3D Animation and Visualisation
3D animation and visualisation is a discipline at the heart of modern visual storytelling, combining artistic creativity with technical expertise to produce computer-generated imagery for film, television, games, advertising, architectural visualisation and the growing field of immersive and interactive media. Practitioners must understand how to model three-dimensional objects and environments, how to rig and animate characters, how light behaves and how to use the software pipelines of professional production to turn creative concepts into polished finished work. The quality of the imagery produced has improved dramatically in recent decades, and audiences now expect a level of technical and artistic excellence that demands genuinely skilled and experienced practitioners.
At Glasgow Caledonian University this four-year, full-time programme develops your skills using the latest industry software and hardware, working in open-plan studio spaces alongside VR laboratory facilities, green screen and audio production resources. You will develop expertise across 3D modelling, rigging, character animation, environment design, lighting, rendering, compositing and visual effects, building the full range of technical and artistic capabilities that employers in the animation and visualisation industries expect. You will work on individual and collaborative projects that simulate professional production conditions, developing both technical competence and the ability to contribute creatively to team-based creative work.
Graduates work as 3D animators, character animators, environment artists, lighting and rendering specialists, visual effects artists, technical directors and architectural visualisers across film and television production, games studios, advertising agencies, broadcast media, architectural and design practices, product design companies and the growing fields of virtual and augmented reality. Some graduates also build careers in motion graphics, educational media, simulation and training, or continue to postgraduate study in animation, visual effects, computer science or a related creative or technical field.