Real-time Applications

This module will introduce students to real-time engines, providing them with the knowledge and skills required to undertake design and artistic pursuits for games, following workflows specific to that of real-time technologies. By building familiarity, ability and awareness within real-time engine pipelines students will design and create their own strategies for independent learning in an area of practice of great importance when working within games technologies.

By the end of this module the student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate the ability to realise a design and artistic pursuit within the context of real-time applications.
2. Dissect visual reference and research to enhance the fidelity and suitability of the work showcased for real-time application.
3. Deliver a portfolio of artistic and technical works demonstrating an appreciation of appropriate methods of presentation of 3D real-time visuals.
4. Design and realise a major artistic project that encapsulates fundamental practices within real-time applications and showcases competency as a 3D practitioner, underpinned by technical understanding.

1 Materials

Learn to apply and manipulate materials within real-time engines. Understand and work within the parameters of PBR (physically based rendering) pipelines and VFX shader sets.

2 Scene Construction Processes

Develop skills that enable the student to prototype and construct complex and specific compositions within real-time engines.

3 Optimization with game art pipelines''

Understand and apply optimisation of artistic assets within a game pipeline. Understand how development should be considered for use in real-time applications and techniques to improve fidelity, performance, and quality. ''

4 Lighting and Post-Production

Apply theories of colour and light to real-time scenes in pursuit of appeal and professional presentation. Introduction to lighting fundamentals and practices within games.

5 Rendering

Understand how real-time engines compile and replicate visual cues in pursuit of compelling and aesthetically cohesive rendering techniques.

6 Presentation

Produce a range of artefacts that are presented using real-time rendering techniques. Gain an understanding of appropriate and impactful methods of presentation within specific contexts of game art production.'

7 Asset Construction

Understand how to prepare and scope assets for versatile usages within real-time engines across artistic and design ambitions.

8 Procedural Workflows

Understand how procedural toolsets within real-time applications can be used to author complex visual outputs both contextually and practically. Gain the ability to apply this learning directly within real-time engines in pursuit of artistic output.

9 Camera Animation

Develop the ability to create compelling and informative camera sequences within real-time applications using appropriate approaches for specific cinematic outputs.