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  • Duration24 months
  • Topics11
  • Software10

Advanced Diploma in 3D Animation

Animation & Gaming

3D Animation is the process of creating moving visuals in a three-dimensional digital space, giving objects and characters realistic depth, shape and motion. It is widely used in movies, games, advertisements and web content, and involves modelling, texturing, lighting and animation techniques.

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3D Animation

Advanced Diploma · 24 months

You'll learn · 01/11

01Try it

From wireframe to final render.

Every 3D object goes through the same stages. Switch between them to see what each one adds, and move your pointer over the cube to tilt it.

Modelling: the shape is built from points, edges and faces.

02 // Live viewport

One character.Five ways to see him.

This is a real 3D model, drawn live in your browser. Step through the pipeline to see him the way each program does, and drag to turn him round.

Drag to turn the model

Maya · Mesh

The character as it is modelled: nothing but polygons. This is the real mesh, not a picture of one.

Model: Microsoft Rocketbox, MIT licence

  1. Stage 011/3

    Build

    He starts as a mesh in Maya and is refined as a sculpt in ZBrush.

  2. Stage 022/3

    Surface & rig

    Substance 3D gives him colour, and a skeleton of bones lets him be posed.

  3. Stage 033/3

    Real time

    The advanced diploma adds Unreal Engine, where the finished character is lit and played back instantly.

03Course content

What you'll learn.

11 topics, in the order you'll meet them. Open any one for a plain-language explanation.

  1. What 3D animation is, where it is used, and how a shot goes from an idea to the screen.

  2. The order a studio works in: modelling, texturing, rigging, animation, lighting and rendering.

  3. Building the shape of props, characters and sets out of polygons.

  4. Giving a surface its colour and feel, so metal reads as metal and skin as skin.

  5. Unwrapping a 3D model flat, like a paper pattern, so textures can be painted onto it.

  6. Placing lights to set the mood, show form and guide the viewer's eye.

  7. Adding a skeleton and controls to a model so it can be posed and animated.

  8. Assembling sets, props and cameras into a scene that is ready to shoot.

  9. Letting the computer simulate things that are hard to animate by hand: fabric, hair and falling or colliding objects.

  10. Turning the finished 3D scene into final images, balancing quality against render time.

  11. Using AI tools to speed up concepts, references and repetitive production work.

04Software

The tools you'll use.

Career options: 3D Animator, Character Animator, 3D Modeler, Environment Artist, Lighting Artist, Texture / Look-Dev Artist, Rigging Artist, Game Artist, Cinematic Artist, Product Visualization Artist, Architectural Visualizer

05Careers

Where it cantake you.

11 roles this course prepares you for.

  • 3D Animator
  • Character Animator
  • 3D Modeler
  • Environment Artist
  • Lighting Artist
  • Texture / Look-Dev Artist
  • Rigging Artist
  • Game Artist
  • Cinematic Artist
  • Product Visualization Artist
  • Architectural Visualizer

06How you'll learn

Three stages.

  1. Stage one

    Learn the fundamentals.

    Drawing, timing, composition and the software itself. Small batches, daily feedback from working artists.

  2. Stage two

    Build the reel.

    Studio-style projects with real briefs and real deadlines. Every student finishes with a portfolio they can defend.

  3. Stage three

    Get hired properly.

    Portfolio reviews, mock interviews and introductions to our studio partners. We stay reachable after you graduate.

Ready to start?24 months.

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