3D Animation and Character Design
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Program Overview
Characters are at the heart of every film, video, animation or game. Your ability to create characters while nurturing your love of design will set you apart as a designer with a valued and sought-after skill set.
With every step of the 3D Animation and Character Design program, you’ll see your ideas and dreams come to life as you develop your creative concepts with like-minded creative classmates.
international only
No
PGWP
No
Program Details
Program Code
ANC1
Credential:
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Duration
30 weeks
Canadian Students
Start Dates
Locations
Availability
Full Time Offerings
2025 September
London - Downtown
Open
2026 May
London - Downtown
Open
2024 September
London - Downtown
Closed
International Students
Start Dates
Locations
Availability
Full Time Offerings
2025 September
London - Downtown
Open
2026 May
London - Downtown
Open
2024 September
London - Downtown
Closed
Your Learning Experience
Fanshawe College's 3D Animation and Character Design program is an 8-month graduate certificate designed for students to hone previous multimedia skills into a valued and sought-after skill in the job market.
Animate your ideas for game engines/development by life drawing and storyboarding, 3D design modelling, texture mapping and lighting, character design, video editing and audio effects creation. You will also develop your creative concepts while learning to plan and manage projects.
Graduates are prepared to work as a 3D animator, character designer, effects artist, storyboard artist and level designers for the film, video, computer animation and game industries. Graduates are also employed with companies creating television commercials, industrial and commercial videos and educational material, in addition to architecture and real estate design and promotion.
Study in the heart of London's digital media sector, at Fanshawe's London Downtown Campus. Your ability to create characters while nurturing your love of arts and design is the first step. Taking these passions into the dynamic media technology sector will be your destiny.
This Graduate Certificate Animation program (two consecutive terms in length) will build upon the students' prior technical knowledge. Successful graduates of the program will learn every skill used in the creation of 3D animated characters for use in game engines/development including: life drawing and storyboarding, 3D modeling and animation, shaders, texture mapping and lighting, character design, video editing and audio effects. Concept development, team work, strategic planning and project management will be integral components of the program.
Career Information
Graduates of Fanshawe’s 3D Animation and Character Design program are qualified for a wide-variety of artistic roles within the film, video and game industries, including character designers, effects artists, 3D animators, storyboard artists and level designers. Graduates could also find themselves helping to create television commercials, industrial and commercial videos or educational material.
Did you know Fanshawe consistently ranks high in graduation employment rates among large colleges in Ontario? Check out our graduate employment rates and other key performance indicators.
Here’s a selection of employment opportunities Career Services has received for students and graduates of Fanshawe’s 3D Animation and Character Design program:
Unity 3D Developer
Incorporate your passion for gaming with knowledge of gameplay mechanics and the artificial reality/virtual reality space.
Game Web Developer
Create your own features and ideas that promote the best user experience for our growing stable of video games, working with a team of like-minded artists to bring awesome ideas to life.
Game Designer
A highly creative role where you will have the opportunity to influence core parts of the games we create.
Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
1. Execute creative concepts and ideas through a variety and combination of techniques including hand drawn, computer generated, 2D and 3D storyboards and animatics.
2. Create sophisticated models for the entertainment, medical, and architectural industries.
3. Create 3D characters and creatures ranging from life-like and anatomically correct, to cartoon and anime styles.
4. Combine texture mapping, shaders, lighting environments, animating cameras and ‘rigs’ for 3D models and characters in animation sequences.
5. Synthesize a wide variety of digital effects in the creation of environment and creature materials and textures.
6. Apply 3D techniques that demonstrate characters with realistic motion and a full range of emotion in animated characters.
7. Incorporate 3D animated characters with composited backgrounds utilizing special effects.
8. Utilize a variety of digital applications including video and audio editing software and technologies.
9. Integrate sophisticated technologies into 3D animated films, videos and games.
Related Programs
Academic School
Program Coordinator:
David Latour
International Admission Equivalencies
Admission equivalencies for Fanshawe depends on your country of study. Please enter your location to see the requirements for your country below.
Courses
| Level 1 | ||||
| Take all of the following Mandatory Courses: | ||||
| MMED-6010 | Life Drawing & Character Studies | 3 | ||
| In this course students will be introduced to the fundamentals of life drawing and the human form. A variety of techniques will be covered in class. Emphasis will be placed on the technical side of life drawing with the goal of understanding composition, proportion and structure. Observational drawing techniques will include, gesture, contour, shape, form, perspective and colour. In addition to traditional drawing techniques, students will analyze and explore current trends in the industry with relation to digital character creation and design. | ||||
| MMED-6011 | Modeling Foundation | 3 | ||
| This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of 3D modeling using contemporary modeling software which will include, but not be limited to, basic modeling techniques, concepts and workflows for creating 3D character and environment models as well as an introduction to tools and functionality. | ||||
| MMED-6012 | Animation for Characters-Intro | 3 | ||
| In this course students will explore the basic foundational principles of animation. Topics will include stretch and squash, anticipation, timing, arcs and exaggeration. Students will utilize their drawing expertise by adding realistic motion and emotion to simple digital characters. Traditional planning for digital techniques will be explored. | ||||
| MMED-6020 | Pre-Production | 2 | ||
| This course will teach planning, troubleshooting and time management in order to make the student a more viable artist. There will also be assignments to build related skillsets like storyboarding and rigging which will support other courses in the program. | ||||
| MMED-6014 | Texture, Lighting & Rendering 1 | 3 | ||
| In this course student will be introduced to a variety of software, concepts, and techniques used daily by industry professionals to texture, light, and render 3D objects and environments. It will cover core principles, and their practical application; challenging students to experiment, develop and showcase their skills, while rendering characters and environments in 3D space. | ||||
Tuition Summary
London - Downtown
*Total program costs are approximate, subject to change and do not include the health and dental plan fee, bus pass fee or program general expenses.