Game Art & Design Foundation - Certificate of Achievement

This program map only provides one possible pathway for degree and/or certificate obtainment and is for reference only. Please schedule an appointment with a counselor to develop your individualized Student Education Plan.

The Game Art & Design Foundation Certificate of Achievement will provide students with a foundation in the artistic and technical skills essential to the 3D animation, visual effects, and game development industries. Upon completion of this certificate students will demonstrate a solid foundation of 3D modeling, 3D sculpting, 3D animation, character ideation, and level design for games. Students will gain a fundamental understanding of industry-standard software. This certificate provides students with opportunities to develop work to include in professional portfolios, university-required portfolios, and develop skills for entry-level employment in the creative industries.

The pathway below represents an efficient and effective course taking sequence for this program. Individual circumstances might require some changes to this pathway. It is always recommended that you meet with an academic counselor to develop a personalized educational plan.

Generate multiple character designs and stories in response to a specific concept.

Design and animate characters and environments for narrative and interactive projects.

Use animation techniques and principles expressively in creating short animated films.

Program Map

Requirement
GE General Education
E Elective

Fall Year 1

6 units
Select one of the following:
An introduction to 3D modeling and animation, using professional software to create characters, environments, and animation on the computer. This course is not open to students who are enrolled in or have received credit for FILM 117.
  1. Advisories: GRPH 111
  2. Advisories: GRPH 112
  3. Advisories: FILM 110
          An introduction to 3D modeling and animation, using professional software to create characters, assets and animation on the computer. This course is not open to students who are enrolled in or who have received credit for MMAC 117.
          1. Advisories: GRPH 111
          2. Advisories: GRPH 112
          3. Advisories: FILM 110
                  MMAC 131
                  3D Character Creation

                  This course introduces students to creating 3D characters for animation, video games, and digital art. Students will learn the principles of character design, digital sculpting, and texturing, with an emphasis on artistic expression and appeal, anatomy and form, and modeling practices. The course covers the character creation pipeline, from selection of a concept to sculpting, retopology, texturing, and rendering. By the end of the course, students will have created 3D characters suitable for inclusion in a portfolio. This course uses industry-standard software such as ZBrush or Blender for sculpting, and Adobe's Substance Painter for texturing.

                            Core Elective - Game & Art Design (Cert.)

                            Spring Year 1

                            6 units
                            MMAC 114
                            Game and App Design
                            Hands-on instruction in the techniques and tools for adding dynamic motion and interactivity to games and applications for a variety of media devices. Includes integration of graphics, video, text, and sound on desktop computers, tablets, phones, and other media devices.
                            1. Advisories: GRPH 108
                            2. Advisories: MMAC 129
                                    GRPH 130
                                    3D Modeling For Production
                                    A study of 3D modeling as it applies to industrial design, packaging and animation. Topics include render theory and practices; and surface manipulation of objects. Polygonal and subdivision operations for 3D modeling will be stressed. 3D computer graphics will utilize programs such as Maya and Mudbox. Prior experience will raster and vector elements is desirable. This course is an elective for Applied Design/Media.
                                    1. Advisories: GRPH 112
                                    2. Advisories: GRPH 113
                                            Core Elective - Game & Art Design (Cert.)