Visual Effects [with Foundation year]

UCAS code: I702

Here's what Anglia Ruskin University says about its Visual Effects [with Foundation year] course.

Develop your skills for roles in the visual effects and video game industries, including technical artist, procedural content creator and technical director.

Become an artist skilled in the latest procedural 3D techniques, able to work alongside programmers, developers and other artists.

As well as exploring key areas of working with VFX and computer graphics, you'll keep up to date with the latest techniques and trends. We'll also help you identify the supporting skills and knowledge you’ll need to succeed in the creative industries.

Become skilled in the latest procedural 3D techniques, able to work alongside programmers, developers and other artists.

Study in the heart of Essex, with its 25 games companies including Midas Interactive, Ghostlight and Elephant Games (source: ukie.org.uk).

Attend industry events including games jams, talks, conferences and festivals like our annual Gamebridge.

Work in a development studio environment collaborating with others to prepare for professional life.

Build a portfolio to showcase your skills to future employers and clients.

Find placements and solve live briefs through our links with tech giants like Sony, Jagex and Frontier.

Careers

Develop the latest skills and knowledge for a career in 3D content creation – and get the support you need to grow into a confident graduate with a commitment to lifelong learning.

Using a range of specialist software and tools can support career opportunities in visual effects and games, as well as content-creation fields such as synthetic data, machine learning, XR, and architecture

By tackling a variety of live VFX briefs, you’ll discover creative ways to use your knowledge and skillset.

You'll also build a strong portfolio of work to showcase your skills and specialisms to future employers.

Recently, ARM, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Frontier and Just Flight have offered internships and work opportunities to our students.

82% of the UK computer games industry is educated to at least undergraduate level, according to UKIE’s 2022 census – so completing our course is highly likely to boost your employment prospects.

Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us. You might decide to stay at ARU and study for a Masters degree, such as our MA Games Development (Art). Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Teaching

Your modules in Years 1 and 2 cover production strategies and the basic concepts of procedural content creation.

You'll explore world building and procedural modelling, developing visual effects for films and real-time platforms, and building tools to generate worlds in-engine with believable lighting and shading.

Meanwhile, your final year sees you bring together all your skills and knowledge for your Major Project – individually or as part of a team.

Year 1: Interactive Learning Skills and Communication; Information and Communication Technology; Creative Workshops 1; Approach to Design; Critical and Contextual Studies; Creative Workshops 2; Specialist Project; Composition and Style.

Year 2: Introduction to 3D Art; Introduction to Procedural Content Creation; Introduction to Realtime Procedural Content Creation; Materials and Texturing Techniques; Into ARU.

Year 3: Advanced Procedural Content Creation; Digital Practice for Technical Art; Realtime VFX Techniques.

Year 4: Major Project.

With the help of industry live briefs, your assessments will be targeted towards technical challenges present in today’s visual effects, film and games industries. Throughout the whole degree, non-destructive procedural techniques will form the backbone of your planned assessments. At all levels, you will underpin the delivery of your work by producing solutions that follow these non-destructive methodologies. Using up-to-date tools, you’ll produce artefacts that are meaningful and effective to real world situations, evidenced by submitting documentation that backs up your thought processes, creativity, and solutions to milestones within the development cycle. You will also compile a demo reel from the body of work you create in years 1 and 2, which will showcase your specialisms and interests using the tools available in industry.