BA (Hons) Computer Animation & Visual Effects

Graduating from the ncca will have you join a 30-year legacy of world-class animation & vfx specialists. Whether you are artistic or technical, this cutting-edge course combines disciplines so you can bring your characters, creatures, and worlds to life. 

Why study BA (Hons) Computer Animation & Visual Effects?

• Study a degree that will give you the expertise, skills and portfolio to excel in the visual effects, computer animation, and computer games industries 
• We consulted with our friends in the industry to ensure this degree replicates the latest industry practices to match the professional tech and facilities you’ll be taught in. We can’t wait to see you develop the skills to conceptualise, storyboard, and design your original ideas
• Make invaluable contacts through regular industry guest speakers, many of whom are alumni. You’ll also be invited to one of the UK’s largest visual effects, computer animation, and games festivals – The BFX Festival
• Tailor your studies with option units in the second and final years to develop your skills in 3D animation, visual effects, and technical arts – or work across specialisms reflecting a range of industry practices 
• Work on projects that simulate real-world challenges and scenarios; you'll benefit from supportive tutors who provide tailored and personal reviews of your work  
• Access specialist facilities including a green screen and motion capture studio, as well as animation labs equipped with industry-standard software. Explore these in our 360 tours.

Course details

• On this course you will usually be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry.

Contact hours and assessment

• Details of the assessment methods and contact hours for each unit of the course can be found in the programme specification. Practical projects are often group or team-based allowing for student collaboration, emulating the dynamic and collaborative nature of computer animation and games production process.

January intake

• Kickstart your creative career this new year with our bespoke course for January starters. This intake is designed specifically for international students and is a unique offering that allows you to seamlessly join our main course while receiving tailored support to prepare you for your second year. 
• You’ll benefit from a focused learning experience during the quieter summer months, ensuring you have the skills and confidence to excel. With access to cutting-edge facilities and the expertise of our staff, you’ll immerse yourself in hands-on training with industry-standard software. Join a vibrant, diverse community and take this exciting step toward a successful career in animation and visual effects!

Foundation year (if you do not meet the entry requirements for the degree course)
Core units

• Art & Design in Creative Industries: This unit is intended to give you the drawing and design skills required in order to maximise your potential on your chosen undergraduate degree. You will be introduced to the concepts of critical feedback and continuous improvement within a visual arts context. 
• Algorithmic Thinking: During this unit you will develop your understanding of mathematical and logical concepts that are the foundation of computer animation, games and visual effects.
• Digital Tools: You will gain the fundamental knowledge and understanding of computers and the digital tools available in order to maximise your potential on your chosen undergraduate degree. As such, it will provide a platform between prior and future learning and enable you to gain an understanding of digital tools in the context of your career aspirations.
• Study Skills for Creative Industries: You will develop practical skills in the production, manipulation and editing of visual media and be able to demonstrate an ability to search, locate, read and understand literature and techniques relevant to the creative industries.
• Foundation Project: This unit allows you to develop a personally defined project, you can choose to focus on either a specialist area of practice, a generalist project or a complementary skill/technique that will benefit your ongoing development.You will gain essential knowledge and experience in scheduling and identification of clear milestones within your personal projects and you will benefit from communicating with an assigned supervisor throughout

Year 1
Core units

• Modelling & Texturing: Asset creation is a major part of the professional practice of any animation or visual effects artist. Start your studies with an introduction to the fundamentals of 3D modelling and texturing for asset creation. You’ll develop a basic understanding of observational techniques and knowledge of a CG pipeline and the workflow relating specifically to modelling and texturing. This knowledge will be used for practical implementation in polygonal and subdivision modelling, UV and displacement mapping, procedural texturing or photogrammetry for animation, video games and film.  
• Principles of 3D Animation: The aim of this unit is to provide you with introductory knowledge, skills, and practical experience necessary to become a proficient character animator. You will develop several essential animation toolsets, production processes, and artistry that challenge your creative and technical abilities.   
• Procedural Content Creation: During this unit you will develop the skill of computational thinking and mathematical concepts and apply it to the production of animation and visual effects. Maths and programming is not only fun but useful across many fields within the discipline. The focus will be on automating the boring stuff and generating images / image sequences or simple 2D games. 
• Lighting & Look Development: Develop skills and knowledge in look development, principles, practice and rendering for computer graphics. You will develop materials and lighting utilising appropriate references, and software tools, and will be introduced to rendering, using a physically based render engine to create a quality image. 
• Image Manipulation for Animation & VFX: Discover elements of the computer animation and visual effects pipeline, such as rotoscoping, digital matte painting, tracking, and compositing. You’ll be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in various aspects of compositing, including colour theory, image manipulation, and digital image processing. You’ll also become proficient in industry-standard compositing software tools and be able to work to specific shot requirements and limitations, specifically with regards to the photoreal integration of assets. 
• Concept & Story: During this unit you will develop a good understanding of the core aspects of narrative and storytelling; written development tools, such as treatments and screenplays; and visual development tools, such as storyboards and animatics. This will also begin the development of core skills in film language, cinematography and direction for animated film. 

Year 2
Core units 

• Group Project Research & Development (R&D): This is your opportunity to work on an individual Research and Development (R&D) project, focusing on a specific production practice of your choice within the CG pipeline. You’ll conduct comprehensive research and effectively develop an artifact that seamlessly integrates both theoretical concepts and practical skills. You will learn about the production pipeline and other specialised areas such as pre-visualisation and pitching to an audience. Your final outcome can be used as a skills pitch during the pitching stage of the Group Project Production. 
• Group Project: During the Group Project you’ll gain practical experience, working together as part of a team, to produce a single, completed artefact to a high standard. You’ll have a number of options including a student designed and led animation project, a student designed and led interactive project, or a client brief. This is a significant piece of work testing your technical and creative skills and introducing you to team working and professional practice. You’ll take responsibility for the conception, planning, execution and presentation of your work as a key player within a small scale, accomplished production.   
• Professional Practice: This unit introduces roles within the Creative Industries sector. You’ll develop the skills to search for information relevant to professional roles and projects and knowledge of professional ethics. You will also develop a personally defined area of practice through student-centred research, allowing you to focus on either a specialist area of practice, a generalist project or a complementary skill/technique, with an emphasis on exploring this through literature and practice to benefit your ongoing development. This is directed to showcase specialist skills to potential employers. 

Choose one of the following three pathways: 

• Visual Effects Pathway- Digital Matte Painting & Asset Integration: This unit will help you to develop your ability to create photo-realistic digital environments and assets in 3D starting from a variety of different 2D reference images and resources as well as 2D digital painting and asset integration techniques with regards to creating high quality photo-realistic digitally painted and rendered images.   
• Environment & Character Effects: You’ll be equipped with knowledge of a range of tools and their applications in the field of Environment and Creature effects. These effects include but are not limited to realistic or choreographed simulations as fluids, particles, cloth, fire, smoke, explosions (incl. rigid body dynamics) and crowds, muscles, fur and hair. By the end of the unit, you will be able to confidently navigate, customize and harness the potential of software packages such as (but not limited to) Houdini and Maya to achieve a high level of visual fidelity and realism in their environment or creature/character animations.
• Advanced Modelling & Sculpting: This unit enables you to deepen your understanding of the modelling and texturing pipeline. You’ll be exposed to more advanced character and asset creation techniques for hard/soft surface organic modelling, UV’s using UDIMS, texturing using hand painting techniques, and texturing using projection methods. You’ll also further develop the your abilities in anatomy and to work to specific asset requirements and limitations, specifically with regards to the creation of photo-realistic props and hyper realistic characters. 

Art & Design Pathway

• Environment & Character Design: The aim of this unit is to develop your design skills to an advanced level with a specific focus on design for an audience. You will learn how to develop a complete pre-production pack and supporting material with an emphasis on all aspects of Production Design for a Game or Animation production. You will be encouraged to use this project to form the basis of your pitch for the Group Project in semester 2. On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to create all aspects of design for character (expression, gesture, costume, turn-arounds, character iterations) and environment (world-building, atmosphere, mood, thematic and narrative integration). 
• Character & Creature Animation: During this unit you will develop a comprehensive understanding of the principles and techniques involved in animating both human characters and creatures, fostering your ability to create compelling and believable animations for diverse storytelling mediums. 
• Character & Creature Rigging: You will be introduced to rigging in this unit - i.e., the process of preparing assets for animation. You will create a “production ready rig” for a character/creature in the context of animation or games production pipeline. You will also create “rigs” as procedural and as reusable as possible so they can be modified easily and be portable in order to allow for a wide a range of tasks which can span more than one production pipeline.

Technical Arts Pathway

• Procedural Modelling & Rendering: This is an introduction to a range of mathematical techniques that form the basis of modern computer graphics practice. You will gain understanding of how these techniques are used in the animation and VFX industry. and develop your programming skills by implementing mathematical concepts in your own code. These skills prepare you to take academic papers and apply them to solve problems in your own work. As such it prepares them for a future technical director (TD) role in the industry. 
• Programming Graphics: This unit ensure that you are equipped with the technical computing skills necessary to design and implement graphics tools and pipelines. You will be equipped with the knowledge to select the correct programming languages / paradigms and API’s to solve computer generated imagery problems using a Test Driven approach. 
• Real-Time Graphics: During this unit you will learn the principles of real-time graphics engines and how they can be used in the computer animation production pipeline. By using state-of-the-art game engines, you will develop an understanding of interactive application production, real-time pre-visualisation, and real-time rendering in the context of computer animation and visual effects, as well as basics of virtual production. In your projects you will be able to master the problems related to real-time applications, visualisations, simulations and other interactive applications. 

Optional placement year

• You will have the option of undertaking a minimum 30-week placement at the end of your second year. Visit the placement section below for more information. 

Final year
Core units

• Major Project Research & Development (R&D): This unit will introduce higher-level toolsets, analysis, processes, and artistry that challenge your creative and technical abilities, helping you to successfully plan your Final Major Project. Covering pre-production and pre-visualization, you will embark on a design document that forms the basis of your Major Project and will be expected to explore, develop, and utilise appropriate design approaches, research methodologies, advanced software tools and best practices learnt during the course. 
• Industry Brief: The purpose of this unit is to introduce you to the professional world of a digital media production house. You’ll be exposed to advanced production issues of professional practice and be provided with the theoretical and practical knowledge to complete a project set (or suggested/initiated) by an NCCA industry partner. You’ll be able to apply techniques in the context of a professional computer graphics/animation/VFX/games production and develop your professional working practice and ethos. 
• Emerging Trends: You’ll have the opportunity to work on a self-directed R&D project, with additional opportunities to improve your academic communication skills. The topic is proposed by you. You’ll choose between an academic, a practice-based, or a production-oriented project, with either an artistic or a technical emphasis (or a mix of the two). 
• Final Major Project: The Major Project in the second semester will form an important part of your portfolio and showreel. Major projects aim to produce work of high quality that demonstrates the technical, creative, and professional skills of a graduate. Your Major Project production should result in computer graphics and computer animation projects of a high enough quality to be entered and/or presented in international and national festivals and conferences. You will integrate and apply your knowledge and experience gained throughout the course and extend this in an innovative and creative manner either as an individual or as part of a group. 

Option units (choose one) 

• Computer Graphics for Sustainable Development: CG has environmental and social impact that needs to be considered by professionals and students. Computer Graphics for Sustainable Development uses the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a basis to foster computer animation students that are engaged with global challenges and inspired to offer innovative solutions within their field. By equipping you with the ability to leverage CGI for sustainable development, this unit will empower you to make meaningful contributions to a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. 
• Moving Images of a Computerised Age: During this unit you’ll examine how digital media in a computerised age have redefined our understanding of the moving image and visual culture. It will focus upon the Digital Revolution as a historical period to consider the shift in conceptual models and the new forms of media practice that these technologies enable. The unit will also seek to embed and connect computing processes in sandpit workshops with the philosophical texts presented. It aims to foster critical skills through reflective writing but also through computing practice thus creating a basis for practical forms of research. 

Programme specification

• Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.
• Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

Software and production tools

Our aim is to prepare you for work in the computer games and animation industry, which is why we regularly update our software to give you access to the production tools used by the professionals. On the standard build, we have the following installed: 

• Autodesk Maya, Mudbox and MotionBuilder 
• PIxologic ZBrush 
• Foundry Mari and Nuke 
• SideFX Houdini 
• Adobe Photoshop, Premiere and Substance Suite 
• Unreal Engine 
• Unity

Facilities

• With practical learning being integral to your degree, we provide industry standard specialist facilities. 
• We continue to invest in our campuses so all our students can maximise their talents today and into the future. 
• Visit our virtual tour to find out more and get a feel for where you’ll be studying while you’re based on our Talbot Campus.

Your application
We are looking for applicants who can: 

• Demonstrate both intellectual and creative abilities 
• Have a passion for the discipline of computer animation 
• Show an understanding of the animation, visual effects or games industry 
• Have a strong mathematical and creative background 
• Demonstrate good written and oral communication skills. 
• You must possess both a good mathematical and artistic ability, demonstrated in your portfolio and show a keen interest in the world of animation, visual effects and/or computer games production. You should have an understanding of how the industry works and the job roles within it. Most of all you must be a passionate, creative innovator with a strong imagination. You should also have an understanding of computers; some students may already have basic programming skills, however this is not an essential requirement. 

Careers

• Our computer animation courses are exceptionally well regarded within the industry and as a result, our graduates rarely struggle to find work once they finish their course.
• During your degree you will have the opportunity to work with some of the UK's leading computer animation organisations, through the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), and can make valuable contacts before you graduate.

Typical starting job roles

Our NCCA graduates have gone on to work on some of the most successful films of the past decade, including Avatar, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Interstellar, Gravity and Alice in Wonderland to name just a few. Among the roles you can apply for once you graduate are:

• Technical director (in computer animation and digital effects)
• Technical artist (in computer games)
• Visual artist
• Software producer
• Game developer
• 3D artist
• Visual effects tech developer

Our graduates work all over the world, and many are employed by the industry's leading animation and production houses, software houses, and computer game and digital media companies.

Industries worked in

• Film special effects
• Computer game design
• Animation production
• Scientific visualisation
• Graphics software implementation

Further study

• Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of Master’s degrees.

Research degrees 

• If you are a BU graduate you are eligible for a 20% ‘loyalty’ discount on the published fees for further programmes with us!  
• Depending on your qualifications and experiences, you can choose to undertake a MRes or PhD level research degree. Bournemouth University has a strong business research foundation within our National Research Centre for Computer Animation through a number of research centres, which explores theory, education and professional practice.