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Introduction to Real-Time 3D & Virtual Production

Online real-time 3D technical art course for beginners taught by Unreal artists

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Overview

Learn real-time 3D & virtual production

Take the first step towards your career as a real-time artist with career training & mentorship at an Unreal Authorized Training Center.

Enter the exciting world of Unreal Engine with our introductory course! Go from simply installing the engine to creating a fully animated playable character. Mentored by a professional real-time artist, you'll develop a broad knowledge of the engine and surrounding pipelines including basic rigging and motion capture. 

Benefits of studying at CG Spectrum:
  • Unreal Academic Partner & Unreal Authorized Training Center
  • Mentorship from industry pros
  • Job-focused curriculum and 100% online
  • Private 1-on-1 or small group classes (max 4 students)

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CG Spectrum–one of the Top 50 Best Creative Media & Entertainment Art Schools in the World–has partnered with Epic Games and industry professionals to develop a job-focused study pathway to ensure you are well-positioned to enter the real-time 3D and virtual production field and make a productive contribution from day one on the job.

Expect highly personalized training with mentorship from industry experts on the cutting edge of this field. After completing this beginners course, continue along the study pathway with the more advanced Real-Time 3D Technical Art and Virtual Production Course.  

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Qualification

Certificate

Study duration

3 months

Commitment

20 hrs weekly

Skill level

Beginner

Prerequisites

Basic computer skill and a passion for film and games

Delivery

Weekly online classes, feedback and support

Software

Unreal Engine, MotionBuilder

Start date

Oct 3, 2022
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Why study with us

Learn real-time 3D from industry pros who have worked at well-known studios

Our expert-led programs prepare you for an exciting career in the industry. Unleash your creative potential while building practical job skills.

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Flexible Scheduling

Plan your studies around your work and family commitments

Industry Mentors

Learn from industry experts who have worked at top studios

Job-Ready Skills

Build practical and relevant job skills that studios are looking for

Payment Plans

Pursue your passion and start working sooner with flexible payments
Curriculum

Progress faster with industry-approved career training and personalized mentorship

Term 1: 12 weeks
Introduction to Real-Time 3D & Virtual Production

In this introductory course, you'll start with the fundamentals of Unreal Engine, learning how to set up animated characters in the engine, along with a wide variety of features, plus rigging and motion basics. Developing a good foundation in this area is essential for moving on to the more advanced Real-Time 3D & Virtual Production Course where you'll apply your new skills to creating a film-quality cinematic shot.

  • How to use a wide range of Unreal Engine features
  • Basic animation and rigging skills
  • Working with motion capture
  • An overview of real-time and virtual production pipelines

*This short course (or equivalent experience) is a prerequisite to the full Real-Time 3D and Virtual Production Course.

  1. Learning Game Editors & Industry Workflows
  2. Exporting and Importing
  3. Working with Materials
  4. Setting Up Characters
  5. Implementing Animation
  6. Whiteboxing
  7. Introduction to Rigging
  8. Character Rigging Basics
  9. Motion Capture Fundamentals
  10. Sequencer and Character Animation
  11. Unreal Control Rig
  12. Facial Performance Capture Workflow and Media Reference
FAQs

Got questions? We've got answers

Learn more about the prerequisites for this course and the game development careers you could explore after graduation. For general questions about studying at CG Spectrum, visit the main FAQ page or contact us.

Real-time 3D Course FAQs

Before entering the introduction to real-time 3D course we recommend that the student has the following basic skills:

  • Polygonal modeling principles and workflows
  • UV unwrapping workflows 
  • Animation timeline and graph editing workflows
  • 3D Rendering workflows

You will also need a computer that meets the minimum specifications (see next question).

Note: This introduction course is also embedded in the Game Art & Animation Foundations course. Students who complete the game art course will have a good foundation in modeling and animation and can continue straight to the 9-month Real-Time 3D Technical Art & Virtual Production course.

Software:

Students can sign up for an educational license for Substance Painter, Motionbuilder, and Maya.

Unreal Engine is free to download and use.

Hardware:

Students will need a dedicated graphics card, and a computer that meets the minimum requirements for Unreal Engine, Substance Painter, Motionbuilder, and Maya. 

If you choose the 1-on-1 private mentorship option, then yes, you can decide to skip and adjust the week pacing with your mentor.

This short course will get you started on your journey as a real-time 3D technical artist, but in a competitive industry, continuing your studies with the more advanced 9-month Real-Time 3D Technical Art & Virtual Production course will better prepare you for a job in the industry and help increase your employment opportunities.

The 9-month course covers far more complex techniques and includes personalized career services and 1-on-1 time with our Career Development Manager which can help when applying for junior virtual production jobs such as:

Discover more about these jobs, tips, and salary expectations on our careers page:
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Mentors

Get direct access to industry professionals with years of experience

Learn from passionate industry veterans with years of real-world experience at major film and game studios. More mentors to be announced soon!

Simon Warwick's Work
Simon Warwick
Simon Warwick

Simon has been working in the game industry since 2005, and was credited as the only technical cinematic animator for Batman: Arkham City at Rocksteady Studios.

Read full bio

Dept. Head of Real-Time 3D

Known for Batman: Arkham Knight

Deepak Chetty's Work
Deepak Chetty
Deepak Chetty

Deepak is the Producer for film, TV, and virtual production at Epic Games' Unreal Online Learning platform and is sharing his real time production expertise with students at CG Spectrum.

Read full bio

Mentor of Virtual Production

Known for Gen: Lock

Jon Robins's Work
Jon Robins
Jon Robins

Jon currently works as a Lead Character Technical Artist at Striking Distance Studios where he loves solving problems and helping teams in as many ways as he can.

Read full bio

Mentor of Real-Time 3D

Known for Marvel's Avengers

Nida Arshia's Work
Nida Arshia
Nida Arshia

Mentor of Real-Time 3D

Known for Visual storytelling

Shaun Foster's Work
Shaun Foster
Shaun Foster
Shaun is a Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has worked on award-winning projects and received multiple grants including an Epic MegaGrant to develop a real-time training program.

Mentor of Real-Time 3D

Known for Real-time innovation

Brighton Gardiner's Work
Brighton Gardiner
Brighton Gardiner
Brighton is a Sr Tech Animator at Final Strike Games, working with game designers and artists to bring characters to life and create compelling gameplay. His credits include The Sims and Rocket Arena.

Mentor of Real-Time 3D

Known for Rocket Arena

Stefaan Sorensen's Work
Stefaan Sorensen
Stefaan Sorensen

Mentor of Real-Time 3D

Known for Max Payne 3

Tamir Diab's Work
Tamir Diab
Tamir Diab
Tamir is a CG Supe at Pixomondo who works with Unreal Engine developers and artists to create CG environments for ads, TV, and film. He’s worked on multiple Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning films.

Mentor of Real-Time 3D

Known for Halo (TV series)

Jack Brown's Work
Jack Brown
Jack Brown

Mentor of Real-Time 3D

Known for Avengers: Age of Ultron

Iacopo Antonelli's Work
Iacopo Antonelli
Iacopo Antonelli

Mentor of Real-Time 3D

Known for The Division 2

Lucas Esposito's Work
Lucas Esposito
Lucas Esposito

Mentor of Real-time 3D

Known for Gwent: The Witcher Card Game

Kaya Jabar's Work
Kaya Jabar
Kaya Jabar

Mentor of Real-time 3D

Known for Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

Igor de Sousa's Work
Igor de Sousa
Igor de Sousa

Mentor of Real-Time 3D

Known for Star Wars Squadrons

Addison DeBolt's Work
Addison DeBolt
Addison DeBolt

Mentor of Real-time 3D

Known for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Study Options

Small Class

The most affordable way to learn from top industry mentors in a fun, collaborative environment, while still getting plenty of personalized feedback.

  • Max. 4 students per course
  • Affordable high-quality education
  • Network while you learn
Study Options

1-on-1 Private

Progress faster and enjoy more flexiblity with private mentorship. Ideal for busy schedules, career-changers, or artists upgrading skills or changing specialties.

  • Maximum level of mentor interaction
  • Greater flexibility to schedule classes
  • Customized learning experience

 

Monthly
$1,185 USD

(3 x payments)

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Upfront
$3,199 USD

(1 x payment)

Monthly
$1,485 USD

(3 x payments)

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Upfront
$3,999 USD

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Studios that hire our students

Our commitment to job-outcomes and focus on career development has helped graduates find work at studios all over the world.

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Ubisoft
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EA
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I enrolled looking for a career change...

I didn't have any knowledge about digital arts. Now I can accomplish my dream of creating cinematics within fantasy worlds to tell stories or apply any artistic idea and make it happen with all the new tools under my belt. If you have passion, and need time flexibility, consider joining the amazing community and start your new journey exploring, exchanging, sharing and, most importantly, learning.

Marc C
Marc C
Real-Time 3D & Virtual Production

I can't speak highly enough about the school.

When I came to CG Spectrum I had 20 years of live entertainment experience, and they seamlessly transferred me from physical to virtual production. 

Chris F
Chris F
Real-Time 3D & Virtual Production

I can't stress enough how much I'm enjoying studying here!

I started the course out of curiosity, I was brand new to this world but I feel like I got all the answers that I needed and even more.

Antonino C
Antonino C
Real-Time 3D & Virtual Production

Currently halfway through real-time world building with William Faucher, and I cannot recommend it enough.

The ability to have your level gauged and directed as to where it needs to be by someone within the industry in real-time is priceless. The personal feedback is also second to none.

Matt C
Matt C
Real-Time 3D & Virtual Production

CG Spectrum offers unconditional support.

I want to thank the entire CG Spectrum staff and mentors for their unconditional support, for sharing beyond the course syllabus, and for always giving 100% in everything.

Jorge R
Jorge R
Real-Time 3D & Virtual Production

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