3D Game Art BA (Hons)

Buckinghamshire New University

Do you love computer games? Kick-start a career designing the animations that bring them to life with a degree in 3D Game Art. You’ll have access to up-to-date hardware and use industry standard software, ensuring everything you learn is current. Taught by industry experts and split between our High Wycombe Campus and BNU teaching base at Pinewood Studios, you’ll study in a world-renowned working studio and graduate with a portfolio of work.

Why study this subject?

The global gaming market continues to expand, offering a world of opportunity. Your love of gaming together with your creative and modelling skills could see you in numerous roles - from 3D Artist and Animator to Environmental Artist or Technical Animator.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

At BNU we focus on preparing you for work in the industry, helping you to stand out to employers when you graduate. Led by our enthusiastic and dedicated team of industry-savvy practitioners and experienced academics, you will have the freedom to explore all areas of 3D Game Art. During your time with us you may also get direct access to guest lectures and can benefit from live project briefs, masterclasses, and plenty of networking opportunities.

You’ll have access to all the software you need to bring your ideas to life. Our small group sizes enable staff and students to work together as a friendly and collaborative community of learners. It also means you’ll benefit from more one to one support with your lecturer.

With London only a short journey away, you can take the opportunity to visit some of the world’s best exhibitions, galleries and museums for inspiration.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers.

What facilities can I use?

We’ve made sure you have access to industry-standard equipment and software, including:

• State-of-the-art Motion Capture Equipment
• Unreal Engine
• Unity
• Maya
• 3DS Max
• Substance Suite
• Zbrush

You will also use our BucksAnywhere web service, which provides access to many of the software applications you use for learning and studying and can be used from your own device or from a University owned PC or laptop, from any location.

What will I study?

You will be taught the fundamentals of 3D modelling and animation, and as your studies progress, your skills with modelling will also improve, and you will also learn about games engines and design.

The focus of this course is on professional workflows for creating 3D assets such as characters, props and environments. You will learn how to export and set these up in a games engine and learn the fundamentals of interactivity and gameplay elements. The course has been intentionally designed to be flexible, to allow you as a student to select and pursue your own specialism within the field.

You’ll discover both the animation and modelling aspect of the field, which you will then develop to include more advanced aspects such as organic sculpting, hair and clothes. You’ll undertake individual and project work, having the opportunity to take a set industry style project and a creative project to develop your specialist skills and build an industry ready portfolio.

You’ll also be invited to join online groups where you will be able to meet the other students taking our animation, visual effects, game art and visualisation courses. These help to foster a sense of community and are places where extra-curricular collaborative projects, such as game jams, take place.