Digital Game Artist Certificate

The Digital Game Artist Certificate program trains students to become professional video game artists. Training centers around developing core skills for jobs related to Digital Art, 3D Art, Modeling, Character Design and Environmental Art Design. Once completed, students will have multiple employable skills including modeling game props and characters, importing required elements into game specific software, animation of game assets, and more.

This is a skills-specific course which will teach the key components and competencies needed to excel in positions related to 3D Art for Games and Environmental Art for Games. That said, beyond software and game related techniques, the course touches on just about everything, including general design and concept art. Students will learn the fundamental principles of what makes good art great and the key social aspects needed for continued growth and professional development.

18 Months / 600 Course Hrs

Open enrollment

Offered in Partnership with your Preferred School

Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals

Why this school?

Change School

Learning Method

Instructor-led

Self-Paced. Study on your own schedule

for additional information

Digital Game Artist Certificate

Details + Objectives
Course Code: GES3006

What You Will Learn

Develop game art skills specific to prop, environment, and character art/animation
Learn how to use popular 2d/3d software
Mastery of modeling and texturing techniques
Learn the fundamental principles of making good art

How the course is taught

Self-paced, online course
18 months to complete
Open enrollment, begin anytime
600 course hours

How you will benefit

Employable skills
Practical training that can be used immediately in professional projects
Hands-on development, assessment, and evaluation of artistic ability

Outline

Expand All

I. 3D Modeling I

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		Basic Blender Interface
	C.		Viewport Configuration and Layout
	D.		Display Settings and Menu Rollouts
	E.		Select, Undo/Redo, and Space Search
	F.		Rendering an Image
	G.		Viewport Controls and Settings
	H.		Transforms and User Preferences
	I.		Select and Deselect
	J.		Primitives
	K.		Append
	L.		Primitive Properties
	M.		3D Cursor and Object Position
	N.		Edit and Object Mode
	O.		Grease Pencil
	P.		Pivots and Object Origin
	Q.		3D Cursor
	R.		Transform Orientation and Duplicate
	S.		Polygon, Vertex, and Edge
	T.		Object Mode Keys
	U.		Edit Mode Keys
	V.		Limit Selection to Visible
	W.		Viewport Shading and Smoothing
	X.		Insert, Delete, Dissolve Edge
	Y.		Edge Split and Create Edge
	Z.		Merge
	AA.		User Preferences and Key Commands
	AB.		Outliner
	AC.		Modifiers
	AD.		Piling Modifiers
	AE.		Snaps (Edit and Object Mode)
	AF.		Snap to Grid
	AG.		Splines
	AH.		Rendering Splines
	AI.		Splines in Edit Mode
	AJ.		Curve Modifier
	AK.		Path Deform Process
	AL.		Bevel with Contour Controls
	AM.		Lathe
	AN.		Mirror and Symmetrize
	AO.		Insert
	AP.		Intersect Tool
	AQ.		Fill, Bridge, and Grid Fill
	AR.		Bend
	AS.		Pivot Positioning
	AT.		Fill
	AU.		Grease Pencil Revisited
	AV.		Duplicate and Linked Duplicate
	AW.		Appending and Saving Selected
	AX.		Layers
	AY.		Boolean
	AZ.		Smooth Shading
	BA.		Arrays
	BB.		Solidify
	BC.		Subdivide
	BD.		Proportional Editing
	BE.		Mesh Deform
	BF.		Basic Light Settings
	BG.		Basic Edge Placement for Sub D Surfaces
	BH.		Final Practical

II. Elements of Visual Design

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		Balance
	C.		Unity
	D.		Gradation
	E.		Harmony
	F.		Dominance
	G.		Repetition
	H.		Contrast
	I.		Gestalt
	J.		Space
	K.		Symmetry and Asymmetry
	L.		Gathering and Filtering
	M.		Style Guides
	N.		Form and Structure
	O.		Silhouette and Visual Reference
	P.		Tonal Studies
	Q.		Light
	R.		Ball Study
	S.		Visual Depth
	T.		Tactile Texture / Visual Texture / Pattern
	U.		Volume
	V.		Visual Narrative I
	W.		Visual Narrative II
	X.		Final Practical

III. Texture Maps and Digital Painting

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		Photoshop Texture Maps
	C.		Custom Brushes
	D.		Style Sheets and Ortho Concepts
	E.		Creature Design
	F.		DDO, NDO, and 3DO in Photoshop
	G.		Quixel
	H.		Map Types
	I.		What is Physically Based Rendering?
	J.		Ambient Occlusion (AO) Maps
	K.		ID Maps
	L.		Using the Quixel Suite
	M.		Using NDO I
	N.		Using 3DO I
	O.		NDO Practical
	P.		Accessing Material ID Links
	Q.		Using DDO I
	R.		Saving DDO Smart Materials
	S.		Using DDO II
	T.		Using DDO III
	U.		Create Base (Albedo / Specular / Reflection / AO / Normal)
	V.		Lowering Preview Resolution and Viewing IDs in Real-Time
	W.		Combining Normal Information
	X.		Layers and Blending Modes in DDO
	Y.		The Mask Editor and Mask Paint
	Z.		Brush Combining in Photoshop and Blender
	AA.		Grouping Layers
	AB.		Final Practical

IV. 3D Modeling II

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		Basic Photoshop
	C.		Tile Texture
	D.		Wacom Tablet Properties
	E.		Layers
	F.		Lights
	G.		Sizing and Saving Texture Maps
	H.		Texel Density
	I.		Basic UV Unwrap
	J.		The UV Editor
	K.		Adding Maps to Objects
	L.		Auto and Smart Unwrap
	M.		To Sphere
	N.		Unwrap Follow Active Quads
	O.		Setting Seams for UVW Unwrap
	P.		Smoothing and UV Elements
	Q.		Element Selection
	R.		Positioning of Unwrap Elements
	S.		Weld, Stitch, and Breaking UV Elements
	T.		Relaxing UV Vertices and Elements
	U.		Packing UV Elements
	V.		Mesh Smooth and Edge Crease
	W.		Cycles in Blender
	X.		Texture Paint
	Y.		Basic Sculpt
	Z.		Baking ID Maps
	AA.		Baked Textures
	AB.		Creating Normal Maps
	AC.		Sub-D Modeling Intro
	AD.		Final Practical

V. Elements of Digital Design

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		Stylized 3d Character
	C.		Man Made Prop
	D.		3d Tree
	E.		Underwater Vehicle

VI. 3D Modeling III

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		Anatomy (Hands)
	C.		Anatomy (Feet)
	D.		Anatomy (Head)
	E.		Anatomy (Arm, Leg)
	F.		Anatomy (Chest, Back)
	G.		Anatomy (Creature - Cat)
	H.		Anatomy (Creature - Horse)
	I.		Anatomy (Bird)
	J.		Anatomy (Creature - Dinosaur)
	K.		Anatomy (Structural Design - Wings)
	L.		Edge Flow, Relaxed Edge Flow
	M.		Anatomy and Edge Flow
	N.		Supporting Edges (Structural)
	O.		Supporting Edges (Curved Mesh)
	P.		Mirror and Edge Flow
	Q.		Weighted Vertices
	R.		Armature in 3d (Skin Modifier)
	S.		Edge Flow for Animated Meshes
	T.		Fixing Texture Seams
	U.		Digital Sculpting
	V.		Solidify to Set Up Clothing
	W.		Script UV Squares Master
	X.		Script Mesh Align to G Pencil
	Y.		Final Practical

VII. 3D Sculpture

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		Orthographic Planes
	C.		Alpha Settings and Transparency
	D.		X-Ray
	E.		Blocking Out the Leg
	F.		Adding the Mirror Modifier
	G.		Defining the Back of the Neck
	H.		Creating the Feet
	I.		Creating the Head I
	J.		Creating the Head II
	K.		Creating the Hands I
	L.		Creating the Hands II
	M.		Creating the Arms
	N.		Creating the Toes
	O.		Eyes and Teeth
	P.		Final Base Mesh (Ready for Sculpt)
	Q.		The Multiresolution Modifier
	R.		Setting Up the Sculpt Menu
	S.		Laying Down Clay Strips
	T.		Refining the Sculpt
	U.		Sculpting Details
	V.		Duplicate Mesh, Create Low and High Variation
	W.		Spaced (Relax) Vertices and Tight Mesh Areas
	X.		Texture Projections
	Y.		Projection Snaps and Retopo
	Z.		Final Practical

VIII. Sub-D Modeling

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		Add/Delete Edge Loops to Define Volumes
	C.		Unwrapping Separate Objects (Sub-Objects)
	D.		Baking Normal Maps (Blender)
	E.		Baking Normal Maps (XNormal)
	F.		Apply Normal Maps to Mesh
	G.		Texture Paint Mode and Brushes
	H.		Mirror in Paint Mode
	I.		Stencils
	J.		UV Unwrap Guidelines
	K.		Normal Map Errors and Extreme Stretching
	L.		Normal Map Elements (XYZ, Color, Designation)
	M.		Additional Projects
	N.		Final Practical

IX. Digital Lighting and Game Engines

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		New Project and UI Overview
	C.		Viewport Navigation
	D.		View Modes and Show Flags
	E.		Placing Objects in a Level
	F.		Content Browser
	G.		Material Creation I
	H.		Material Creation II
	I.		Basic Lighting
	J.		Basic Blueprints
	K.		Lights and Settings
	L.		Shadows
	M.		Light Behavior I
	N.		Light Behavior II
	O.		Three Point Lighting
	P.		Time of Day Lighting
	Q.		Translucency and Projections
	R.		Game Engine Lighting I
	S.		Game Engine Lighting II
	T.		Final Practical

X. Character Design and Animation

	A.		Getting Started
	B.		Modeling the Base Mesh
	C.		Sculpting the Character
	D.		Retopology
	E.		UV Mapping and Texture Baking
	F.		Texture Painting
	G.		Rigging the Character
	H.		Creating Animation Cycles
	I.		Setting Up in Unity
	J.		Final Practical

XI. (CAPSTONE) Program Final Practical and Portfolio

	A.		Final Practical and Essay
	B.		Portfolio Development
	C.		Career/Next Steps Consultation

Details

3D Modeling Techniques I
1. Getting Started
2. Basic Blender Interface
3. Viewport Configuration and Layout
4. Display Settings and Menu Rollouts
5. Select, Undo/Redo, and Space Search
6. Rendering an Image
7. Viewport Controls and Settings
8. Transforms and User Preferences
9. Select and Deselect
10. Primitives
11. Append
12. Primitive Properties
13. 3D Cursor and Object Position
14. Edit and Object Mode
15. Grease Pencil
16. Pivots and Object Origin
17. 3D Cursor
18. Transform Orientation and Duplicate
19. Polygon, Vertex, and Edge
20. Object Mode Keys
21. Edit Mode Keys
22. Limit Selection to Visible
23. Viewport Shading and Smoothing
24. Insert, Delete, Dissolve Edge
25. Edge Split and Create Edge
26. Merge
27. User Preferences and Key Commands
28. Outliner
29. Modifiers
30. Piling Modifiers
31. Snaps (Edit and Object Mode)
32. Snap to Grid
33. Splines
34. Rendering Splines
35. Splines in Edit Mode
36. Curve Modifier
37. Path Deform Process
38. Bevel with Contour Controls
39. Lathe
40. Mirror and Symmetrize
41. Insert
42. Intersect Tool
43. Fill, Bridge, and Grid Fill
44. Bend
45. Pivot Positioning
46. Fill
47. Grease Pencil Revisited
48. Duplicate and Linked Duplicate
49. Appending and Saving Selected
50. Layers
51. Boolean
52. Smooth Shading
53. Arrays
54. Solidify
55. Subdivide
56. Proportional Editing
57. Mesh Deform
58. Basic Light Settings
59. Basic Edge Placement for Sub D Surfaces
60. Final Practical
Elements of Visual Design
1. Getting Started
2. Balance
3. Unity
4. Gradation
5. Harmony
6. Dominance
7. Repetition
8. Contrast
9. Gestalt
10. Space
11. Symmetry and Asymmetry
12. Gathering and Filtering
13. Style Guides
14. Form and Structure
15. Silhouette and Visual Reference
16. Tonal Studies
17. Light
18. Ball Study
19. Visual Depth
20. Tactile Texture / Visual Texture / Pattern
21. Volume
22. Visual Narrative I
23. Visual Narrative II
24. Final Practical
Texture Maps and Digital Paint
1. Getting Started
2. Photoshop Texture Maps
3. Custom Brushes
4. Style Sheets and Ortho Concepts
5. Creature Design
6. DDO, NDO, and 3DO in Photoshop
7. Quixel
8. Map Types
9. What is Physically Based Rendering?
10. Ambient Occlusion (AO) Maps
11. ID Maps
12. Using the Quixel Suite
13. Using NDO I
14. Using 3DO I
15. NDO Practical
16. Accessing Material ID Links
17. Using DDO I
18. Saving DDO Smart Materials
19. Using DDO II
20. Using DDO III
21. Create Base (Albedo / Specular / Reflection / AO / Normal)
22. Lowering Preview Resolution and Viewing IDs in Real-Time
23. Combining Normal Information
24. Layers and Blending Modes in DDO
25. The Mask Editor and Mask Paint
26. Brush Combining in Photoshop and Blender
27. Grouping Layers
28. Final Practical
3D Modeling Techniques II
1. Getting Started
2. Basic Photoshop
3. Tile Texture
4. Wacom Tablet Properties
5. Layers
6. Lights
7. Sizing and Saving Texture Maps
8. Texel Density
9. Basic UV Unwrap
10. The UV Editor
11. Adding Maps to Objects
12. Auto and Smart Unwrap
13. To Sphere
14. Unwrap Follow Active Quads
15. Setting Seams for UVW Unwrap
16. Smoothing and UV Elements
17. Element Selection
18. Positioning of Unwrap Elements
19. Weld, Stitch, and Breaking UV Elements
20. Relaxing UV Vertices and Elements
21. Packing UV Elements
22. Mesh Smooth and Edge Crease
23. Cycles in Blender
24. Texture Paint
25. Basic Sculpt
26. Baking ID Maps
27. Baked Textures
28. Creating Normal Maps
29. Sub-D Modeling Intro
30. Final Practical
Elements of Digital Design
1. Getting Started
2. Stylized 3d Character
3. Man Made Prop
4. 3d Tree
5. Underwater Vehicle
3D Modeling Techniques III
1. Getting Started
2. Anatomy (Hands)
3. Anatomy (Feet)
4. Anatomy (Head)
5. Anatomy (Arm, Leg)
6. Anatomy (Chest, Back)
7. Anatomy (Creature - Cat)
8. Anatomy (Creature - Horse)
9. Anatomy (Bird)
10. Anatomy (Creature - Dinosaur)
11. Anatomy (Structural Design - Wings)
12. Edge Flow, Relaxed Edge Flow
13. Anatomy and Edge Flow
14. Supporting Edges (Structural)
15. Supporting Edges (Curved Mesh)
16. Mirror and Edge Flow
17. Weighted Vertices
18. Armature in 3d (Skin Modifier)
19. Edge Flow for Animated Meshes
20. Fixing Texture Seams
21. Digital Sculpting
22. Solidify to Set Up Clothing
23. Script UV Squares Master
24. Script Mesh Align to G Pencil
25. Final Practical
3D Sculpture
1. Getting Started
2. Orthographic Planes
3. Alpha Settings and Transparency
4. X-Ray
5. Blocking Out the Leg
6. Adding the Mirror Modifier
7. Defining the Back of the Neck
8. Creating the Feet
9. Creating the Head I
10. Creating the Head II
11. Creating the Hands I
12. Creating the Hands II
13. Creating the Arms
14. Creating the Toes
15. Eyes and Teeth
16. Final Base Mesh (Ready for Sculpt)
17. The Multiresolution Modifier
18. Setting Up the Sculpt Menu
19. Laying Down Clay Strips
20. Refining the Sculpt
21. Sculpting Details
22. Duplicate Mesh, Create Low and High Variation
23. Spaced (Relax) Vertices and Tight Mesh Areas
24. Texture Projections
25. Projection Snaps and Retopo
26. Final Practical
Sub-D Modeling
1. Getting Started
2. Add/Delete Edge Loops to Define Volumes
3. Unwrapping Separate Objects (Sub-Objects)
4. Baking Normal Maps (Blender)
5. Baking Normal Maps (XNormal)
6. Apply Normal Maps to Mesh
7. Texture Paint Mode and Brushes
8. Mirror in Paint Mode
9. Stencils
10. UV Unwrap Guidelines
11. Normal Map Errors and Extreme Stretching
12. Normal Map Elements (XYZ, Color, Designation)
13. Additional Projects
14. Final Practical
Unreal Engine 4 Quick Start
1. New Project and UI Overview
2. Viewport Navigation
3. View Modes and Show Flags
4. Placing Objects in a Level
5. Content Browser
6. Material Creation I
7. Material Creation II
8. Basic Lighting
9. Basic Blueprints
10. Final Practical
Character Design and Animation
1. Modeling the Base Mesh
2. Sculpting the Character
3. Retopology
4. UV Mapping and Texture Baking
5. Texture Painting
6. Character Rigging
7. Animation Cycles
8. Game Character Setup in Engine
Program Final Practical
1. Final Practical and Design Document
Program Final Practical and Portfolio
1. Portfolio Development
2. Career/Next Steps Consultation

View All Sections

Instructors & Support

Christian Bradley

Christian Bradley is the Director of Curriculum Development for Digital Media at the Art Institute of California, Orange County campus. He was as an instructor and Academic Director of Game Art and Design at the Art Institute of California, San Diego from 2003 to 2015. For more than twenty years, Bradley was an environment artist and texture artist with more than 35 commercial video game titles for PC, and Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo consoles in his portfolio. He has worked at Interplay, the Dreamers Guild Studios, and the Collective Studios. Some previous clients include Activision, Digital Extremes, and Legend Entertainment.

Requirements

Prerequisites / Requirements

Prerequisites:

Basic computer literacy and software installation.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
3 Button Mouse (with wheel)
These supplementary materials are recommended but not required:
- Pressure sensitive tablet (e.g., Wacom).
- Quixel Suite.
- Various thickness black markers.
- Sketching pencils.
- 12 color pack of pens.

Software Requirements:

PC: Windows 7 or later.
Mac: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
Blender 2015 or newer.
Adobe Photoshop CS6+ or GIMP/Paint.NET.
Unreal Engine 4.
Unity 5+.
Adobe Flash Player. Click here to download the Flash Player.
Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here to download the Acrobat Reader.
Software is not included in the cost of tuition. All software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other: Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Materials

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

FAQs

Expand All

Can I register for a course if I am an international student?

Yes, ed2go courses are online, so you never have to actually travel to the school. Most schools offer telephone or online registration.

Does this course prepare for a certification?

No.

When can I start the course?

This course is open enrollment, so you can register and start the course as soon as you are ready. Access to your course can take 24-48 business hours.

How long does it take to complete this course?

This course is self-paced and open enrollment, so you can start when you want and finish at your own pace. When you register, you'll receive eighteen (18) months to complete the course.

What if I don't have enough time to complete my course within the time frame provided?

The time allotted for course completion has been calculated based on the number of course hours. However, if you are unable to complete the course, contact your Student Advisor to help you work out a suitable completion date. Please note that an extension fee may be charged.

What kind of support will I receive?

You may be assigned with an instructor or team of industry experts for one-on-one course interaction. Your support will be available (via e-mail) to answer any questions you may have and to provide feedback on your performance. All of our instructors are successful working professionals in the fields in which they teach. You will be assigned to an Advisor for academic support.

What happens when I complete the course?

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.

Am I guaranteed a job?

This course will provide you with the skills you need to obtain an entry-level position in most cases. Potential students should always do research on the job market in their area before registering.

Can I get financial assistance?

ed2go courses are non-credit, so they do not qualify for federal aid, FAFSA and Pell Grant. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards will pay for qualified students to take our courses. Additionally, some students may qualify for financial assistance when they enroll, if they meet certain requirements. Financing is available from select schools. Learn more: https://www.ed2go.com/career/financial-assistance

How can I get more information about this course?

If you have questions that are not answered on our website, please feel free to contact us via LIVE CHAT or by calling us at (855) 520-6806. If you are visiting us during non-business hours, please feel free to send us a question using the Contact Us form.

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Digital Game Artist Certificate

Digital Game Artist Certificate

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Details + Objectives Course Code: GES3006

Outline

Instructors & Support

Prerequisites / Requirements

FAQs

Details + Objectives
Course Code: GES3006