School of Visual Effects, Games + Animation
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On-Campus Courses

Learn the essential technical and artistic skills needed to work in the film, game, and visual effects industries. These courses are taught from Gnomon's Hollywood campus, and may be mixed and matched to suit your career goals.

Foundational

Acting for Animators

Acting for Animators

Simulate realistic movement and emotion in animation
Introduction to 3D with Maya

Introduction to 3D with Maya

Learn the technical basics of Autodesk Maya
Art History 1

Art History 1

Survey of the cultural impacts of Western art, architecture, and design
Art History 2

Art History 2

Explore connections between the history of art, design, and architecture
Character Sculpture 1

Character Sculpture 1

Sculpt a character using traditional methods
Color Theory and Light

Color Theory and Light

Explore the fundamentals of color theory
Digital Photography

Digital Photography

Learn the technical basics of digital photography
Figure Drawing

Figure Drawing

Develop skills in foundational figure drawing
History and Principles of Animation

History and Principles of Animation

Survey the historical techniques of animation
History and Principles of Animation

History and Principles of Animation

Survey the historical techniques of animation
History of Visual Effects

History of Visual Effects

Survey and analyze the history of visual effects in film and games
Introduction to 3D with Maya

Introduction to 3D with Maya

Learn the technical basics of Autodesk Maya
Introduction to Compositing

Introduction to Compositing

Use layering to create composited imagery
Perspective

Perspective

Learn the traditional principles of perspective
Photoshop for Digital Production

Photoshop for Digital Production

Build an understanding of the principles of Adobe Photoshop
Visual Communications 1

Visual Communications 1

Communicate complex ideas via visual media
Anatomy of Games

Anatomy of Games

Explore the principles of successful game creation
Business of Production

Business of Production

Explore communication techniques and planning skills in collaborative work environments
Story Development

Story Development

Experiment with techniques for story development

Intermediate

Anatomy

Anatomy

Explore the foundations of human anatomy through structural analysis
Animation and Visual Effects

Animation and Visual Effects

Discover how to achieve high-quality digital effects
Art of Compositing

Art of Compositing

Develop essential introductory techniques to compositing using The Foundry's Nuke
Character Animation 1

Character Animation 1

Learn the fundamentals of animation with Autodesk Maya
Character Animation 1

Character Animation 1

Learn the fundamentals of animation with Autodesk Maya
Character Sculpture 2

Character Sculpture 2

Sculpt form and anatomy using traditional methods
Cinematography for Visual Effects

Cinematography for Visual Effects

Explore traditional and digital effects through the history of cinematography
Costumed Figure Drawing

Costumed Figure Drawing

Apply foundational figure drawing techniques to costumed characters
Design History

Design History

Survey form, function, influence, and style in modern design
Digital Painting

Digital Painting

Learn the basics of painting in Adobe Photoshop
Digital Sculpting

Digital Sculpting

Learn the technical basics of sculpting with Pixologic ZBrush
Expressions and Scripting

Expressions and Scripting

Study advanced scripting techniques in Autodesk Maya
Film History

Film History

Survey a history of genre cinema
Gesture Drawing

Gesture Drawing

Develop skills in gesture drawing from a live model
Graphic Design

Graphic Design

Apply traditional methods of graphic design to products for entertainment
Hard Surface Modeling 1

Hard Surface Modeling 1

Learn object asset creation for game development
Improvisational Acting

Improvisational Acting

Learn the process of improv as it applies to character animation
Motion Graphics 1

Motion Graphics 1

Learn the essential elements of motion graphics for film and television
Painting with Color, Light and Composition

Painting with Color, Light and Composition

Learn classical painting methods with traditional materials
Storyboarding

Storyboarding

Learn the basics of film grammar for storyboarding
Surface Modeling

Surface Modeling

Model hard surfaces with advanced NURBS tools
Texturing and Shading 1

Texturing and Shading 1

Design and map materials for modeling with Autodesk Maya's Hypershade
Timing for Animation

Timing for Animation

Apply 2D animation techniques to computer animation
Visual Communications 2

Visual Communications 2

Apply illustration techniques to industrial design
Game Design

Game Design

Define game design through exploration of fundamental ideas and techniques
Level Design

Level Design

Explore the complex process of level design for games
Props and Weapons for Games

Props and Weapons for Games

Learn the fundamentals of prop and weapon design for games

High Intermediate

Advanced Compositing

Advanced Compositing

Evaluate the best approach to a shot using The Foundry's Nuke
Game Creation 3

Game Creation 3

Explore the technical side of real-time game creation
Advanced Digital Painting

Advanced Digital Painting

Create high-end concept paintings for film and games
Hard Surface Modeling 2

Hard Surface Modeling 2

Learn advanced hard surface polygon modeling techniques in Autodesk Maya
Animation for Games

Animation for Games

Learn advanced body mechanics for game design
Zoological Study

Zoological Study

Learn animal anatomy, biomechanics, and dynamic form
Character Design

Character Design

Learn the fundamental aspects of character design
Character Animation 2

Character Animation 2

Translate body mechanics into 3D animation
Character Modeling and Sculpting

Character Modeling and Sculpting

Use classical techniques to create bipedal production models
Character Rigging Fundamentals

Character Rigging Fundamentals

Learn the foundations of character rigging in Autodesk Maya
Character Sculpture 3

Character Sculpture 3

Sculpt a large-scale character bust using traditional methods
Cloth, Hair and Fur

Cloth, Hair and Fur

Focus on individual modules in Autodesk Maya
Advanced Digital Sculpting

Advanced Digital Sculpting

Use advanced techniques in Pixologic's ZBrush to create 3D printable models
Digital Matte Painting

Digital Matte Painting

Create complex matte paintings in 2D and 3D
Digital Sets

Digital Sets

Build and light complex digital structures
Dynamic Effects 1

Dynamic Effects 1

Learn the technical basics of dynamics in Autodesk Maya
Dynamic Effects 2

Dynamic Effects 2

Explore advanced dynamics in Autodesk Maya
Hard Surface Modeling 2

Hard Surface Modeling 2

Learn advanced hard surface polygon modeling techniques in Autodesk Maya
Hard Surface Texturing and Shading

Hard Surface Texturing and Shading

Learn the art of texturing and shading hard surface assets
HD Digital Filmmaking for VFX

HD Digital Filmmaking for VFX

Learn the essentials of digital camerawork for CG projects
Game Creation 1

Game Creation 1

Gain an in-depth understanding of the process of game creation
Game Creation 2

Game Creation 2

Learn to create immersive real-time worlds in Unreal 4
Lighting and Rendering 1

Lighting and Rendering 1

Learn the basics of lighting in Autodesk Maya and V-Ray
Previsualization and Animatics

Previsualization and Animatics

Visualize complex 3D scenes for production
Product Design

Product Design

Design and digitally build conceptual props
Rotoscoping

Rotoscoping

Explore the various techniques of rotoscoping for production
Scripting for Production

Scripting for Production

Learn to create production tools and interfaces using Python
Shave and a Haircut

Shave and a Haircut

Use Shave and a Haircut to create realistic-looking hair and fur for characters
Texturing and Shading 2

Texturing and Shading 2

Create realistic texture maps on 3D surfaces
Visual Effects for Games 1

Visual Effects for Games 1

Design, create, and optimize visual effects for games
Motion Capture with Motion Builder

Motion Capture with Motion Builder

Learn the motion capture production pipeline

Advanced

Advanced Character Design

Advanced Character Design

Design complex characters through reference and research
Game Creation 4

Game Creation 4

Explore dynamic simulations and animation in game creation
Stylized Character Creation

Stylized Character Creation

Learn the process and appeal of stylized characters
Character Creation for Games

Character Creation for Games

Optimize artistic approaches to deformable character creation
Character Development

Character Development

Explore advanced character development and design
Character Rigging for Production

Character Rigging for Production

Explore the complex challenges in rigging for production
Introduction to Houdini

Introduction to Houdini

Learn the technical basics of SideFX Houdini
Character Texturing and Shading

Character Texturing and Shading

Use advanced software to texture and shade creatures and characters
Commercial Production Techniques

Commercial Production Techniques

Create high quality images using production rendering techniques
Creature Design

Creature Design

Learn the creation of creatures through traditional and digital methods
Creature Modeling and Sculpting

Creature Modeling and Sculpting

Apply advanced ZBrush methods to creature modeling
Dynamic Effects 3

Dynamic Effects 3

Simulate fluids with Autodesk Maya
Environment Creation for Games

Environment Creation for Games

Learn to build interactive environments for games
Environment Design

Environment Design

Design environments for film, animation, and games
Lighting and Rendering 2

Lighting and Rendering 2

Study the technical aspects of lighting in Autodesk Maya and V-Ray
Look Development

Look Development

Delve into the technical challenges of creating surfaces for look development
Matchmoving and Integration

Matchmoving and Integration

Use camera tracking to integrate 3D scenes into a live action plate
Vehicle Design

Vehicle Design

Design transportation for digital entertainment

High Advanced

Dynamic Effects 4

Dynamic Effects 4

Build a dynamic effects sequence with Autodesk Maya
Advanced Techniques in Houdini

Advanced Techniques in Houdini

Explore various effects, tools, and techniques in SideFX Houdini
Houdini Effects

Houdini Effects

Using SideFX Houdini to produce complex visual effects
Visual Effects for Games 2

Visual Effects for Games 2

Further techniques of creating visual effects for games
Visual Structure

Visual Structure

Develop a visual project based on story and character analysis