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3D DIGITAL ARTIST

Kickstart your career as a 3D Digital Artist and dive into the world of CGI from August 2024.

WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION WITHIN DIGITAL ARTS

 

Designed to develop your skillset for a successful career in VFX, games, animation, and new media, our programme combines practical hands-on training with a solid theoretical foundation and one-on-one mentorship.

 

We have a strategic collaboration with Abertay University, allowing you to achieve their accredited Bachelor of Honours in 3D Digital Arts upon passing your exams at CADA.

 

  • 3.5-Year Programme
  • BA Hons Degree from Abertay University
  • Industry-Experienced Instructors

IS THE SCHOOL OF DIGITAL ARTS ANYTHING FOR ME?

 

CADA's 3D Digital Artist Programme is meticulously crafted for creative minds who envision a career in the digital visual industry.

 

Whether you're a budding artist with a passion for 3D, animation, and CGI, a tech enthusiast eager to delve into the world of game and film production, or an aspiring professional seeking to refine and elevate your skills in digital arts, this programme is your gateway.

 

Here, at CADA, we welcome students from diverse backgrounds, fostering an inclusive environment where each student's unique creative journey is valued and nurtured.

STUDENT LIFE

 

Hear from our students what studying at CADA is like. Get a good sense of the student life and learn more about our education.

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Dual Enrolment,
Single Commitment

When you enrol in CADA's programme, you can become a part of Abertay University's accredited degree program. This means you get the best of both worlds: the flexibility and convenience of studying at CADA and the prestige of an internationally recognised degree from Abertay University.

Semester Overview

Here you can find a brief overview of the education and the semesters. You can click into each semester to learn more about them.
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Semester 1

 

Your first semester introduces the fundamental subjects within 3D pipeline such as modeling, texturing, lighting, simulation, rigging, simple animation, rendering, as well as pre and postproduction. There are no exams in the 1st semester.

This semester focuses both on technical and artistic challenges you may face in a production scenario. This encourages a problem-solving and reflective approach to production.

 

3D Basics

  • Box modelling
  • Texturing
  • Lighting
  • Simulation
  • Rendering
  • Basic production workflow
  • Drawing
  • UV/Texturing

 

Style Matching

  • Concepting
  • Modelling
  • Texturing
  • Render
  • Lighting
  • Compositing

 

Game Character

  • Concepting
  • Sculpting intro
  • Soft surface modelling
  • Rigging
  • Posing

Semester 2

 

In this semester you build on your foundation and start to use these skills in the service of narrative. Specifically game worlds and animation short films.

 

Starting with character animation, you learn the fundamental skills for understanding and animating characters.

 

You then move onto the Unreal engine to lean how to produce an effective narrative environment. This includes understanding how to conceive, develop and produce effective virtual spaces as well as props, lighting and other design elements designed to lead players through a world, as well as a story.

 

Lastly students will learn to plan and oversee the production of a short film. The goals for the student are to learn how to utilise their theoretical knowledge, while working on a practical production course together with others, gain insight into the similarities, as well as the differences between producing a game and an animation. In game production the students are solely responsible for the entire pre-production, from concept and manuscript to story- board.

 

Animation I

  • 12 principles of animation
  • Texturing
  • Posing
  • Cycles
  • Action animation
  • Lip sync and dialogue
  • Transfer acting reference to keyframe animation

 

World Creation

  • Introduction to Unreal

 

Environmental Look Dev

  • 3D game pipeline
  • Pre-production
  • Production
  • Game Environment Design
  • Game Level Design
  • Environmental Storytelling

Short Film

  • Animation pipeline
  • Working with a director (possibly also a producer, scriptwriter, sound engineers etc.)
  • Production
  • Post-production

 

Exam

  • Practical exam
  • Oral exam

Semester 3 & 4

 

During this term we bring in highly specialised guest teachers from the industry to teach you several specialised subjects. The actual order of the subjects can change, as availability of industry professionals can affect the planning of the semesters.

 

Semester 3 and 4 aims to equip you with intermediate level knowledge and understanding necessary to their growing skills and project ambitions as a 3D artist in various stages of a production pipeline.

 

You explore and learn industry standard software packages and data pipelines necessary to not only work within a specific area, but also know how to pass work to someone else, and what to expect when work is given to you.

 

As with all our courses, this semester approaches this from a production, hands on approach, rather than a theoretical one.

 

During Semester 3 and 4 students also complete a new-technology project using augmented, or cross-reality technology, and a film project – often using external company’s IP.

 

The end of semester 4 has a mini-thesis exam, where you produce a piece of 3D work on a subject of your choice, and reflect on the processes us used to achieve that work.

 

Rigging

More advanced rigging techniques and (potentially) Python Scripting. Maya.

 

Animation II

Additional Animation education, with more focus on acting and storytelling. Maya.

 

Hair and Fur

Creation, grooming and rendering of digital hair and fur using X-Gen. Maya.

 

Procedural Art

Understanding and using simulation and procedural workflows. Houdini.

 

Shading, Lighting and Rendering

How render engines work, light theory, camera matching and creation of render layers for compositing. Maya.

 

Compositing

Combining rendered and other elements, correcting, and enhancing it for the finished result. Nuke.

 

XR Production

Group project work with the goal of learning about and creating an XR experience. Done in required XR software.

 

Sculpting

Additional sculpting techniques and functionalities for digital sculpting. ZBrush.

 

Anatomy for Sculpture

Education in human anatomy for the use in digital sculpting. ZBrush.

 

Film Project

Group work based on an external client’s project, for the students to develop and deliver on.

 

Exam

5 weeks individual or group project on chosen subject with a written report and oral defense. Done in software of own choice.

 

Semester 5

 

Game Production

 

In this term you participate in a group project to develop a larger scale game, relying on their growing specialist skills. You learn to work collaboratively in a interdisciplinary team, leaning on individual strengths, navigating group dynamics professionally, while working within designated roles to ensure a quality product is achieved. Soft skills are as important as hard skills in this project and this semester presents a strong opportunity to develop essential skills like interpersonal communication, group diplomacy, and being assertive.

 

At the end of this semester the student teams have their games published on a digital storefront so that anyone can play them.

 

Semester 6

 

Thesis

 

During the term, you work on a chosen subject from within the programme, identifying and immersing yourself in a single 3D Arts based project for the duration of the semester. This requires a greater level of independence as you plan, research, and build, to complete your project.

 

The thesis project is an independent project, but this process is supervised. Each student may meet with a subject expert as a mentor for up to 10 hours during term time, for formative feedback, and academic or practical guidance on their work.

 

Semester 7

 

Internship

 

You will intern in one or more relevant companies, enabling you to apply your skills in a professional environment. The semester is concluded with a hand-in of a showreel demonstrating your work.

Learn from the masters

Industry Professionals as Guest Teachers. Meet a few of the expert guest teachers you'll be learning from at CADA.
 
Guest lecturers are an integral part of learning at CADA to keep us at the forefront of industry standards. We continuously update our selection of guest lecturers to ensure our knowledge and expertise is up to date.
Thomas Rodeschini

Thomas Rodeschini

Effects Technical Director

Jean Christophe

Jean Christophe

Senior Character Rigger

Michael Easton

Michael Easton

Lead Animator

Daniele Danko Angelozzi

Daniele Angelozzi

Lead Sculptor

Kim Hagen

Kim Hagen

Film Director

Meet our people

 

Hear from graduates, current students, staff, and guest instructors through a variety of interview series that provide insight into CADA and the exciting journey towards a career as a 3D Digital Artist.

GRADUATES

Emil Burchard, Effects Artist at Ghost VFX

Rasmus Rolfshøj, Technical Artist at IO Interactive

GUEST INSTRUCTORS

Jean-Christophe Rodier, Senior Character Rigger

Thomas Rodeschini, Effects Technical Director

Daniele 'Danko' Angelozzi, Lead Sculptor

Beck Selmes, VFX Supervisor

Staff and Students

Career opportunities and how the industry is developing

Why you should apply to CADA

What the social life at CADA is like

Students talking about how they finance the education

Tuition Fee

8,950 DKK

/mth

3D Digital Artist

 

 

For enrolment exclusively at CADA, the total tuition fee is 366,950 DKK (49,500 EUR). The tuition fee is spread over 41 monthly instalments, amounting to 8,950 DKK (1,210 EUR) per month.

9,450 DKK

/mth

3D Digital Artist + BA (Hons) Degree

 

If you choose to enrol at both CADA and Abertay University, the total tuition fee is 387,450 DKK (52,500 EUR). The tuition fee is divided into 41 instalments, with each month amounting to 9,450 DKK (1,280 EUR).

YOU MAY NEED TO KNOW

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the tuition fee for 3D Digital Artist?

Tuition Fees and Payment Plans

At CADA, we offer a manageable payment plan for your tuition fees:

  • For enrolment exclusively at CADA, the total tuition fee of 366,950 DKK (49,500 EUR) is spread over 41 monthly instalments, amounting to about 8,950 DKK (1,210 EUR) per month.
  • If you choose to enrol at both CADA and Abertay University, the total fee of 387,450 DKK (52,500 EUR) is also divided into 41 instalments, with each month costing 9,450 DKK (1,280 EUR).

This structured payment plan is designed to make the financial aspects of your education journey more accessible and manageable.

Are there any financial aid options available?

Yes! Our 3D Digital Artist education is approved by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, enabling our students to apply for the SU (state-funded student grant).

 

SU Income Rates and Financial Support Options

 

SU and SU-Supplement: As a private education provider, our students commonly utilise the SU and the available SU-supplement to cover a significant portion of their tuition fees. Learn more about the SU-supplement here.

 

SU Rates:

  • For students living independently: 6.820 DKK per month.
  • For students residing with their parents: Between 1.060 – 2.940 DKK per month, varying based on family income.
  • SU-supplement: Up to 2.662 DKK per month, specific to private education.

In total you can get up to 9.482 DKK in SU.

 

SU-Loan: Additionally, students may opt for an SU-loan of 3,489 DKK per month to further assist with expenses.

 

Please note, the SU rates mentioned are as of 2024 and subject to change.

How do I reserve my spot in the education?

Upon successful submission of your application and acceptance into the education programme, a non-refundable registration fee of 5,000 DKK (675 EUR) is required to secure your place. This fee will guarantee your spot and ensure your enrolment.

Can I apply if I'm an international student?

Yes, international students are warmly welcomed at our institution.

 

Please note, international students must secure permanent residency in Denmark on their own, as our status as a private institution limits our capacity to assist in this process. This requirement is particularly pertinent for non-EU residents.

Is there an application deadline for the programme?

We have a rolling admissions policy for our program, without a fixed application deadline. We advise submitting your application promptly once you decide to join, as enrolment is on a first-come, first-served basis among qualified candidates.

Are there any age limits for students wishing to enrol in CADA's programs?

Our programmes, including the 3D Digital Artist education, have no age restrictions. Whether you're just starting your artistic journey or looking to enhance your skills later in life, we welcome students of all ages who are passionate about CGI, Digital Arts, and 3D.

Send us your application

Send your application for the 3D Digital Artist Education by filling the form below.

Contact our Student Counsellor

Contact us with your questions or book a meeting with our student counsellor.

 

Phone: +45 70 27 77 87
Opening Hours: 09:00 – 17:00 CET 

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