The Academy of Interactive Entertainment 201
Advanced Diploma of Professional Game Development -­‐ Game Art and Animation (10343NAT) Subject Listing – Online Campus Copyright © AIE 2012
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Contents
3D Art Pipeline ......................................................................................2 Grasping Game Engines.......................................................................2 Modelling, Texturing and Game Engines..............................................2 Modelling for Anatomy ..........................................................................2 Animation Principles .............................................................................3 Digital Lighting and Compositing ..........................................................3 Animated Video Production ..................................................................3 Game Level Development ....................................................................4 Significant Game Play Object ...............................................................4 Game Development Teams ..................................................................4 Mini Production .....................................................................................5 Prototyping............................................................................................5 Major Production...................................................................................5 Copyright © AIE 2012
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3D Art Pipeline
This subject will introduce you to a broad range of areas in operating a 3D animation package. You will cover areas
including: navigating in 3D space, object creation, basic modelling, animation, materials, textures and rendering.
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This subject is your introduction to the 3D art pipeline using the powerful Autodesk Maya software
The subject is designed to give you an extensive overview of how 3D models are designed constructed,
textured, rigged, animated, lit and rendered. You'll learn this pipeline through practical project based training.
Upon completion of this subject you'll understand the entire 3D art pipeline. You'll have a basic 3D artist skill set
and will be comfortable with Autodesk Maya 3D art software.
Grasping Game Engines
In this subject you’ll learn how to uses game engines. The focus is on learning the functionality of the Unity and UDK
game engines from the ground up. The subject is designed for programmers, designers as a well artists. The focus is
on the engines themselves and art assets are provided to practice with.
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This subject is your introduction to using game engines. You’ll learn how to use two games engines UDK and
Unity.
The subject is designed to give you an overview of how art assets for computer games are organized, used
inside game engines. You'll learn this through practical project based training.
Upon completion of this subject you'll understand how game engines are used to make the art for games. You'll
have a basic game engine skill set. You'll also be comfortable with two powerful, current game engines Unity
and UDK.
Modelling, Texturing and Game Engines
In this subject, you’ll learn the skills to design and create a real time environment containing complex digital art work.
You’ll work in teams. You’ll be given a lot of creative control and flexibility (within brief boundaries). You will concept,
create and develop a quality real-time environment that will be game ready.
You will learn how to construct detailed scope documents in order to strengthen your planning skills for future projects.
You will also learn how to present digital portfolio work and begin your personal portfolio.
You will learn industry techniques and learn an industry quality engine.
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This subject will increase your skills and understanding of how 3D models are created and imported into game
engines.
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The subject is designed to teach you how to design, model and texture 3D objects. You'll learn how to import art
assets into game engines. You'll learn these skills through teacher lead practical projects.
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Upon completion of this subject you'll have a greater understanding of how to use Autodesk Maya to model and
texture objects. You'll be able to begin making compelling environment art assets for games.
Modelling for Anatomy
This subject is designed to build your understanding of the process of developing and creating organic character models.
You’ll use a variety of the latest software applications and workflows to design, build and sculpt your model. You will
learn about unwrapping and texturing your model. This will include creating specular, normal and diffuse maps. Upon
finishing building your model, you’ll learn about rigging, staging, posing and rendering multiple layers to create an
outstanding image.
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This subject will increase your skills and understanding of how to model anatomy.
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The subject is designed to teach you how to create 3D models of human anatomy. You'll learn how to design
characters and model them correctly. You'll also begin to learn how rigging can be used to make characters
move. You'll learn this through teacher directed practical projects.
Upon completion of this subject you will have a greater understanding of how to use Autodesk Maya. You'll be
confident enough to create game characters and rig them for basic animation.
Animation Principles
In this subject you will learn the methods and techniques of animating within 3D software. You’ll specifically learn the
“Principles of Animation” and how to apply them to computer animation. You will identify and clarify your tasks, then
design, develop, animate and render a set of animations in accordance with the instructions given to you by your
teacher.
In this subject your objective is to improve your animation skills so you can create high quality character animation. You
will need to demonstrate an understanding of conveying weight, expressing human emotions and lip syncing. You will
need to be able to clearly understand the requirements, take and give direction, seek and make use of feedback,
develop an animation from concept, through storyboards, referencing, animating, lighting and rendering, to end up with a
quality animation sequence.
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In this subject you will learn the art of creating appealing animation using 3D software.
The subject is designed to teach you the guiding principles that make animation compelling and appealing to
watch. You’ll learn the art of making things move. You'll learn the art of animation through teacher led practical
3D animation projects.
Upon completion of this subject have a greater understanding of how to use Autodesk Maya to animate. You'll
be able to make even simple animations compelling. You'll be able to bring 3D characters to life, making them
think, emote and move.
Digital Lighting and Compositing
In this subject you’ll begin to learn how to use specialist compositing software to composite 3D objects into photographic
background plates. You’ll learn how to analyse the lighting and shadow properties in a background plate and replicate
those properties in your 3D software application. You’ll then composite 3D models into the background plate and adjust
them to look realistic and convincing.
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This subject is your introduction to creating special visual effects.
The subject is designed to focus on three related areas. It will give you an introduction to combining visual
elements together through digital compositing, it will build your understanding of light and lighting in digital art
and introduce you to the principals of design and screen language.
Upon completion of this subject you'll have a strong background to construct compelling visual images. You'll
understand how to use compositing software. You'll understand how to apply this knowledge to computer
games, still images or video productions using a variety of software applications
Animated Video Production
Develop the production plan for a project, in teams, to be produced for a client in the form of a short film or a level for a
game. You’ll need to produce scripts, storyboards, concept art, animatics and the art assets necessary for the
production of the animated video. In this subject you will work with in a team to produce a short animated movie. You’ll need to work effectively with your
team in a professional manner in a simulated work place environment. You’ll be required to take on some management
responsibilities as well as art tasks during the production.
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This subject will advance and expand your knowledge of the 3D art pipeline.
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The subject is designed to give you an extensive understanding of how to create 3D animated video such as
game cut scenes, trailers or short animated movies. You’ll learn the process from pre-production through to post
production. You'll learn to design and create 3D animated videos through teacher led practical projects.
Upon completion of this subject you'll be very experienced in using a variety of 3D software applications. You'll
be experienced in planning, preparing, producing and completing 3D animated videos for a variety of
applications.
Game Level Development
In this subject you will work in a team to develop a game level as you might be asked to create in a commercial studio.
You will plan, schedule and execute the production of your game level, tasking the work between the members of your
team and working to your individual strengths. Your game level will need to be grey-boxed with relevant concept art and
reference media to support the creation process.
You will construct your game level out of geometry, texture maps and shaders as required, utilising new techniques that
may help the overall quality of your team’s efforts. All assets will need to be presented in a real time game engine, in the
process demonstrating effective workflows, asset management and naming conventions. You will utilise an iterative
approach to your development and employ rigorous and frequent testing to avoid unforeseen issues in the project.
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This subject will maximise your skill set for creating compelling environments for computers games.
The subject is designed focus and maximise your 3D art and project management skills for game level
development as would be required in a commercial studio. You'll plan the development, use industry standard
workflows, conventions and procedures on a practical teacher led game level production.
Additionally you'll use advanced 3D sculpting software as part of your production process.
Upon completion of this subject have the skill set to plan, manage, produce, test and complete a compelling,
visually appealing 3D game environment using an extensive range of software.
Significant Game Play Object
During this subject you will cover the steps required to design and develop an interactive gameplay model or character.
You will examine the workflow associated with developing your asset for use in current generation game engines.
Design and concept your significant game play asset taking into account the initial brief. You will create looping
animations for the model that can be demonstrated in engine.
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This subject will maximise your skill set for creating compelling animated characters for computer games
The subject is designed focus and maximise your skills in the design, production and implementation of a
compelling visually, appealing, animated character into a computer game engine.
Importantly you'll rig and animated the character you design and import it into a game engine.
Additionally you'll strengthen your skills using advanced 3D sculpting software as part of your production process.
Upon completion of this subject have the skill set to design produce and implement animated characters into
game engines using an extensive variety of software.
Core subjects
Core subjects are subjects are designed to bring programmers, designers and artists together into a single working team.
The core subjects begin with a focus on team building and then guide you through the development of a team,
prototyping a game and ending in a major game production.
Game Development Teams
Working with artists, programmers and designers as a team you will learn how game development teams work. The
subject will begin team building and early project development. The goal is to get organised in to a production team and
think about the scope and challenge of making computer games together.
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This subject is designed to give you a strong understanding of how to organise and plan a production for a team
of developers.
The first focus will be in getting organised and working in teams. You'll get a clear understanding of how the
different disciplines of game artist, game designer and game programmer work and how they work together.
You'll learn what tools they use, what they each produce and what they contribute to the team.
The second focus will be on creating game ideas that are practical, achievable and worthy of further
development. You learn about filtering, refining, recording and pitching ideas.
Upon completion of this subject you'll have a strong understanding of how teams produce games and what they
can achieve. You'll also have a collection of strong clear game ideas that have been planned and are ready to
be developed.
Mini Production
Working with artists, programmers and designers this will be your first taste of a project run under proper production
conditions. You will be writing design documentation, setting schedules, testing products, filing bug reports and
contributing to design discussions. If you have ever wondered what it is like to work in the games industry, you begin to
find out during this project.
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This subject is designed to get teams of programmers, artists and designers working together on projects.
You’ll get a clear understanding of how a team produces a computer game.
You’ll have a firsthand understanding of the challenges and difficulties involved in game production.
You’ll gain a firsthand realistic understanding of how the scope of a game project can be balanced with the time
and resources available to produce it.
You’ll make computer games.
Prototyping
Working with artists, programmers and designers you will be tasked with the construction of a prototype to prove a game
play idea, business model and production plan.
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This subject is focused on choosing an idea worthy of development
You be introduced to business models and financing opportunities
You’ll present your prototype and ideas to professional game developers seeking advice and feedback
You’ll conceive, develop and test a plan for the major game production
Major Production
This is the capstone subject in the Advanced Diploma of Professional Game Development. You’ll produce a game that
has been researched and prototyped in the previous core subjects.
You’ll work with artists, designers and programmers to produce a full game as a team, pulling in knowledge gained from
all your stream subjects.
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