VFX Courses
The department of Computer Science and Engineering offers two tech electives that cover many aspects of a digital animation and visual effects workflow.
Technical Concepts of Visual Effects I
This course seeks to introduce students to fundamental concepts of 3D modeling and animation as used in the field of visual effects. Lessons will focus on the technical implementation of concepts such as polygonal modeling, texturing, scripting, rigging, animation, and rendering. Those who excel in the visual effects industry are those who have both a strong aesthetic sense coupled with a solid understanding of what the software being used is doing "under the hood." This class, therefore, will seek to stress both aspects of the industry. From a methodology standpoint, the class will consist of lectures, several projects that will be worked on both in-class and out of class, scripting, many tutorials, and open discussion.
Technical Concepts of Visual Effects II
This course is for students who wish to learn more about the field of visual effects and post production. In this course students will learn how to build complex 3D simulations using procedural node-based workflows to create elements like fire and water, destruction and debris, as well as post-processing concepts like chroma-key, rotoscoping, video editing, and node-based compositing of 3D elements over live video. Students who take this course will gain a complete understanding of the production and post-production ascpects of creating visual effects. This course consists of class lecture, tutorials, and projects.
