Computer Generated Imagery (3D) MA

This programme runs as part of a suite of six courses available from Digital Media Kingston: User Experience Design MA/MSc , Games Development MA/MSc and 3D Computer Generated Imagery MA/MSc.

This new suite of courses are twinned across the arts and sciences to prepare you for employment in the digital media industry where teams of specialists work together to develop and author innovative digital media projects.

The courses have been specifically designed to utilise the best digital media expertise and resources from across the three faculties of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA); Art and Social Sciences (FASS); and Science, Engineering and Computing (SEC). They have been developed in consultation with our industry panel which includes representatives from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, DreamWorks and Samsung Design Europe.

The emphasis on project and team work provides an industry-focused learning experience where you can hone your own specialist skills in a professional context. Work placements, real projects, internships and an industry mentoring scheme mean these courses will arm you for entry into the fast-growing and highly competitive digital media arena.

What will you study?

In the introductory part of the course, common across all DMI courses, you will develop a specialised practice of your own whilst participating in digital media team production processes such as iterative design and agile development, along with project management skills.

The second part of the course is shared with the Games Development MA/MSc students and develops a portfolio of project work including modelling skills, shading, lighting, rendering, animation and rigging and associated skills such as rotoscoping and match moving.

In the specialist modules there is a strong emphasis on digital modelling and texturing with the option of character rigging, and developing innovative project work that can be produced in collaboration with other students from across the whole suite.

For your final project you will take a professional role (eg shading/texture supervisor, digital painter, shading TD, texture artist/texture painter etc) in a team with students from the other courses to produce a professional piece of work.

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Core modules

• Digital Interdisciplinary Practice

• Digital Interdisciplinary Practice

  Responding to the changes and new demands of the digital media Industries, the focus of Digital Interdisciplinary Practice is establishing students' team-working skills through innovative project development practices devised in consultation with external advisors from industry.  These may be innovative and complex and involve high-levels of creative problem solving and user testing, developing students' ability to interpret,  interact and participate in iterative design processes and agile development practices.  Students' will be expected to present work in the context of their own practice, making their understanding of development processes for digital media clear and contextualising their own contribution.  They will also be expected to develop an understanding of how iterative design processes and agile development practices relate to career opportunities in the digital media industries, cultivate their professional practice and initiate professional standard working relationships towards group projects.

  
   
• Digital Content Production Processes

• Digital Content Production Processes

  This module forms one of the cornerstones of the Digital Media suite of courses and is one of two modules that all students will take. Its focus is on the various modes of production such as but not limited to: games production, mobile computing, online social spaces and interactive media. Indicative content may include idea development formalisations, responding to a brief, researching the brief, developing a pitch, pre-production paperwork, production pipelines, post production and testing etc. These practices will be contextualised by emerging and constantly changing legal frameworks of intellectual property, digital rights in the 21^st Century and the increasing concerns over accessibility are also explored.

  
   
• Fundamentals of CGI

• Fundamentals of CGI

  It is anticipated that students undertaking this module will already have experience of 3D computer generated imagery (CGI) in some form. This module develops student's skills up to a level that will enable them to continue with project components at postgraduate level. This will include the theoretical aspects of CGI. The module will ensure that students are competent in the preferred industry standard software used on this postgraduate course.

  
   
• Applications of CGI

• Applications of CGI

  This module will further develop your skills in 3D CGI modelling and rendering to an advanced level. You will specialise in the area specific to your overall degree course. This module will enable you to specialise in creating models for buildings, environments and interior spaces, photorealistic rendering and compositing into live action.

  
   
• Digital Modelling and Texturing

• Digital Modelling and Texturing

  This module enables you to develop further your skills in 3D modelling and the creation of digital textures, and the application of textures to the models. Furthermore you will develop a creative vision in relation to digital modelling and texturing. On completion of the module you will have a portfolio of shaded models, and will be able to show your models in various forms, such as wireframe, shaded and textured, in such a way as to illustrate your skills as modellers. You will be encouraged to explore a variety of different modelling techniques and methodologies to produce clean geometry.

  
   
• Character Rigging

• Character Rigging

  Experience of the relevant professional 3D computer graphics application is required. Skills in the use of this application will be further developed. This module covers the essential part of the animation production pipeline which is character rigging. In a professional environment a character rig will be created by a character technical director and is used to enable the animators to intuitively control the character. The module contains a large element of practical computer based work. Assessment is by practical coursework project.

  
   

Option modules

• Practice Research Project

• Practice Research Project

  You undertake two substantial projects during this module, based around an issue which needs to be communicated to a group or an identified 'window of opportunity'.

  Normally one brief will be set and the other self-initiated, although both will encourage questioning. The set brief will be open to negotiation, rewriting or re-positioning. The second, self-initiated brief encourages independence and should be born out of autonomous research and reflection upon reading interests or concerns. It could also be an extension of a subject which has already been touched upon during earlier projects.

  In the development of projects you will research and liaise with outside agencies as appropriate. Most importantly, the self-initiated part of this module acts as a fore-runner to the final 'Major Project' - the success of these projects will indicate the appropriateness and readiness for the next stage, completion of the Major Practice Research Project.

  
   
• Live Project

• Live Project

  This optional module for both MA and MSc students uses your previous experience to this point. A live brief will be customised and developed with a professional industry organisation or partner. This will set a demanding challenge for you to address future facing problems in digital media production.

  
   
• Research Methods
• Games Design

• Games Design

  Games development is a highly complex, intensive process requiring teams of programmers, artists, project managers, writers, musicians and many others. The game designer is central to this process and designers must be able to communicate their vision to artists, programmers, producers, marketing staff, and others involved in the development process, and accept feedback on their work. This involves presenting ideas both verbally and on paper and in technical demos, in a range of 2D and 3D graphics and animation packages, with some programming skills at least at scripting' level.

  
   

Staff from three faculties teach on this course.

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