BA (Hons) 3D Game Art (Online)
- Study Mode: Full Time
- Location: Distance Learning
- Duration: Three Years
- Start Date: September 2024
You can also study this course:
Do you love computer games? Kick-start a career designing the animations that bring them to life with a degree in 3D Game Art. On this online course you’ll have access to industry standard software, ensuring everything you learn is current and relevant.
Taught by industry experts this dynamic course gives you the skills and knowledge you need for an industry role and the chance to create a varied portfolio of work to display your talent.
Why study this subject?
The global gaming market is one that continues to expand, and with this so do job opportunities. Gaming offers a world of opportunity and with the right skills and abilities, 3D Games Art can help you kick-start a rewarding and creative career.
You could work for companies like Epic Games, Nintendo or Sony, or perhaps set up your own independent company to pursue your passion. 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.
I’m really enjoying this course. The online mode of learning has provided me with the flexibility to manage my studies alongside other commitments. The lecturers are knowledgeable and supportive and they have been available to offer guidance and feedback throughout my studies. Overall, I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to pursue a career in game design.Sajeevan Thayananthan
Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?
At Buckinghamshire New University we focus on preparing you for work in the industry, helping you to stand out to employers when you graduate. With the right teaching and learning opportunities, it’s possible to turn your passion for gaming into a rewarding and successful career.
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 Games Art. During your time with us you may also get direct access to guest lectures and can benefit from live project briefs, master classes, and plenty of networking opportunities.
On this dynamic course 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.
Our 3D Game Art, Animation and Visual Effects courses share a common first year, giving you the opportunity to choose your specialism for your future career after your experience of the core curriculum in year one. Rather than having to make your big career decision before you join us, we introduce you to various specialisms and offer you the flexibility to choose the pathway which leads to your chosen career.
What facilities can I use?
Whilst studying with us you will use our BucksAnywhere web service, which provides access to many of the software applications you use for learning and studying. BucksAnywhere can be used from your own device or from a University owned PC or laptop, from any location. We’ve made sure you have access to industry-standard software, which we review yearly to ensure we are producing industry-ready graduates. Some of which includes:
- Unreal Engine
- Unity
- Maya
- 3DS Max
- Substance Suite
- Zbrush
Amongst a range of other software.
You’ll also be able to remotely access our VDI, which is a powerful computer that will give you access to additional software relevant to the course.
This video was our first experiment with our new Xsens motion capture suits. With the help of dancers from BNU’s BA Dance and Performance course, we motion captured a routine on the concourse running though the university and replaced one of the dancers with a version of the Lonely Robot and comped this back into the footage. We also have state of the art Faceware kits for face motion capture.
What will I study?
On this course 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.
During your time with us 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 additional online groups where you will be able to meet the other students taking our animation, visual effects, game art and visualisation courses, both MA and BA, online and attendance. These help to foster a sense of community and are also places where extra-curricular collaborative projects, such as game jams, take place. You will also be able to meet our alumni in these broader forums. All forums are moderated by the lecturers.
Online courses at BNU have allowed me to take a degree which otherwise would have not been possible. As a disabled mature student, the online (BA) 3D Game Art course has opened the door for me to pursue a remote career in the games industry. BNU enables you to hone your skills, allowing you to find the right career path. It is a place where the lecturers encourage you to push yourself, giving you the freedom to create original pieces of work with each assignment.Philip Gosney BNU Graduate
How will I be taught and assessed?
Our BNU teaching team are industry-professionals, with years of experience working in the sector and training future generations of animators. Through their support and the course you’ll gain the skills and knowledge you need within the industry.
You’ll spend time learning and practicing the skills required by each unit before undertaking summative assessments the form of projects which will enable you to apply and combine their newfound skills together in a meaningful way while tackling tasks commonly found in the industry.
You’ll be taught via online classes and 1:1s supported by a virtual learning environment (VLE) which will serve as a repository for course materials and other essential information such as assignment briefs, in line with university policy.
You will be given access to synchronous sessions each week of termtime with a lecturer who will be online throughout. During these sessions, you will also have the opportunity to ask questions and get real time responses and feedback from lecturers and other learners. Normally these will begin with a group seminar or demonstration and then break into 1:1s where you will have the opportunity to discuss your individual progress directly with their lecturer. Sometimes these seminars will be used for presentations and review in a manner that mimics the dailies process in industry.
In addition to this there will be video based lecture content focused on the demonstration of essential skills and clarification and expansion of key concepts and techniques. This will be facilitated via the online learning platform, where you will be able to access a set of recorded lectures which will be an average of 10 minutes in length. These will be delivered as appropriate to each individual module.
Other learning techniques that will be employed appropriately to the situation include:
- Demonstrations for new techniques
- Group work
- Video feedback
- Peer review
- Use of books, magazines, video and online resources
- Research methods
You will regularly be set formative tasks related to the weekly content or be working towards your own project objective as agreed with the lecturers. This will enable you to apply your learning in new contexts. You will also be able to submit your work for asynchronous formative review from the lecturer which will be delivered as a video commentary on your work.
You will also be expected to join a closed online group where you will be able to discuss the work and ask questions throughout the week. It is expected that both lecturers and students will contribute and answer questions. This will also be a place for you to post your work for peer discussion and review.
Assessments will be largely practical coursework along with critical analysis and evaluation which will come mainly in the form of essays and presentations. The practical elements will mimic the kind of work that junior artists will carry out in industry, as far as reasonably practicable.
What are the course entry requirements?
A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 88 - 112
UCAS points can be obtained through qualifications such as A levels, T levels, BTEC or an Access to Higher Education course in a relevant subject. Please list all your qualifications on the application form as you will be asked to provide copies when we receive your application.
A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required. Every application is considered on an individual basis.
For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.
Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year; find out more.
Applicants will need to demonstrate portfolio work, further guidance is given below
Portfolio requirements
What are we looking for?
We want to see your best work, as chosen by yourself. You should select your favourite pieces and present these a format we can easily access, such as a pdf or mp4 sequence. Alternatively, you can link us to your own webpage which must be clearly identifiable as your own. When selecting your work try to convey a sense of who you are and what your interests are.
What sort of things could you include?
- We want to see the best of whatever you have done. While pieces of animation, visual effects and game art can be an advantage we are fundamentally looking for artistic sense / instinct which can be demonstrated in many other forms, including but not limited to:
- 3D Animation sequences
- 2D Animation sequences
- VFX sequences (done e.g. in After Effects or other similar software)
- A game level.
- 3D modelling – Renders or animated turnarounds of characters, environments, props etc.
- Photography – either traditional or digital.
- Life drawing
- Paintings
- Drawings / sketches.
- Sculptures.
- Digital art – e.g. created in Photoshop or other similar software.
- Short live action films or documentaries.
- Other - if you are in doubt contact the relevant course leaders.
How much should you include?
This depends on what you are submitting. If you have individual images / pictures / paintings, then no more than your favourite 12. If you have project work such as an animated sequence, a game level or short film then no more than your favourite 3 in mp4 format. If you wish to mix then 1 sequence = 4 images. So you could submit 1 mp4 sequence and 8 images on a pdf for example.
Any sequences should be preceded by titles showing your name and UCAS application number. The pdf should include the same at the top. Any physical formats should be carefully photographed or scanned and then compiled into a well presented pdf document. Remember how you present your work also says something about you so give this some thought and effort.
How to Submit your portfolio
Please send a link to your portfolio or email a PDF of your work to: steve.cassar@bucks.ac.uk
Modules
This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.
This course has Opportunity modules.
Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in your first 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. Find out more.
You must choose 2 x 10 credit Level 4 Opportunity modules from the Opportunity module catalogue.
What are the tuition fees
Home
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Home, Academic Year 2024 - 2025: £7,700 per year
International
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Overseas/International, Academic Year 2024 - 2025: £7,700 per year
What are my career prospects?
Throughout your time with us we’ll support you on the route to your chosen career. We’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. We also help you find employment after graduation. Have a look at our Careers and Employability pages to find out more.
Our 3D Games Art course will help prepare you for a range of career possibilities, such as:
- 3D Artist
- Character Artist
- Animator
- Environment Artist
- Technical Animator
Graduates from BNU’s animation courses have gone on to work in all six of the major VFX houses in the UK, as well as a number of major games houses and smaller companies. We have had winners and runners up in the Grads In Games Competition, which have then led to jobs. Our learners have worked on major films, games and TV productions, including Avengers Endgame.
Graduates can also choose to study for a postgraduate course.
Course leader
