Course description
Advanced 3D Visual Effects
Dive into the detail and take your VFX knowledge to the next level!
With our Advanced 3D for VFX course you will learn the same skills as our 12 weeks course but in more depth and detail, resulting in a more comprehensive skillset and a more detailed showreel.
You’ll start by sharpening your core 3D skills to give you a thorough technical understanding of software and principles, before moving on to more complex techniques of particle movement, hair, fur and more. Plus, we partner with an industry expert on all of our daytime courses (full-time) so you'll hear directly from someone who's working in the industry and get feedback on your work from a pro.
Our tutors are top industry professionals, so you’ll be taught by the best in the business whether you’re a 3D artist looking to develop a career in VFX, a 2D VFX artist wanting to move into 3D or a VFX graduate preparing for the competitive VFX job market. This course will also suit students from a creative or technical background, keen to change career and get into VFX.
Do you work at this organisation and want to update this page?
Is there out-of-date information about your organisation or courses published here? Fill out this form to get in touch with us.
Suitability - Who should attend?
Aged 18 or over, a good understanding of written and spoken English.
Training Course Content
Module 1 - 3D Foundation
Week 1: Introduction to Maya
- The user interface
- Introduction to modelling
- Introduction to textures
- Introduction to lighting, shading and rendering
Week 2: Modelling
- NURBS curves and surfaces
- NURBS surfaces to polygons
- Polygonal modelling
- Topological rules
Week 3: Modelling continued
- Polygonal modelling continued
- Organic modelling
- Non-linear modelling
- UV mapping techniques (organic and hard surface)
Week 4: Colour and lighting
- Lighting - traditional cinematographic and photographic techniques
- Colour theory, three point lighting
- Natural lighting
- Indirect lighting techniques
- Image based lighting
- Matching lighting
- Advanced lighting
Week 5: Basic texturing
- Hypershade
- Texturing masterclass
- Image manipulation with Photoshop
- Texture distressing with Photoshop
- Non-destructive texturing workflows
- Camera projection mapping
Week 6: Shading and rendering
- Displacement mapping
- Maya nodes
- Raytracing (reflections, refractions and shadows)
- Shaders
- Material properties and case studies (MIA shaders)
Module 2 - Visual Effects
Week 7: Tracking and integration
- Introduction to cameras
- Camera tracking with 3D equalizer
- Manual tracking techniques
- Advanced matchmoving techniques
- Lens distortion
- Camera lineup
Week 8:Digital sculpt and 3D painting
- Texturing
- Sculpting/detailing
- Import/export workflow
Week 9: Advanced shading and lighting
- Mia material
- Advanced MentalRay nodes
- Advanced lighting theory
- Lighting effects
Week 10: Render layers and compositing
- Render layers and passes
- Introduction to Linux
- Introduction to compositing
- Compositing with Nuke (CG layers)
- Rotoscoping and keying with Nuke
Week 11: Animation and rigging
- Keyframe animation
- Path animation
- Constraints and rigging
Week 12: Project week
- Presentation
Module 3 - Advanced 3D for Visual Effects
Week 13: Particles and expressions
- Maya rigid bodies
- Constraints
- Introduction to particles
- Rendering particles
- Emitters
- Emission properties
- Fields
- Bullet dynamics
- Expressions and particle expressions
- Basic MEL scripting
Week 14: Houdini Fundamentals
- Introduction
- Procedural modelling
- Digital assets
- Mantra
- Dynamics
- Shading
Week 15: Fluids
- Fur basics, grooming, lighting and rendering
- Hair basics, simulation and styling
- Different uses of hair
- Dynamic fur
Week 16: Cloth
- 2D/3D containers
- Fluid contents and simulations
- Texturing and rendering fluids
- Fluid caches
- Bifröst
Week 17: Fur and hair
- Overview of Nucleus
- Introduction to NCloth
- NCloth solving and collisions
- NParticle overview
- Constraints
- Caching Nucleus solvers
Week 18: Project week
- End of course presentation
Why choose Escape Studios
Top 6% of Institutions for Graduate Employability -- by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
First Unreal Authorised Training Center in the UK
Expenses
- Tuition fees (on-campus): £15,950
- Tuition fees (live online): £12,760
Continuing Studies
Our students go on to work in many areas of the industry.
Some of the junior opportunities you will be able to consider on completion of the course include:
- Runner
- Junior 3D Artist