Lessons introduced in lecture will be applied during figure drawing sessions. These lessons describe a proportion system developed by Robert Beverly Hale to define the human skeleton. After studying the skeleton, the course focuses on all major muscle groups and their influence on the human form.

In this course students learn to develop design documents, timelines, budgets, marketing plans, and supporting material for potential projects. A project of their own design is then fully implemented and presented at the end of the term.

This course contextualizes mid-career acquired technical and aesthetic 3D Digital Design skills within a professional production setting. Students join or are assigned to collaborative teams that work with internal or external clients in the design, development, and completion of a long-form 3D Digital Design project that meets specific client-centered goals. Project scope, outcomes, milestones, deadlines and deliverables are negotiated and agreed upon between the client and the student team. The course focuses on the development of collaboration skills among the team members, and in the differentiation between team objectives and individual goals. Students will learn the process of clear communication with a client in a professional setting.

This course will cover the design of characters and then the creation of them using three-dimensional software, inverse kinematics, parent and rigid binding, bones, and deformers. Students will design characters using techniques like interpretant matrices, model sheets, sketches, and maquettes followed by development of actual characters in software. Characters are designed for incorporation into motion graphics, games, real time applications, performance, or visualization.

3D Digital Design Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty advisor will propose a course of study. 3D Digital Design independent study students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll.

This course provides a theoretical framework covering the principles of animation and its use in game design to affect user experience. Emphasis will be placed upon principles that support character development and animations that show cause and effect. Students will apply these principles to create animations that reflect movement and character appropriate for different uses and environments.

This course focuses upon the application of data structures, algorithms, and fundamental Newtonian physics to the development of video game applications, entertainment software titles, and simulations. Topics covered include 3D coordinate systems and the implementation of affine transformations, geometric primitives, and efficient data structures and algorithms for real-time collision detection. Furthermore, Newtonian mechanics principles will be examined in the context of developing game and entertainment software where they will be applied to compute the position, velocity and acceleration of a point-mass subject to forces and the conservation of momentum and energy. Programming assignments are a required part of this course.

This course provides an overview of 3D game asset production. Basic ideas learned within the first asset production course are also revisited within the 3D environs. Topics covered include modeling, texturing, skinning and animation. Emphasis is put on low polygon modeling techniques, best practices in game art production, and effective communication strategies between artists, programmers and designers.

This course examines the core process of game design, from ideation and structured brainstorming in an entertainment technology context through the examination of industry standard processes and techniques for documenting and managing the design process. This course specifically examines techniques for assessing and quantifying the validity of a given design, for managing innovation and creativity in a game development-specific context, and for world and character design. Specific emphasis is placed on both the examination and deconstruction of historical successes and failures, along with presentation of ethical and cultural issues related to the design and development of interactive software and the role of individuals in a team-oriented design methodology. Students in this class are expected to actively participate and engage in the culture of design and critique as it relates to the field.

This course continues to examine the core theories of game design as they relate to the professional field. Beginning with a formalized pitch process, this course examines the design and development paradigm from story-boarding and pre-visualization through rapid iteration, refinement, and structured prototyping exercises to further examine the validity of a given design. Specific emphasis is placed on iterative prototyping models, and on methodologies for both informal and formal critique. This course also explores production techniques and life-cycle in the professional industry.

This course introduces level design theory and best practice through game level analysis, evaluation, and creation. Students will learn by analyzing game levels from existing games and discussing what made those levels successful or unsuccessful. Through their analysis and hands on experience, students will gain an understanding of overall level design including layout, flow, pacing, and balance. They will enhance their understanding of level design principles by creating their own game levels.

The student will work independently under the supervision of a faculty advisor on a topic not covered in other courses.

This course will allow students to work as domain specialists on teams completing one or more faculty-led research projects over the course of the semester. The faculty member teaching the class will provide the research topic(s). Students will learn about research methodology to implement, test, and evaluate results of projects. Students will complete research reports and final assessments of themselves and their teammates in addition to completing their assigned responsibilities on the main projects.

This course introduces level design theory and best practice through game level analysis, evaluation, and creation. Students will explore the history of various game genres and the design of their levels, analyze game levels from existing games, and discuss what made those levels successful or unsuccessful. Through their analysis and hands-on experience, students will gain an understanding of overall level design including layout, flow, pacing, narrative, and balance. They will enhance their understanding of level design principles by creating their own game levels.

This course examines current topics in Game Development. Specific course details (such as prerequisites, course topics, format, learning outcomes, assessment methods, and resource needs) will be determined by the faculty member(s) who propose a specific topics course in this area.

The student will work independently under the supervision of a faculty adviser on a topic not covered in other courses.

This course will focus on three-dimensional character modeling. Students will learn about anatomy and creating economical topology for deformation in animation and be introduced to industry-standard digital sculpting techniques.

In this advanced three-dimensional modeling course, students will refine their knowledge and skills by creating objects and characters in 3D space. Students will build and create on their previous modeling knowledge and will be introduced to digital sculpting. Modeling concepts such as edge-loop placement for proper animation deformation will be emphasized.

Film and Animation Graduate Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, should propose a course of study or project with clearly defined deliverables. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. Student must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to apply.