Bachelor of 3D Animation
Shape your future in the creative arts and beyond by studying a Bachelor of 3D Animation course at AIT. As a 3D animator, you have the power to blur the lines between reality and make-believe, giving you an opportunity to use the practical skills and technical skills gained in this craft in various industries.
What To Expect
With our professional knowledge of the 3D animation industry, we have crafted a course that mirrors the operations of the leading professional animation studios. You will be guided and supported every step of the way as you embark on the path toward your envisioned animation future.
Skills You Will Gain
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Technical Instruction - Experienced knowledgeable educators -
Creative Teamwork - Teams of like-minded collaborators -
Current Knowledge - Current software, technology and insights -
Professional Skills - Embedded employability training -
Skills practice - Practical hands-on learning -
Project work - relevant project-based assessments -
Expert feedback - broad engagement with industry -
Industry input - Work opportunities in professional contexts
Softwares You Will Master
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Adobe Creative Suite -
AutoDesk Maya -
Unreal Engine 4 -
Zbrush Pixologic -
Autodesk Motionbuilder & AutoDesk 3Ds Max
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Celtx -
Toon Boom -
Visual Studio Code
AIT Campus
Two thirds of your program will be taught on campus in our industry-grade animation labs, side by side with like-minded creatives.
Lets face it, much of today’s 3D Animation production is about the technology and software you are using – that’s why we invest heavily in providing you the latest professional-grade animation software and hardware.
We want you to fully experience it, experiment with it and create masterpieces using it, so your projects are rendered to the highest industry standards.
In our facilities you will have access to animation studios with high end computers, animation light boxes and clay modelling equipment, our state-of-the-art Post Production studio, green screen rooms and audio studios – so you can fully make your magic.
Our Cloud Campus
All of our course material is hosted on our cloud campus, specifically designed to deliver quality online learning.
Through the cloud campus, you will have access to all content material, videos and interactive activities, discussion boards, video meeting facilities, email facilities, library access, assessment support, study support, technical support services, and welfare services. We know that choosing where to study is a big decision, so we welcome you to come and check it out before you enrol.
Student work: ‘Rose, Revolutionary Leader Sculpt’ by Tarik Takasu
Course Content
Year 1 - Learn
Learn the entire 3D workflow (pipeline) required to create your own uniquely designed 3D animation characters during the bachelor degree. The creative media areas covered include props and background development, using industry standard 3D software, 3D interface navigation, fundamental 3D theory, character design, modelling, texturing, lighting, skinning, camera animation and rendering. These skills will provide a firm foundation for creating 3D objects and characters.
Key professional skills development:
- Project management basics
- Presentation skills
- Naming conventions and file management
You will be introduced to film and digital language through an exploration of the fundamental themes, concepts and principles that apply to film and animation. Focus on film history, genre, style, mood and context, and learn about foundational animation techniques, like stop motion and illustration with movement.
Key professional skills development:
- Reflection and research skills
- Understanding the impact of technology on the moving image
Apply theoretical knowledge, visual storytelling design and composition methods such as scriptwriting, drawing, storyboard, animatic and camera composition conventions to visualise and prepare stories for production. Scene structures and character development are introduced, and you will look at the application of planning principles to several forms of media such as animation and film.
Key professional skills development:
- Organisational and creative skills
- Presentation techniques and responding to feedback
In this elective path, you will be introduced to the core concepts and fundamentals of Game Scripting. This will involve acquiring fundamental knowledge of game-specific programming languages, understanding data types and how to manipulate them with functions and variables, using those languages, and an understanding of scripting game design logic.
You will build game functionality and learn how to create games within the game engine; an essential skill for game designers to master in the creative industries after successful completion of the bachelor degree.
Key professional skills development:
- Problem-solving skills
- Debugging
- Professional communication
- Peer evaluation, iteration
- Application of feedback
In the Concept Design elective, you can develop the skills needed to create characters and environments for animation worlds. The backgrounds and objects that provide the setting for animated action require careful artistic treatment and have a significant influence on the look and feel of animated films.
Character design also requires specific skills in creating expression, implying the history and culture of characters and suggesting traits and attributes. You will design and refine environments and characters, costumes and props for animated worlds.
Key professional skills development:
- Creative thinking
- Professional communication
- Research
- Plot analysis
- The ability to communicate stories through concepts
You will apply the principles of animation to 3D characters, props, accessories and background assets, using advanced 3D industry standard software. Fundamental animation theory and techniques will be explored and applied, so that you can create convincing body mechanics and engaging, stylised performances.
Key professional skills development:
- Time management
- Communication skills
- Balancing workload with deliverable due dates
- Presenting work for feedback
Learn what it takes to bring 3D models to life, utilising the fundamental theories and practises of animation rigging to create a skeleton for organic and hard surface models. You will apply controllers to the skeleton to create an animation-ready rig that could be used in interactive or cinematic media.
Key professional skills development:
- Problem solving and planning skills
- Communication skills when presenting your work
Immersive Animation Experience 1
In the Game Development Lab you will design a range of 3D assets and integrate them into a game engine. The project will be planned and implemented in response to a brief and will involve identifying game development team roles and 3D sculpting of models using industry standard 3D modelling software.
Models will be textured, then undergo optimisation and retopology to ensure their effective operation in a game engine environment, where introductory level game engine programming will be applied.
You will utilise a production cycle, modifying assets through multiple iterations in response to testing and peer review. Ethical considerations will be taken into account and applied to the design of game assets.
Key professional skills development:
- Collaboration
- Planning
- Project management
- Agile methodology
- Presentation and professional communication skills
- Responding to feedback
Student work: ‘Soul Seeker’ by Andrew Chiu, Lachlan Canning, Zijian He, Kai Johns, Daniel Miller & Giovanni Pedalino
Year 2 - Explore
Learn creative and technical aspects of sound in digital media, recording sound, processing sounds, and implementing a variety of sounds in a range of contexts. You will learn to apply sound design principles which enhance and compliment communication, meaning and emotion in your works.
The skills developed in sound design can be applied to film, animation or games and will enable you to create dynamic and engaging soundtracks in a variety of genres. Content includes sound editing tools, techniques, selection of appropriate musical scores and location recording procedures.
You’ll also learn sound processing and noise reduction, compression and reverberation, and sound production workflow. You will be required to reflect on your work and make improvements in response to feedback.
Key professional skills development:
- Teamwork and time management
- Copyright and legal considerations
- Critical listening skills
Students will develop advanced techniques in 3D asset creation for games, building on previous learning in the process of 3D sculpting to create high-quality details and contours in objects and characters.
Advanced polygon optimisation techniques will be explored, and advanced 3D modelling, rigging and surfacing skills will be developed and refined to create more sophisticated assets, which will be implemented in real-time. Skills in photogrammetry will also be covered as real-life objects are converted to 3D models ready for implementation.
On successful completion of this subject, you will have produced portfolio pieces consisting of complex 3D game models that demonstrate your confidence and competence in industry-standard workflows.
Key professional skills development:
- Commercial drawing
- Providing and responding to feedback
- Peer review
- Research and following a brief
Level Design introduces the foundational skills and concepts required for animation courses. You will learn about the principles of level design, progression and gameplay, as well as exploring the elements required to create effective environmental narratives. You will follow an industry-standard production process, and construct a high fidelity game level using pre-built assets.
Key professional skills development:
- Understanding iterative design
- Responding to a brief
- Reflecting and adapting after feedback
During the screenwriting elective, you will explore the theories and principles of narrative construction and expand the ability to produce sequential art, develop characters, subtext, scenes and screenplays. There will be a focus on plot development, creative writing and visual illustration, as well as how to apply film language in the creation of mood, tension, pacing and drama.
Key professional skills development:
- Learning to seek feedback
- Reflect and adapt during the screenwriting process
You will learn the skills involved in the creation of characters and environments for animation worlds. The backgrounds and objects that provide the setting for animated action require careful artistic treatment and have a significant influence on the look and feel of animated films.
Character design also requires specific skills in creating expression, implying the history and culture of characters and suggesting traits and attributes. You will design and refine environments and characters, costumes and props, exploring the finer details of animated worlds.
Key professional skills development:
- Creative thinking
- Professional communication
- Research
- Plot analysis
- The ability to communicate stories through concepts
You will cover the foundational skills required to create visual effects using industry standard software by responding to a brief in order to composite multiple images and add visual effects to live action shots. You will acquire skills including multipass CGI compositing, colour grading/correction, rotoscoping, tracking, keying, and compositing operations to create a complete shot from multiple source elements. Scholarly evidence and research findings are drawn upon to support your knowledge of the discipline.
Key professional skills development:
- Planning
- Research
- Reflection
- Editing
- Creative thinking
- Reinforcement of the production cycle
You will acquire advanced design skills in a game engine environment during this part of the course. Fine control of visual elements will be covered, enabling the creation of complex organic forms such as hair and fur, rippling water, cloth and foliage, creating advanced shaders and scripting VFX. Particle effects will be explored to enable the creation of objects such as smoke, rain and fire, and may include photogrammetry to capture real world objects in digital 3D form.
Key professional skills development:
- Problem solving skills
- Managing a project
- Integrating complex technical processes into a game design pipeline
The interface between creative arts and culture will be examined in this subject, as theories of genre, communication, cultural reference and semiotics are applied to a selection of prominent examples taken from historical and contemporary sources.
You will explore the theoretical underpinning of creative arts practice and will critique works through the lens of a range of theoretical perspectives. Social, political and ideological considerations will be discussed and applied to case studies in a variety of forms including film, animation, games and social media.
You will look at audience behaviours and demographics, and explore examples of significant directors, designers, artists and art movements.
Key professional skills development:
- Academic writing skills
- Engaging in meaningful discussion of contemporary art and media
- Using critical thinking skills to present
- Debate and argue positions regarding social analysis and ideology
Immersive Animation Experience 2
You will be guided through the advanced implementation of game art in a game engine, including pre-built assets, facial animation, facial rigging, motion capture, voice recording and animation for cut scenes. You will develop pre-production elements such as staging, beats and layout.
A cinematics sequencer track will be implemented, and you will learn to post-produce your animation by refining sound, lighting, colour correction and general editing and clean-up of cinematic elements. This process will involve iterative development, consultation and responding to feedback.
Key professional skills development:
- Teamwork
- Collaboration
- Problem solving
- Critical analysis
- Project management skills
Student work: ‘King of the Earth’ by Andrew Chiu
Year 3 - Launch
Professional freelancing has become one of the major forms of employment in the areas of media and games. This subject will provide valuable information on how to manage a career as an independent entrepreneur in the creative industries world.
There will be an emphasis on legal requirements, finance and monetisation, types of business models, documentation and admin, budgeting, pitching and promotional skills.
Examples of successful freelance artists will be examined, and you will research industry and analyse your findings to identify likely areas of opportunity within your chosen field.
Key professional skills development:
- Networking
- Professional communication
- Planning and presentation skills
We immerse students in the future of the creative media industry to become job ready. You will research and report on new and emerging technologies, their potential applications and benefits, and how they could change the nature of the media or games industries.
You will investigate contemporary theories and processes and consider how they may shape the next generation. You will get to trial new and current technologies and predict future trends and direction, which will assist you in planning your future creative and career directions in media and games.
Key professional skills development:
- Maintaining knowledge currency
- Product analysis
- Industry networking
- Professional communication
- Presentation and reporting
Immerse Animation Experience 3
The emerging field of virtual production enables realistic combinations of objects, characters and environments to produce composite images. In this subject, virtual production technologies and techniques will be studied in detail as you blend virtual environments with live action images.
The subject will cover virtual environments, virtual props and assets, background projections using green screen or live projection, integration of live action images with virtual elements through camera tracking, matching sound, lighting and colour.
Facial motion capture and the use of digital doubles using 3D modelling and animation will be introduced, and the animation and surfacing of 3D creatures and other assets will be enhanced by incorporating particle effects such as explosions, fire, smoke and rain. Advanced game engine functions will be used to composite image elements and animate components to produce realistic virtual multilevel images.
Key professional skills development:
- Creative thinking
- Problem solving skills
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Self-reflection and response to feedback
Student work: ‘Shmup’ by Koda Landers
Course Outcomes
- 3D Animator
- 3D Modeller
- 3D Rigger
- 3D Artist (Generalist)
- Autodesk Maya
- Maxon ZBrush
- Adobe suite (including Substance)
- Unreal Engine
- 3D Modelling
- 3D Sculpting
- UV Unwrapping
- Physically Based Surfacing
- Lighting and Rendering
- 3D Rigging
- 3D Animation
- Create Real Time 3D Assets
- Showreel
- Online Folio
- Real Time Project ( Cinematic Animation, Game)
Student work: ‘Bunny Bug’ by Rosa Pallone and Shristy Shrestha
Our Student Work
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Martin Hornak
Read our Student Testimonials
“I am so glad that I chose the right school – AIT. AIT gives me support and direction. For an overseas student, the learning environment of AIT allows me to quickly adapt to the Australian environment and atmosphere. I found that at AIT, effort and hard work is never overlooked, and your work is always honoured and respected.”
“AIT has provided exceptional support and tolls to pursue my passion successfully, and I am proud and confident to be a woman in STEM.”
“AIT has been one of the best experiences for me, I was able to learn all about the fundamentals in 3D and even became an Enrolment Advisor for AIT. If you are looking for a place that provides great opportunities with a close-knit environment, then AIT is the way to go. ”
“Interesting courses in a well-formed subject table, it's so cool having teachers that actually work in the industry as well!”
How to apply
Here at AIT, we care about your creativity, not your ATAR. If you’re a domestic student, then you can apply directly to AIT or via UAC and VTAC. If you’re an international student, then our registered agent partners can help you to organise everything you’ll need for your AIT application and your application to study in Australia.
Find out exactly what studying at AIT will cost, with our transparent list of student fees plus learn more about the generous scholarships for both international and domestic students.
Student work: ‘Bunny Bug’ by Rosa Pallone and Shristy Shrestha
