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VIDEO GAME ANIMATION

BECOME A GAME ARTIST

January, April, July, October

24 Months 8 terms

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Mail a copy of your Official Transcript along with English Translation
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TERM 1

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VGC101 | DIGITAL DRAWING 1

Digital Drawing 1 introduces students to the fundamental concepts of 2D art creation for games. Students will learn how to create traditional art and transfer it into digital formats for use in games. Specific topics include: line and form, perspective, and texturing and shading in both traditional and digital mediums. Students will apply knowledge gained in this course to conceptualize and develop concept art used in games.

VGC108 | INTRODUCTION TO THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

Introduction to the Video Game Industry introduces students to the game industry with analysis of local and international markets. Specific topics include: analysis of game development centers in the world, identification of roles and responsibilities of game departments, corporate structures and game studio organization hierarchies.

TERM 2

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VGC102 | GAME MODELING 1

Game Modeling 1 introduces students to the fundamental concepts of 3D modeling. Students will explore 3D software and tools, which will facilitate development of 3D game assets. Specific topics include: high- and low-polygon modeling, 3D geometry and hard surface creation. Students will apply knowledge gained in this course to conceptualize and develop 3D assets used in games.

VGA121 | DIGITAL DRAWING 2

Digital Drawing 2 introduces students to principles of animation through 2D art creation. Students will learn tools and techniques to create animation ready art assets for game usage. Specific topics include: anatomy and proportions, principles of animation, cell animation, and sprite sheet development.

TERM 3

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VGA122 | GAME MODELING 2

Game Modeling 2 introduces students to 3D modeling techniques to optimize and efficiently produce game assets. Students will combine their knowledge of 3D tools to produce low-polygon models. Topics include: edge and spline modeling, UV unwrapping and modular set construction.

VGC122 | GAME PRODUCTION & PIPELINE

Game Production & Pipeline will introduce students to methodologies and development best practices for game production. Through the analysis of game design documentation, students will establish development pipelines best suited for 2D and 3D games. Topics include: asset management, waterfall development, agile and SCRUM production methodologies.

VGA 145 | TEXTURING 1

Texturing 1 will apply digital art concepts to texture materials for 3D models. Students will analyze and develop surface materials using a combination of 2D and 3D tools. Topics include: materials, lighting and texture mapping.

TERM 4

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VGA142 | CHARACTER MODELING 1

Character Modeling 1 will apply 3D modeling techniques to create character models. Students will learn 3D sculpting tools and techniques used to create anatomically correct characters. Topics include digital sculpting, topology and anatomy of human figures.

VGA144 | GAME ANIMATION 1

Game Animation 1 introduces students to 3D rigging and preparing 3D models for animation. Students will examine the animation pipeline for games by developing rigs for objects and characters. Topics include: rigging, arranging controls and skinning.

VGA205 | TEXTURING 2

Texturing 2 will extend students’ knowledge of texturing by manipulating images to generate textures. Students will analyze and alter photos to generate textures that can be applied to 3D models. Topics include: tiling, layering and color correction.

TERM 5

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VGA202 | CHARACTER MODELING 2

Character Modeling 2 extends students’ knowledge of character modeling to create creature models. Students will learn how to create quadruped anatomically correct characters. Topics include: quadruped conceptualization, ecorche, and lo-polygon modeling.

VGA204 | GAME ANIMATION 2

Game Animation 2 introduces students to 3D animation for games by analyzing 3D key framing and timing. Students will learn how to animate and integrate 3D animations into a game engine. Topics include: key framing, timing, and animation cycles.

VGA225 | TEXTURING 3

Texturing 3 students will apply their knowledge of digital painting to create textures. Students will use poly-painting techniques to paint directly onto a 3D model’s surface. Topics include: surface painting, and generating texture maps.

TERM 6

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VGC203 | GAME PORTFOLIO 1

Game Portfolio 1 will introduce students to portfolio development for the game industry. Students will learn how to assemble employment material based on industry standards and expectations. Topics include: resumes, interviewing and cover letters.

VGA141 | CONCEPT DESIGN 1

Concept Design 1 will apply students’ knowledge of digital drawing to conceptualize and produce environment concepts for games. Students will identify concept designs by referencing architectural landscapes, buildings and blueprints. Topics include: perspective, layout and topology.

VGA224 | GAME ANIMATION 3

Game Animation 3 extends students’ knowledge of 3D animation for games by analyzing emotion and expressions. Students will learn how to develop complex animation cycles and transitions. Topics include: overlapping and secondary actions.

TERM 7

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VGC201 | CONCEPT DESIGN 2

Concept Design 2 will extend students’ knowledge of concept design to conceptualize and produce character concepts for games. Students will develop characters using traditional and digital techniques to conceptualize human and creature designs. Topics include: posing, costumes and props.

VGA223 | GAME PORTFOLIO 2

Game Portfolio 2 will allow students to develop their portfolio with the guidance and mentorship of faculty. Students will use proper procedures for presenting their portfolio on the web and other mediums. Topics include: static rendering, presenting and showcasing portfolios.

VGA221 | INTERFACE DESIGN

Interface Design will discuss visual interface design and user interaction. Students will analyze user interaction trends and how to design and layout interfaces for specific platforms. Topics include: spatial analysis, controls and visual representations of data.

TERM 8

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VGA222 | LIGHTING AND RENDERING

Lighting & Rendering will discuss real-time lighting and rendering techniques for 3D game assets. Students will learn how to compose and stage assets within game engines. Topics include: lighting, effects, and shading.

VGC242 | GAME PORTFOLIO 3

Game Portfolio 3 will allow students to finalize development of their portfolio by integrating games and demo reel. Students will use video editing tools to present their portfolio. Topics include: demo reel assembly and editing.

DEGREE PATHWAY

Meet your Mentors

ROB ELSWORTHY

JEAN – PAUL AMORE, B.SC. M.MATH

Ali Kokulu

TED KIM, B.A*

BRAD FURMINGER

ROB ELSWORTHY

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

As a graduate of design at OCAD University in Toronto, Rob Elsworthy has extensive experience in the media industry spanning two decades. He has previously worked for Rockstar Games and Silicon Knights on projects like Metal Gear Solid, Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption as an Animator, VFX Artist and Game Designer. He is also a four-time MMVA winner as a Music Video Director. He recently started Resistr Interactive, to make socially aware games and promote diversity in the industry. As a speaker and panelist Rob has contributed to workshops and events for TEDx, Codex, Interactive Ontario, DesignTO and the Black Youth Design Initiative, hoping to inspire the next generation of game creators.

JEAN – PAUL AMORE, B.SC. M.MATH

PROGRAM DIRECTOR, VIDEO GAME DESIGN PROGRAM S COURSE DISCIPLINE: PRODUCTION, DESIGN, AND PROGRAMMING

With degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics, for over two decades, Jean – Paul Amore has been producing and developing interactive media for Toronto-based software firms, in the areas of educational video games, mobile applications and medical software. Jean – Paul is an advisory-board member for several game start-up companies and game organizations. He is a frequent lecturer for several colleges and universities in Ontario and is the program coordinator for the video game programs at the Toronto Film School.

Ali Kokulu

A graduate of Computer Science from Istanbul Bilgi University, Ali Kokulu has over 10 years of programming and 3 years of teaching experience. Before moving to Canada in 2012 he worked as a programmer in the largest online dating website in Turkey, and as a Business Intelligence consultant in a multinational corporation. He also built the complete digital infrastructure of an international courier service business and built mobile apps as a freelance programmer.
After coming to Canada he built various games for PC and mobile. He is an early adopter of Virtual Reality having worked on multiple VR games, experiences and educational VR software. Outside the college, he continues to work with VR as well as helping companies like Disney, EA and Zynga integrating analytics and monetization tools in their games.

TED KIM, B.A*

COURSE DISCIPLINE: CONCEPT ART

Ted Kim has zigzagged all the way from Vancouver to London (ON) then to New Jersey and back to Toronto. His vocational path has followed a similar pattern. After graduating with a finance degree at the University of Western Ontario, he fled to ‘Nu Joisey’ to attend the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon & Graphic Art.

In 1998, Ted found his first gig in classical animation at the Barking Bullfrog Cartoon Company in Vancouver. From there he stumbled upon the video game industry in Toronto working as a concept artist for Pseudo Interactive from 2000-2006. Since that time Ted has flown solo, going ‘Super Daddy by day and Freelancer by night.’

Selected Clients & Partners include Imaginary Friends Studios, Udon Entertainment, Brandstudio Press, Pseudo Interactive, Shadows in Darkness, Manifest Games, Hidden Path Entertainment, Jetix, Slave Circus Entertainment, Hero Games, Dark Matter Entertainment, Game Developer Magazine, Official Xbox Magazine, Joyride Studios, Beach Studios, Spin Master, Rubicon Publishing, Oxford University Press.

BRAD FURMINGER

COURSE DISCIPLINE: DESIGN

Brad Furminger entered the video game development industry in September 1998, joining the Silicon Knights Design team following ten years of sales in the gaming field. He was promoted to Lead Designer in May of 1999, and served in that capacity on Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (GameCube) and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (GameCube) and for a portion of the development on Too Human (Xbox 360).

Brad left Silicon Knights in October 2008, while working as Senior Technical Designer on an unannounced project. He joined Bedlam Studios in Toronto, Ontario as Senior Level Designer in February 2009 and remained with the studio until it closed in the summer of 2011. During his time at Bedlam, Brad led the Design team on multiple unreleased projects, including Scratch: The Ultimate DJ (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, iOS) and Gamma World: Alpha Mutation (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)