UAT: Game Design

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A Degree in Game Art and Animation

Where?
You have two choices:

At UAT’s Tempe, AZ, campus
In the comfort of your home through UAT-Online

How Long?

To earn a Bachelor of Arts degree: 120 weeks.*
To earn an Associate of Arts degree: 60 weeks.

*based on 15 credits a term

When can I start?

Classes on UAT's campus start three times a year: September, January and May. See Start Dates
UAT-Online classes start every five weeks. start dates

Tuition

2010 Tuition Fees—Resident
Undergraduate tuition for 2010 is $9,400.00 per semester.

2010 Tuition Fees—UAT-Online
Undergraduate tuition for UAT-Online students for 2010 is $5,400.00 per semester.

A graduate of UAT’s Game Art and Animation program will:

Master the artistic principles used in game asset creation
Create and implement compelling game assets and content utilizing industry-standard tools and software
Develop original assets for Web, console, PC and handheld gaming platforms
Produce game assets for multiple gaming applications including triple A, serious, casual and mobile games
Develop analytical skills for examining gameplay focusing on the integration of art assets
Create game assets for and collaborate on numerous projects with industry-style production pipelines
Participate in every level of game development from initial design to publishing
Develop a diverse portfolio of industry-standard game art and animation assets contributing to complete works

Game Art and Animation Recommended Courses:
UAT creates recommended course listings for every major to provide guidance to students in choosing courses that will appropriately support the described major. Recommended courses provide foundational knowledge in the discipline being studied. Students should work with an advisor in making course selections and when they wish to customize their major.

All course titles are followed by their number of credit hours. Prerequisites and co-requisites (if any) are listed below course titles.

Conceptual/Foundational Courses - Complete 12 credits minimum:

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Communicating With Color
Prerequisite(s): none This course applies color theory as an element for communication and expression as applied to traditional and digital design in the visual communications field. This fundamental course includes color theory, color interaction, color psychology, color perception in an ethnically diverse international audience, and color trends. This course covers creative and technical aspects of color design issues using digital illustration and traditional media manipulation.

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2D Design
Prerequisite(s): none Recommended: ART121, MTM101 ART108 is an introduction to design concepts with an emphasis on traditional compositional theory, design principles and elements. This course is designed to give students a strong understanding of two-dimensional visual elements as they pertain to traditional media

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Beginning Drawing I
Prerequisite(s): none Is drawing a gift that has to come naturally? It is actually a skill like any other. This course will demonstrate how easily it can be learned. Drawing is as much about learning how to see and think about form and space as it is about technique. The drawing part itself is just marks on paper. Those marks come together to tell the viewer something about the world that the artist experienced. Drawing also gives one a deeper understanding of the subject being captured. As students progress through the exercises in this class, they will develop a better understanding of the forms being observed and become more skillful in representing them. Improving drawing skills on paper can improve digital drawing skills. ART121 is an introduction to basic drawing concepts and provides a basic foundation in drawing. The course emphasis will be on traditional compositional theory, drawing principles, fundamentals of observing and describing form. Students will gain a strong understanding of tonal and dimensional perspective.

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Introduction to Environment Design
Prerequisite(s): ART105, ART121 The imaginary world of a galaxy far, far away, and the fantasy world of a planet in the Andromeda galaxy could all become reality. This course explores the creation of virtual environments and will allow students to let their imagination soar and dream, to design their own imaginary civilization, buildings, recreation areas, private areas, vehicles, etc. Students will investigate and implement concepts of terrain, plants, animals and atmosphere in the models and designs that will be the materialization of their imagination.

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Digital Video Fundamentals
Prerequisite(s): none This course familiarizes students with digital video production equipment while immersing them in the basic aesthetics of motion picture production. Hands-on projects involve scriptwriting, storyboarding, camera work, continuity, 3-point lighting, sound recording and basic video editing. Students work in groups to complete various technical exercises which familiarize them with terms and equipment while preparing them to produce complete digital video works.

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Introduction to 3D Modeling Tools
Prerequisite(s): MTM101 This class will explore modeling with polygons, patches, NURBS and subdivision surfaces, and will discuss when each is appropriate. Students will study organic and hard-surface modeling. Topics will also include a review of the history of 3D computer graphics, an overview of the current state of the 3D industry, provide an introduction to the current technology being used and survey the skills needed to work in today's industry.

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Introduction to Game Art
Prerequisite(s): ART111 This course introduces the student to industry-standard game art for video games. Students will recognize, differentiate and analyze game art for 2D and 3D video games art and design. Topics include video game art and design history. Video game art assets concepts are illustrated using 2D Art assets made in Adobe Photoshop. Students learn to create art assets that are used in a 2D and 3D final game project. Areas of emphasis include 2D and 3D video game art and design history, as well as 2D and 3D video game animation loops, and the techniques used for game art like box modeling, UV mapping, 0-to-1 texturing, color map, bump map, normal map, specular map, Alpha channels, decals, sprites, backgrounds and foregrounds, layer and palletize, fonts and color theory.

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Digital Imaging
Prerequisite(s): none This course is an overview of the primary industry software tool (Adobe Photoshop) used in the creation of 2D computer graphics. Students will learn the commands and interfaces of industry-standard raster graphics software applications in order to create and manipulate 2D images.

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Intermediate Drawing
Prerequisite(s): ART121 Life doesn’t stand still, and neither should art. This course further explores the drawing techniques established in Beginning Drawing. Students will concentrate on increasing drawing skills with respect to lighting, texture and spatial interpretation, and infusing the "smoking gun" aspect of lifelike action in compositions. Students will learn how to use color in drawing and to make images come to life. Individual drawing assignments and the development of a final portfolio and sketchbook will be emphasized. The Wacom Tablet will be introduced in the latter part of this course.

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Storyboarding
Prerequisite(s): ART121 This course unveils the art of visual storytelling. Storyboarding is an important skill for beginning directors to develop to pre-visualize shots and sets. It is also a critical skill in creating animation sequences and is important to the multimedia developer in planning the needs of a project. Students apply storyboarding techniques to scripts by accurately showing camera angles, placement of the actors, etc. Emphasis is placed on accuracy and presentation.

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Basic Character Figure Drawing
Prerequisite(s): ART121 Recommended: BIO210 This course explores a full range of techniques and artistic viewpoints to animate drawings. Emphasis will be on learning to sketch the human and animal forms in both stick and geometric figures studies. Students will learn the skeletal and muscular make up of the figures. Studies in the form of homework assignments will be required as well as in class work. Long and short poses will be interspersed with exercises specifically designed to allow artists to heighten perceptions. Students will practice using the formulas for making character sketches more realistic by understanding the volumetric description and underlying structure of the human form. This course provides the most thorough experience drawing from live models.

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Texturing and Surfacing Using Photoshop
Prerequisite(s): MTM101 or instructor approval Students will explore all aspects of textures that will be useful for digital artwork, 3D modeling or within the games they design. Students will build a substantial library of textures throughout this course, differentiating between different types of surfaces and materials. Students will determine what makes up the surface and what gives the material its unique quality, identify the common differences between smooth and textured samples, and look for patterns, lines, specks and dots that describe these textures. A significant portion of this course will be dedicated to the creation of these textures and surfaces. Students will begin duplicating these textures using Adobe Photoshop’s powerful filter, layer and channel tools. The class will be divided into collaborative teams that will create a texture, and a tutorial for each texture will be developed.

Recommended - Complete 12 credits minimum:

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Concept Art
Prerequisite(s): ART111, ART121 Students will learn to sketch, prototype and design functional creations before committing to their actual development. Concept art is a critical skill in increasing the quality and speed of production. Students will learn to craft, present and refine humanoid, animal, biological and environmental concept art that becomes the foundation for future assets.

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3D Modeling
Prerequisite(s): MTM101 This class will explore modeling with polygons, patches, NURBS and subdivision surfaces and will discuss when each is appropriate. Students will study organic and hard surface modeling. Topics will also include a review of the history of 3D computer graphics, an overview of the current state of the 3D industry, an introduction to the current technology being used and a survey of the skills needed to work in today's industry. Areas of emphasis include sculpting tools, extruding, Boolean, lofting, revolving and deformers. Students will complete exercises that build toward a final project. This class will also introduce basic lighting, texturing, rendering and animation techniques.

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2D Game Assets
Prerequisite(s): GAM110 This course finalizes the student 2D digital art skills in the industry-standard 2D techniques used to create objects, backgrounds and characters for 2D video games like XNA for Xbox 360. Students will produce 2D art using the principles used to create 2D video games and learned in GAM 110. Topics include 2D game art styles, decals, texturing styles, interface, backgrounds, props, ground, sprites, layers and motion parallax. Concepts are illustrated using art assets for a 2D XNA game engine. Students create 2D art assets for the Microsoft Xbox and Xbox Live Arcade that build toward a final game art assets project. Areas of emphasis include alpha channels, layers, tiles, decals, perspective, sprites, particles, backgrounds and foregrounds, formats and palletize. Students will also explore compression, fonts, packaging and interface design for an XNA Xbox 360 game and Xbox 360 Live Arcade 2D game.

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Game Modeling
Prerequisite(s): ART236, DVA250, GAM110 Recommended: ART355 Game engines and environments require specialized approaches to 3D modeling, texturing and rigging which differ from Cinematic CGI techniques. Students will explore various techniques for low polygon modeling, exporting to various formats and game engines, unwrapping and texturing for games, and the use of complex techniques such as Normal Mapping and level-of-detail creation. After the course, the student will be able to construct low polygon assets for games or real-time technology. Using 3DS Max, students will create models from concepts drawings or photos including basic mapping and details.

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Game Texturing
Prerequisite(s): GAM243, GAM343, MTM222 This course offers a look at the creation and implementation of textures created from digital media. The applications for the creation of realistic and efficient texture maps for the creation of games for 2D and 3D platforms will be discussed.

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3D Animation
Prerequisite(s): DVA210, DVA250 Recommended: DVA130, THE230 This course introduces the student to industry-standard 3D techniques used to animate objects and characters. Students will learn fundamental character animation principles. Topics include key frame animation, motion blending, motion capture, interpolation, storytelling and basic cinematography. Concepts are illustrated using animated footage. Students animate 3D objects and characters for exercises that build toward a final project. Areas of emphasis include inverse kinematics, constraints, deformers, custom attributes and lip sync. Students will also explore expressions, particle systems and dynamics.

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Character Rigging
Prerequisite(s): DVA232, DVA244 So you want to be a Technical Director? Then this class is a must! Students will learn the importance of good planning and problem solving as they relate to character design for 3D animators. There will be an emphasis on interface customization throughout the class. Course topics will cover character setup, inverse kinematics, joints and bones, deformers, set driven keys and character texturing. Students will create a fully functional character rig that is ready for animation.

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Character Animation
Prerequisite(s): DVA355 Recommended: ART234, ART355, DVA321, DVA325 Bring life to a lifeless 3D model by applying character animation principles. Students will learn how to show weight, personality and thought processes in their characters. This course will focus on timing, storytelling and the creation of short animated sequences.

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2D Game Animation
Prerequisite(s): GAM243 Animation for games can be a complex process involving creativity and fundamental animation skills. This course exposes the student to the many facets of animation for games. Character movement as well as prop and scene animations will be addressed. Timing, loops, kinematics, lip synchronization and environmental effects will be explored.

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Game Rigging
Prerequisite(s): GAM343 Corequisite(s): GAM345 This course gives students hands-on experience in creating skeletons for bipeds and quadrupeds used in 3D video games. Students will focus on creating biped and quadruped rigs from scratch with proper naming convention for use in motion builder and with motion capture. Students will also engage in skinning the bipeds and quadrupeds onto the rigs. Individual and team-oriented projects will be applied.

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Game Animation
Prerequisite(s): ART236 Corequisite(s): GAM342 Recommended: ART355 This course covers techniques for character animation as they apply to gaming. Topics will include sequencing periodic animation such as walking, running and attack cycles. Students will learn to integrate motion capture data with hand keyed animations. Students will apply these techniques to a characters skeleton and mesh in interactive environments. Rigging and hierarchies for game engines will also be explored, as well as collision models and the creation of complex elements, such as vehicles and interactive environments.

Recommended - Complete 12 credits minimum:

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Expressive Facial Drawing
Prerequisite(s): ART121, ART236 ART341 is an introductory exploration of the human face as a visual display of emotions. The ability to consistently achieve remarkable likeness in portrait drawing is a skill that can be learned. The course will focus on the overall shape and proportion of the head and will extend to knowing the underlying anatomy of bone and muscles. Anatomy plays a crucial role in conveying emotions. By combining this knowledge with the understanding of the different facial muscle actions, students will learn to capture the essence of emotion in facial expressions.

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Alien Civilization Design
Prerequisite(s): ART105, ART121 Recommended: BIO310, MTM101, MTM102 This course is for game designers and game artists. Do you dream about what it would be like to live in a galaxy far, far away? Ever wonder what the buildings on Romulus 5 look like? What are the living spaces like on the planet where Wookies live? Do you have special character designs never seen before? What does their civilization look like? Now is your chance to create them. This course is going to let imaginations soar and dream and design civilizations buildings, recreation areas, private areas, vehicles, etc. Create terrain, plants, animals and atmosphere accurately and intelligently.

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Character Design
Prerequisite(s): ART236 Recommended: BIO210 This course will take students through a complete character design, starting with conceptual sketches and concluding with multiple representations of their artistic creation. Topics covered include drafting a backstory and personality history, determining proportions, relative size, range of motion and creating a turnaround (front, back and 3/4 view) and action poses. Students will be expected to work in both traditional and digital media.

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Environmental Design
Prerequisite(s): ART111, ART231, ART236 Environmental design requires combining theories of architecture, landscape design and the cinematographer’s eye to create environments with dramatic lighting, mood-setting characterizations, compound perspectives and a mix of functionality and aesthetics. By applying principles of design and flow to existing knowledge of tools and techniques, students will create immersive and interactive environments that aren’t merely background noise, but a part of the complete experience.

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Advanced Character Figure Designs
Prerequisite(s): ART355 This class will call upon all of the knowledge learned from all of the prerequisite classes as we begin to create characters for game and animation designs. The course will go into great detail in the total movement of the figure and stress anatomical correctness at every stage. Work will be completed and explored in both the traditional and the digital media. Characters (human, animal, insect, reptile and avian) will show complete movements and views from every angle. This is a class that will challenge artistic and creative skills to the highest degree.

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Game Texturing
Prerequisite(s): DVA256, GAM110 This course gives students hands-on experience in creating materials and textures for the 3D video games, applying those materials to objects and characters. Students will focus on creating textures from scratch, using photo manipulation techniques as well as Photoshop procedural texturing methods, then applying them using proper UV video game setup. Individual and teamoriented projects will be applied.

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Advanced Game Modeling
Prerequisite(s): ART4236, GAM110, DVA250 Recommended: ART355 Students will further their knowledge of low polygon modeling, subdivision surface and patch modeling techniques and will apply these toward the completion of a large and complex model sets for a specific game genre such as Halo 3 or NBA Street. In addition to building human characters, the student will create models such as robots, weapons and vehicles. UVW Unwrap, Pelt mapping and Normal mapping, will be discussed in relation to the modeling techniques demonstrated in this course. Modifiers and plug-in usage to increase productivity and enhance the development process will be explored.

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Advanced Game Animation
Prerequisite(s): GAM110, ART236, DVA255 Recommended: ART355 Students will refine the process of character rigging and animation techniques needed for current game animation trends. The utilization of motion capture files and game engine import/export strategies will be addressed. The development of common and custom animations for games and characters will be emphasized. The use of motion capture and motion capture data will also be explored in this course.

Campus Start Dates

Winter 2010
January 11th

Summer 2010
May 12th

Fall 2010
September 7th

Online Start Dates

2008
January 14th
February 19th
March 31st
May 12th
June 16th
July 21st
September 8th
October 14th
November 17th

Degree Requirements
Associate of Arts Degree

60 total credit hours
15 general studies credit hours
45 major/elective credit hours
2.0 CGPA
Completion of a Portfolio and internship

Bachelor of Arts

120 total credit hours
36 general studies credit hour
84 credit hours in core classes and major/elective classes
2.0 CGPA
Completion of a Portfolio and internship