Game Arts Option - 3D Digital Design BFA - Curriculum

This course is an introduction to the representation of form and motion in three-dimensional software. The course focuses on the development of visual and verbal vocabulary as a means of exploring, developing, and understanding composition and motion with digital geometry and in virtual spaces. Topics include the basics of lines, planes, contour, transforming lines into form, composing images with a software camera, interaction of light and surface, perspective, resolution of geometry, and rendering. Perception and visual thinking are emphasized in the development of projects. Projects will include modeling organic and inorganic forms, composition, level of detail, creation of spaces and motion. Structured assignments develop skills in concept generation, basic form making, techniques for creating motion, and craftsmanship. Emphasis is placed on workflow, teamwork, and the technical and aesthetic aspects of each project. Lecture 2, Studio 2 (Fall).

This course is an introduction to the development of surface materials in three- dimensional software, using the basic concepts covered in Intro to Modeling and Motion. Principles of additive and subtractive color are developed as they relate to the interpretation of physical phenomena within a virtual world. The vocabulary expands to include the interaction of light and surface attributes including: color, relief, specularity, transparency, and more. Projects focus on using color, value and texture to enhance the representation of form and space. The basics of node based materials design is introduced. Additional techniques for UV layout are introduced. Concepts are introduced through lectures, discussions, demonstrations, research, assigned projects, and critiques. Assignments develop skills in surface design, lighting and rendering. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students who have completed DDDD-101 with a C or better or equivalent course.) Lecture 2, Studio 2 (Spring).

This course provides experience in generating images, both still and moving, for use with the three-dimensional software environment. Students learn techniques for drawing perspective and orthographic views as well as cabinet drawings, oblique drawings, and other techniques. Students learn to create curves to import for model creation, to capture images photographically to use as textures, to create wrapping textures, to compile multiple frames into a movie, to merge segments together into a single movie, to record and incorporate audio elements, and to export results to the web and other media. Students learn to use a green screen to add live elements to their work. (Prerequisite: DDDD-101 or equivalent course.) Lecture 2, Studio 2 (Spring).

This course is an introduction to the basic elements and principles of two-dimensional design and is foundational to the College of Art and Design curriculum. The focus of this course is the development of visual and verbal vocabularies as a means of exploring and understanding two-dimensional design. Students will engage with a wide variety of media, tools, and techniques to develop skills while delving into the theoretical and experimentational processes of contemporary art and design. The exploration of historical and cultural themes and concepts intertwined with aspects of personal interpretation and experience will be included in the curriculum. **Fee: A materials fee is required for this course, and an additional course fee applied via student account** Studio 6 (Fall or Spring).

This course presents a progressive study in terminology, visual principles, exploration, concept generation, process, and techniques of three-dimensional design and is foundational to the College of Art and Design curriculum. Using hands-on problem solving, student will develop an informed understanding of the three-dimensional form and space with an emphasis on the elements and principles of visual design and their function as the building blocks and guidelines for ordering a three-dimensional composition. A heightened awareness of form and space will be developed through lecture, assigned projects, and critiques. Students will also develop a personal awareness of problem seeking and solving, experimentation and critical analysis. **Fee: A materials fee is required for this course, and an additional course fee applied via student account** Studio 6 (Fall or Spring).

4D Design introduces students to the basic concepts of art and design in time and space. The course explores elements of moving images such as continuity, still and moving image editing, transitions and syntax, sound and image relations, and principles of movement. Computers, video, photo, sound and lighting equipment are used to create short-form time-based work relevant to students in all majors and programs required to take this course. The course addresses the both historical conventions of time in art and recent technological advances, which are redefining the fields of Fine Art and Design. In focusing on the relations between students' spacing and timing skills, 4D Design extends and supplements the other Foundation courses, and prepares students for further work with time-based media. (Undergraduate Art and Design) Lab 5 (Fall, Spring).

The Game Arts Seminar course is a required courses for students in the 3D Digital Graphics program entering into the Game Arts option. This seminar will introduce students to the evolution of game development mechanics and their relationship to aesthetics of games. Students will learn to use key terminologies, theories, and principles for the critique and analysis of games. By the end of the course students will be comfortable discussing games from the perspectives of a developer, player, and from an academic vantage point. Seminar 1 (Fa/sp/su).

RIT 365 students participate in experiential learning opportunities designed to launch them into their career at RIT, support them in making multiple and varied connections across the university, and immerse them in processes of competency development. Students will plan for and reflect on their first-year experiences, receive feedback, and develop a personal plan for future action in order to develop foundational self-awareness and recognize broad-based professional competencies. (This class is restricted to incoming 1st year or global campus students.) Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring).

This course provides extensive coverage of methods for modeling where evaluation of the appropriate modeling method to use in various situations is key. The emphasis in the course is on problem solving. Modeling challenges of various types are incorporated into the projects. With these techniques students create complex models of organic and inorganic forms using many techniques. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students who have completed DDDD-101 with a C or better or equivalent course.) Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall).

In this course students will apply visual effects and enhancements to incorporate multiple layers of still images, video and audio into a single project. Emphasis is placed on incorporating various visual elements into a cohesive cinematic design. At the completion of this course, students will be able to troubleshoot technical challenges and present their work for addition to a professional portfolio. (Prerequisites: DDDD-102 and DDDD-103 or equivalent course.) Lab 3, Lecture 2 (Fall or Spring).

This course covers the use of scripts to control various aspects of three-dimensional environments, models, textures, motion, production workflow and more. Students develop scripts to control particles, models, textures, motion, and interaction with the environment. Additionally students gain experience downloading scripts to micro controllers. (Prerequisites: DDDD-101 or SOFA-215 or IGME-219 or equivalent course.) Lab 2, Lecture 2 (Fall).

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. (Prerequisites: DDDD-102 or equivalent course.) Lecture 2, Studio 2 (Spring).

The course will focus on advanced techniques in lighting, materials, and rendering. Students will light objects and spaces. Students will use shading networks to incorporate groups of two-dimensional and three-dimensional textures into realistic and non-photorealistic materials. Students will learn to use texture maps instead of detail in models to increase interaction speeds. Textures are used to prototype simple models into complex scenes before completion of final geometry. Normal maps and displacement textures are used to create detail in model UVs. Use of the node-based system to control many aspects of the 3D environment is covered. Use of textures to simulate non-dynamic lights and shadows is introduced. Planning for the economical use of textures and for the replacement of models with texture maps in level of detail (LOD) situations will be addressed as well. Students will learn to design effective render layers and explore the strengths and weaknesses of various renderers to make effective judgments about which renderer to use in a given situation. (Prerequisites: DDDD-202 or equivalent course.) Lecture 2, Studio 3 (Spring).

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 is restricted to students in GAMEDES-BS or NWMEDID-BS or GAMED-MN or GAMEDD-MN YR 2-5 students.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall, Spring).

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. Lab 3, Studio 3 (Spring).

This course will provide students with methods of conceptualizing, organizing, and executing illustrations using digital media. Projects will expose students to various types of digital techniques using current software applications for the creation of professional level assignments. The course will emphasize conceptual problem-solving methodology and the language of visualization while providing a consistent foundation of picture making as it relates to professional illustration production. Color systems, creation tools, and digital terminology and workflow will also be emphasized within this course. (Prerequisites: FDTN-122 or FDTN-222 or SOFA-108 or ILLS-206 or equivalent course.) Studio 5 (Fall or Spring).

The course focuses on preparing students to enter the professional world. Projects include the development of a resume, cover letter, artist's statement, bio, and portfolio. Focus is placed on submitting work to competitions, both visual and written, related to their work. (Prerequisites: DDDD-103 or equivalent course and completion of First Year Writing (FYW) requirement.) Lecture 3 (Fall).

The History of Game Arts course will explore different topics and genera in game arts, from board games to video games. The focus of the course will be to evaluate visual art created for games within its cultural context, using lenses including social/historical context, globalization, consumerism, queer theory, gender, race, theories of visual representation, and formalism. Student will learn to evaluate game arts from multiple interrelated perspectives in order to understand the implications, power, and malleability of this art form. The research centers and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games at the Strong Museum of Play will be resources for the course. (Prerequisites: Completion of one course in ARTH at the 100 level or IGME-119 or equivalent course.) Lecture 2, Recitation 1 (Fall or Spring).

In this course specific technology-based topics in the rapidly changing field of game arts will be explored. The goal of this course is for students to familiarize themselves with new technologies and develop proficiency in the topic of the course. Potential topics include specialty subtopics of VR, AR, XR, AI, simulation, visual effects, game characters, the metaverse, 3D user interface design, or other new areas of game art. The topic of each course will vary and a specific course outline is generated each term the course is taught. This course has a sub-topic and may be repeated with different subtopics. Subtopics may not be repeated. (Prerequisites: DDDD-207 or equivalent course.) Lab 1 (Fa/sp/su).

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. (Prerequisites: (IGME-202 and IGME-220 or equivalent courses and GAMEDES-BS or NWMEDID-BS or GAMEDD-MN students) or (IGME-102 and IGME-220 or equivalent courses and GAMED-MN students).) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall, Spring).

This course will allow students to work as domain specialists on teams completing one or more large projects over the course of the semester. The projects will be relevant to experiences of the interactive games and media programs, but will require expertise in a variety of sub-domains, including web design and development, social computing, computer game development, multi-user media, human-computer interaction and streaming media. Students will learn to apply concepts of project management and scheduling, production roles and responsibilities, and their domain skill sets to multidisciplinary projects. Students will complete design documents, progress reports and final assessments of themselves and their teammates in addition to completing their assigned responsibilities on the main projects. (Prerequisites: IGME-330 or equivalent course and restricted to students in NWMEDID-BS or IGME-320 or equivalent course and restricted to students in GAMEDES-BS.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).

The course focuses on implementation of a three-dimensional digital design project from the planning stage, through completion and presentation. By the end of the term the student will have completed at least half of the project and have made all of the aesthetic decisions relative to the project in preparation for an intense critique at the end of the term. (Prerequisites: DDDD-209 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

The course focuses on the completion of a major three-dimensional digital design project from the planning stage, through completion and presentation. Based on the feedback received in the critique at the end of the previous sections of Senior Capstone I, students will refine and complete their project and prepare to submit their work to competitions and integrate it into their portfolio. Finished projects are presented in a Senior Capstone show. (Co-requisite: DDDD-402 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

In this course specific technology-based topics in the rapidly changing field of game arts will be explored. The goal of this course is for students to familiarize themselves with new technologies and develop proficiency in the topic of the course. Potential topics include specialty subtopics of VR, AR, XR, AI, simulation, visual effects, game characters, the metaverse, 3D user interface design, or other new areas of game art. The topic of each course will vary and a specific course outline is generated each term the course is taught. This course has a sub-topic and may be repeated with different subtopics. Subtopics may not be repeated. (Prerequisites: DDDD-207 or equivalent course.) Lab 1 (Fa/sp/su).