3D Animation for Games and Film
3D animation for games and film is a discipline that sits at the boundary between technical skill and artistic expression, combining the mathematical and software knowledge needed to work in three-dimensional computer graphics with the storytelling, design and aesthetic sensibility required to create characters, environments and sequences that engage and convince audiences. Games and film are the two largest markets for 3D animation, and they have distinct but overlapping demands: games require real-time performance and interactive animation systems, while film and visual effects work can be more computationally intensive and less constrained by frame-rate requirements. At Middlesex University, this three-year full-time degree includes a foundation year and is taught using industry-standard facilities, with the emphasis on developing a showreel that demonstrates professional-level work to prospective employers.
You will develop skills in 3D modelling, rigging, animation, shading and lighting, effects simulation and compositing, using the software tools that are standard across the animation and visual effects industries. The foundation year gives you the creative and technical grounding needed before engaging with the more advanced content of the main degree. Character animation, creature effects, environmental animation and cinematic sequences are all areas you may explore depending on your interests, and the degree is designed to develop both your technical execution and your creative judgement.
A typical tariff of around 120 points is expected.
Graduates work as animators, riggers, character technical directors, effects artists, previz artists and motion graphics designers in games studios, visual effects houses, film production companies, advertising agencies and broadcast organisations. The showreel is the primary currency in this industry, and the degree is built around helping you develop one that is genuinely competitive. Many graduates proceed to postgraduate study or enter the industry through the relationships and connections made during the degree.