The Art Institute of Atlanta is introducing a new bachelor of arts degree in visual & game programming. The visual & game programming program teaches students the essential skills to effectively solve technical problems while playing the indispensable role of bridging the gap between the creative artist and technical programmer.
"Visual & game programming is part art and part computer science, with plenty of room for creative individuals who want to delve deeper into the technical principles of games," says Janet S. Day, president of The Art Institute of Atlanta.
The hands-on visual & game programming program combines artistic skills with technical skills, and is deeply embedded in the concepts of animation. The curriculum was developed with input from game and animation industry veterans, including professionals from the International Game Developers Assn., Electronic Arts, Acclaim, Red Storm Ent., Digital Domain, Pixar Animation Studios, DreamWorks/PDI, Microsoft, Stormfront Studios, BioWare and other companies.
In the program, students begin with an intensive foundation in art and design and then enter the more technical areas of programming for 3D animation, including shading development, motion capture management, and pipeline streamlining. They also learn programming and scripting tools such as Perl, C++, C-shell, MEL scripting, MAXScript, DirectX and OpenGL and become very familiar with different operating systems.
The curriculum helps train students for entry-level positions that may include technical artist, technical developer, assistant technical director, 3D tools programmer, artist wizard, data wrangler, rendering wrangler or junior technical cinematic artist.
Applications for visual & game programming are being accepted now for the spring quarter beginning April 4, 2005. For more information, call (800) 275-4242 or visit www.aia.artinstitutes.edu/programdegrees.asp.
The Art Institute of Atlanta is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with 31 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The parent company of The Art Institutes, Education Management Corp. (www.edmc.com) is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. EDMC has 70 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC's education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology and business fields, culminating in the award of associate's through doctoral degrees.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
