UK BA Course for 3D Animation?

Have you checked out Glamorgan's offering?
http://courses.glam.ac.uk/courses/122-ba-hons-computer-animation

Reply 2

OP

Original post by tangledweb

Have you checked out Glamorgan's offering?
http://courses.glam.ac.uk/courses/122-ba-hons-computer-animation

Looks like a very reputable course, and I really like the student showreel! I'll have to pop it on my maybe list. The only downside would be that it's so far from my intended point of living. v_v And I've never been to Wales!

Reply 3

We went to an open day there: it was well worth the trip. I was surprised how easy Cardiff was to get to. The Atrium is a great building and handy for the shops, though we didn't stray too far (didn't get past John Lewis). The staff were very welcoming and helpful.

Reply 4

Our 3D Digital Animation course at Hertfordshire is a narrative and commercially orientated degree; it is also rated by 3D World magazine as one of the top twenty 3D courses in the world. If you enjoy the idea of telling stories with characters that audiences want to watch, we would be worth a closer look :smile:

You can find links to our reels / recent films in my signature (Vimeo link)
but if you want to see two of our best 3D animations from this year I will happily recommend:

Brush with a Bee http://vimeo.com/45274042
Green Eyes http://vimeo.com/45274043

The students who made these are now working at Sony Cambridge, Blue Zoo, Frontier Developments and Rewind FX

Reply 5

Hertfordshire is definitely her first choice, but that was already on the list :-)

Reply 6

Hooj

Ultimately you don't need a degree in Animation it's part of a creative industry but if you really wanna study it, (because a degree will come in handy at some point) go to Hertfordshire. :biggrin:

Reply 7

OP

Original post by moid

Our 3D Digital Animation course at Hertfordshire is a narrative and commercially orientated degree; it is also rated by 3D World magazine as one of the top twenty 3D courses in the world. If you enjoy the idea of telling stories with characters that audiences want to watch, we would be worth a closer look :smile:

You can find links to our reels / recent films in my signature (Vimeo link)
but if you want to see two of our best 3D animations from this year I will happily recommend:

Brush with a Bee http://vimeo.com/45274042
Green Eyes http://vimeo.com/45274043

The students who made these are now working at Sony Cambridge, Blue Zoo, Frontier Developments and Rewind FX

Hi, thanks for your reply!

I did apply to Hertfordshire last year for your game art course, but didn't get in because I hadn't used any 3D software before. :no:

Would this be the same case with 3D animation? :smile:

Reply 8

Hooj

If all the applicants bar you say they know the software this time round as well you might not get in. Although you should get in being female because that's what the industry wants so hopefully the Uni takes that on board.

Reply 9

There was some discussion on this on the CG/Animation mega thread. I don't know whether you read it?

This post, e.g.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=301364&page=114&p=39637986#post39637986

Reply 10

lavinia94

1. Hertfordshire - 3D Digital Animation
This should be your first choice. And yes, you'll have to have some 3D experience or you'll have to be an extremely skilled artist to get in. Get Maya (there's a free version) and experiment a little, you don't have to be an expert, there are plenty of tutorials online.

2. Bournemouth - Computer Animation Arts
They require 320-340 tariff points, but it wouldn't hurt to drop them a line. It's probably the best uni for 3d animation. You'd have to sit three tests too (life drawing, maths and logic). [email protected]

3. De Monfort - Animation Design

4. Glamorgan - Computer Animation
Skillset approved.

5. Ravensbourne - Animation

6. Teesside - Computer animation and VFX/Computer Character Animation
Skillset approved. This uni is in the top 3 in the UK (after Bournemouth and Hertfordshire). They're well equipped (mocap and all that fancy stuff) and have a good reputation.

You should also check out this thread. There's mainly info about BU and Herts, but there are also lots of good advice about building a good portfolio.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=301364

Reply 11

OP

Original post by lavinia94

1. Hertfordshire - 3D Digital Animation
This should be your first choice. And yes, you'll have to have some 3D experience or you'll have to be an extremely skilled artist to get in. Get Maya (there's a free version) and experiment a little, you don't have to be an expert, there are plenty of tutorials online.

2. Bournemouth - Computer Animation Arts
They require 320-340 tariff points, but it wouldn't hurt to drop them a line. It's probably the best uni for 3d animation. You'd have to sit three tests too (life drawing, maths and logic). [email protected]

3. De Monfort - Animation Design

4. Glamorgan - Computer Animation
Skillset approved.

5. Ravensbourne - Animation

6. Teesside - Computer animation and VFX/Computer Character Animation
Skillset approved. This uni is in the top 3 in the UK (after Bournemouth and Hertfordshire). They're well equipped (mocap and all that fancy stuff) and have a good reputation.

You should also check out this thread. There's mainly info about BU and Herts, but there are also lots of good advice about building a good portfolio.
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=301364

What do you make of the Derby course? Computer Game Modelling & Animation. I'm leaning towards that one a little - the showreels on Youtube are amazing.

Reply 12

Hi there

We really prefer students to have used some 3D before applying to 3D Animation or 3D Games Art or VFX because it's very important for you to discover whether you enjoy 3D before you start to pay £8500 to find that you don't... you can find out for free

http://students.autodesk.com/

go there and download Maya and try it. If you like it, make things with it and show them to us :smile:

If you don't like it, well you just saved £8500, and you now need to think about a different career...

We do need students to have strong traditional skills as well as demonstrating some experience with 3D software (we don't mind what 3D software, but we teach Maya, so we recommend that one if you haven't already started learning a particular software)

Reply 13

lavinia94

I'm not very interested in game art, so I haven't looked much into it. It does look pretty good though.

Reply 14

OP

Original post by moid

Snip snip

Okay, thanks. :smile:

I already have Maya on my PC as I figured I will probably need to use it soon anyhow. Any tips/websites for me to keep in mind when starting out? :biggrin:

Reply 15

SyOnGuitar

Original post by moid

Hi there

We really prefer students to have used some 3D before applying to 3D Animation or 3D Games Art or VFX because it's very important for you to discover whether you enjoy 3D before you start to pay £8500 to find that you don't... you can find out for free

http://students.autodesk.com/

go there and download Maya and try it. If you like it, make things with it and show them to us :smile:

If you don't like it, well you just saved £8500, and you now need to think about a different career...

We do need students to have strong traditional skills as well as demonstrating some experience with 3D software (we don't mind what 3D software, but we teach Maya, so we recommend that one if you haven't already started learning a particular software)

Will lack of experience in using any of those softwares hinder someone's chances of getting in? Since I applied for Hertfordshire 3D Digital Animation and I have looked at a few tuts and such, messed around with a few programmes (mainly blender) but not actually made anything?

I've also not actually heard back from Hertfordshire yet... Sorry for randomly chipping in >.<!

Reply 16

Sofronis

5

Hi,

The NCCA Courses at Bournemouth University do not require any prior knowledge of 3D when applying for the courses, just an excellent portfolio and a passion for the subject.

Personally, I would like to see how you come up with ideas, develop them and then execute the project; rather than a Maya or Blender tutorial. That just shows me you can follow instructions, I would want to see how you approach and problem and conceptually tackle it.

Cheers

Reply 17

Original post by SyOnGuitar

Will lack of experience in using any of those softwares hinder someone's chances of getting in? Since I applied for Hertfordshire 3D Digital Animation and I have looked at a few tuts and such, messed around with a few programmes (mainly blender) but not actually made anything?

I've also not actually heard back from Hertfordshire yet... Sorry for randomly chipping in >.<!

We would be looking for some experience in 3D - as I've said before, if you haven't tried 3D before the degree, this is a very expensive way to discover that you don't like 3D. Also not having tried 3D will reduce your chances of getting in - almost every single student I interviewed last year had 3D in their portfolio. We will accept someone without 3D skills if their traditional skills are astounding, but we offer this to maybe 3 -5 applicants a year. Do some 3D; you don't have to be amazing, but we do want to see that you are interested in the subject.

When did you apply to Hertfordshire? We don't start interviews until the end of January, and we interview every week all the way to May. If you need to check your status, PM me with your UCAS id number (10 digit code) and an email address and real name and I will find out what stage you are at regarding the application process.

Reply 18

Original post by moid

We don't start interviews until the end of January, and we interview every week all the way to May.

Phew, that's good to hear. Get the jan exams out of the way without worrying about portfolio and interviews etc.

Reply 19