2026-2027 Academic Catalog

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  • DMA-381 HARD SURFACE SCULPTING

    This course focuses on digital modeling and,sculpting and the design development of hard,surface assets/characters/vehicles as they relate,to game design and animation. Treatments and,synopsis will describe the theme based back story,,rationale, and visual design. Students will learn,the sculpting and modeling techniques of,conceptual artists and digital sculptors, to,create models for film and game design focused on,high resolution conceptual models and baked game,models. Students will exit the course with a,finished and highly developed portfolio of,sculptures and models, rendered and complete with,textures.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 341

  • DMA-367 3D ANIMATION III

    Dive into the world of 3D character animation with,an intensive course designed to provide a holistic,overview of the production pipeline, from concept,to final frame. This course explores performance,driven animation, and how to make compelling,characters with nuanced motion. Students are,encouraged to work in small groups, or partner,with colleagues in other departments to create,portfolio ready pieces. This course covers 3D,modeling, texturing/shading, rigging, animation,,and lighting/compositing through a series of,focused projects aimed at rounding out a student’s,skillset, and preparing them to create their own,films.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 347

  • DMA-364 GAME THESIS DESIGN & MANAGEMENT

    Students will conceptualize and develop a,multifaceted thesis project that will be executed,in their senior year as part of the Senior,Production Studio for Game 1 and 2 courses. This,course will examine project/story development and,concept execution through the screening and,dissection of existing games and other pertinent,media and implementing best practices for the pre,production pipeline. Students will be asked to,ideate across a wide range of narrative structures,including character backgrounds and experiences,within unique storylines.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 339

  • DMA-363 CHARACTER DESIGN

    In this course, students will be introduced to,what characteristics make up believable and,dynamic characters. The course will focus on the,design of characters for stories both existing and,imagined by the students. A strong understanding,of anatomy and purpose to each character will be,of particular focus.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 360

  • DMA-362 VEHICLES AND PROPS

    In some stories, a vehicle or prop can be its own,character. In this course. students will continue,their industrial design, storytelling strategies,and techniques for the creation of vehicles and,props for the entertainment industry. Past,,present, and future time periods will be,investigated equally through a range of design,exercises.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 258

  • DMA-361 ARCHITECTURE 2

    In this course, interior architectural styles will,be explored. Design elements and styles will be,studied and student will execute drawings and,renderings of an architectural interior of their,own design expressing certain specific styling,guidelines. Final interior renderings will be,completed for each of the genres.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 360

  • DMA-360 ARCHITECTURE 1

    In this course, exterior architectural styles will,be explored. Design elements and styles will be,studied and students will then execute drawings,and renderings of an architectural exterior or,their own design expressing certain specific,styling guidelines. Final exterior renderings,will be completed for each of the genres.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 258

  • DMA-358 VIS COMM 6: DRAMATIC NARRATIVE

    Interpreting story is a large part of a Concept,Designers job. In this course, advanced digital,rendering techniques will be continued and,students will further develop skills in both 3D,and Photoshop programs. Shortcuts to increase,rendering productivity will be discussed and,demonstrated as all areas of Concept Design will,be explored with full emphasis on storytelling by,means of Keyframe execution.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 357

  • DMA-357 VIS COMM 5: ZBRUSH

    Continuing from the previous Vis Comm courses in,rendering techniques, this course will focus on,producing finished imagery thru sculpting-modeling,in ZBrush. Students will learn and execute,organic and hard surface modeling techniques for,characters and props which they will render and,paint-over. Lighting, color and composition will,be stressed for final projects.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 258

  • DMA-351 ADVANCED CREATURE CREATION,ENVIRONMENTS

    In this course students will explore the,necessary details needed to create believable,creature full body models. Students will learn,the necessary process needed to design, plan,,create and implement professional creature and,character models in 3D using Maya and Zbrush in a,professional pipeline setting.

    Credits: 3

    Prerequisites: DMA 341