement. Character personality, expression,
motivation, body language, and posture will be studied
through classroom exercises. Exploration in the twelve
principles of animation will be demonstrated kinesthetically,
then applied to a 3D character. Students will learn
advanced 3D computer animation techniques through the
exploration of choreographing character movement, embedding
of behavior attributes into characters, forward and
inverse kinematics, skinning, deformers, rigid and soft
body dynamics. This course will focus on creating high-end
character animation suitable for pre-rendered game cinematics. |
| Prerequisites: GAME 1031 3D Animation II (or
Instructor's consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
The Art of 3-D Computer Animation and Effects, Third
Edition, by Isaac Victor Kerlow, John Wiley & Sons,
ISBN: 0471430366; The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard
Williams, Faber & Faber, ISBN 0571212689; Recommended:
Introducing 3ds Max 9: 3D for Beginners by Dariush Derakhshani,
Randi L. Munn, Jon McFarland, Publisher: Sybex, ISBN-13:
978-0470097618; The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
by Ollie Johnston & Frank Thomas, Disney Editions,
ISBN: 0786860707; Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair,
Walter Foster, ISBN-10: 1560100842. |
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| GAME 2024 3D Rendering - Lighting, Texturing, and
Rendering |
| This course teaches students the principles of lighting,
texturing and creating shaders for rendering 3D scenes.
Students learn how to materialize their 3D vision using
texture, transparency, displacement and bump maps, environmental
effects, alpha channels, and glow maps. Student will
develop an understanding of lambert, phong, blinn, and
anisotropic shading and lighting techniques. Students
will also learn traditional and unorthodox lighting
setups as well as utilize global illumination techniques
for burning lighting into textures. Emphasis will be
placed on creating realistic looking modeled objects.
Ideas such as mood and depth will also be discussed.
There will also be some time spent creating textures
in Photoshop. |
| Prerequisites: Photoshop I, 3D Modeling I (or
Instructor's consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
tbd |
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| GAME
2026 3D Modeling I |
| This course will focus on architectural spaces and
will expand on the students' fundamental modeling knowledge
by introducing modeling in a real-time game editor (such
as the Unreal Editor). Students will build, texture,
and light a game level to function in real-time. Students
will also build architectural objects in 3DSmax as well
as smaller items to export from Max and then place them
in the levels they have created in order to fully flesh
out the look and feel of a scene. |
| Prerequisites: GAME 1030 Video Game Art, 3D
StudioMax & Photoshop proficiency (or Instructor's
consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
tbd |
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| GAME
2027 3D Modeling II |
| This course continues to explore in depth the various
techniques to create 3D models that can be used for
animation. Emphasis will be placed on techniques used
to create and texture characters, environments, and
objects. Students will sculpt more sophisticated polygon
models using tools that will focus on detailed creation,
editing, and texturing of polygonal models. NURBS, subdivision
surfaces, metaballs, metanurbs, Groups and Hierarchical
Structures will be addressed. |
| Prerequisites: GAME 2026 3D Modeling I (or
Instructor's consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
tbd |
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| GAME 2057 Technical Art |
| This course deals with the many technical aspects
of creating art for games and the importance of crossover
involvement with the other disciplines. Emphasis is
placed on specializing in being a generalist. This includes:
math for artists, UI customization, trouble-shooting
meshes and animations, character rigging, mel / max
scripting (basic programming), art tools / streamlining
workflow, motion capture (all the aspects: understanding
mocap, cleanup, character setup / skeleton matching,
looping, blending, & poses, acting for mocap; managing
mocap actors ). Additional topics will include: interfacing
with programming and design, art integration into game
systems, art driven data, and writing shaders. |
| Prerequisites: 3D Modeling II, 3D Rendering
I, 3D animation II, some Programming (or Instructor's
consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
tbd |
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| GAME 2054 Cinematography |
| This course explores camera theory and techniques.
By learning to deconstruct and understand the components
of the cinematic film principles the student will develop
the basic understanding of this visual language. Students
examine the role of virtual cameras in computer games.
Camera angles, timing, and mood will be examined as
ways to draw the player into the game. Skills taught
in this course can also be utilized to create "machinima",
a new art form using video game development tools to
create video game "movies". |
| Prerequisites: Object and Camera Animation
(or Instructor's consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
tbd |
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| GAME 2056 Particle Systems & Compositing Effects |
| This course explores particles systems and how to
apply them to simulate natural phenomena such as gases,
smoke, dust, snow, rain, fire and explosions. Students
will also learn to apply forces such as gravity, wind
and turbulence that affect particle movement in particular.
This course also explores compositing effects. Students
will learn the techniques they need in order to create
complex images using multi-plane techniques and explore
advanced camera views and cinematic approaches including
advanced depth of field, fack focus, shadows, and fog.
Students will also spend time making particle effects
for games with an in-game particle editor. |
| Prerequisites: 3D rendering (or Instructor's
consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
tbd |
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| GAME 2052 Advanced Photoshop for Games |
| Students develop advanced skills for image manipulation
in Photoshop. Topics include layer management, layer
styles, layer effects, actions, custom brushes, and
multi-image composition. Emphasis will be placed on
creating realistic textures for games, as well as on
creating marketing materials for games. |
| Prerequisites: basic working knowledge of Photoshop
(or Instructor's consent) |
| Required Textbook (Available at the ACC Bookstore):
tbd |
