BSc (Hons)
Computer Animation
Choose to focus on the more creative or technical the aspects
Course Overview
Why take this course?
This course will give you the chance to focus on either the more artistic graphical aspects of computer animation or the more technical side, including programming and scripting. Both pathways will enable you to learn about the practical and theoretical aspects of the animation industry, from traditional animation to modern 3D animation.
What will I experience?
On this course you can:
- Win prizes for your final-year projects awarded by our industry sponsors including Autodesk, Avid and Sony
- Use our cutting-edge, industry-standard software and benefit from access to extra curricular workshops in support of your skills, such as software and drawing skills
- Opt to do a salaried placement year either in the UK or overseas
What opportunities might it lead to?
This course mirrors many industrial processes and creative practices, equipping you for some of the most exciting jobs in today’s media industries. Potential employers include the animated film, TV or computer games industries.
Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:
- animation design
- 2D and 3D graphics
- motion capture
- virtual reality
- project planning
I like the fact that it’s a BSc, unlike most courses which are BAs. I just like the fact that this was the computer side and not just the drawing side – though Portsmouth offers the BA as well.
Sam Hoffman, BSc (Hons) Computer Animation student 2013
Key Facts
- UCAS Course Code:
- G451
- Duration
- 3 years full time, 4 years sandwich with work placement
- Entry
240-300 points to include a minimum of 240 points from A Levels, or equivalent.
Other qualifications- Fees
UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man full-time students: £8,750 p/a*
International full-time students: £11,000 p/a*
*Please note that all fees are subject to annual increase.- Contact
- create.admissions@port.ac.uk
+44 (0)23 9284 2421 - Department
- School of Creative Technologies
Subject:
Computing and Creative Technologies
Find out what our students say about studying at Portsmouth, including:
- Hands-on, practical work and real-life learning, which is transferable to future careers
- Modern facilities and access to the latest technology including numerous computer labs, TV studios and a motion capture suite
- Approachable lecturers who have experience and contacts in the industry
Visit us at our open day
Wed 10 Jul
Structure & Teaching
Year one
The content of the course mirrors many industrial processes and creative practices that we have discussed with our industrial partners both in film and games industries. You will begin the course by getting to grips with the software tools and editing packages which you will use throughout the course. You will also begin to build your own portfolio of work while examining the issues of copyright, piracy, hacking, social engineering and codes of conduct.
Core units in this year include:
- Foundation in 3D Modelling
- Foundations in Graphics
- Skills and Principles for Animation
- Tools for Animation
- Visual Communication
- EPortfolio
Year two
In this year you continue to develop your animation skills including rigging, environment modelling, character modelling and animating characters for games or film. There is also a range of options which allow you to choose whether you would like to pursue a more artistic or technical study route.
Core units in this year include:
- Ancilliary Animation and Software Skills Project
- Commercial Asset Production for Real Time
- Modelling Lighting for Computer Animation
Options to choose from in this year include:
- Animation Programming and Scripting
- Creative Music and Effects for Film and TV
- Design and Visual Research for Cinema and Game
- Designing for Animation
- Designing Interactive Content
- Linear/Non-Linear Animation
- Mathematical Elements for Games and Animation
- Music: Practice, Performance and Research
- Professional Experience
Year three*
There’s a wide range of options in your final year allowing for specialisation in the areas that interest you the most. You’ll also complete an individual project on a topic of your choice as well as a year-long group project, chosen from a pool of real-life projects proposed by a range of clients.
Core units in this year include:
- Creative Media
- Creative Professional Portfolio
- Final Year Project
Options to choose from in this year include:
- Animation and Setup for Computer Animation
- Design for Computer Animation
- Interdisciplinary Group Project
- Motion Capture Applications
- Real Time Interactive Group Project
- Rendering Pipeline
*This course is also available as a 4-year sandwich (work placement)
Teaching and Assessment
You will experience a variety of teaching through lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratory sessions, online lessons and project work.
We constantly work with game developers and professional bodies such as TIGA to ensure that the course stays up-to-date, guaranteeing that you learn the skills valued by today’s games industry.
How are you assessed?
Due to the practical nature of this course, assessment is extremely varied and includes:
- practical projects
- work portfolios
- academic and evaluative essays
- multiple choice tests
- oral presentations
- examinations
- case studies
Visit us open day
Facilities & Features
Specialist Software and Equipment
You’ll have excellent resources at your fingertips
The Games Lab
Home to all the latest games consoles
University Library
Our library offers a wealth of information
Specialist Software and Equipment
A full range of industry software will be available for you to use in the computer labs. You’ll have excellent resources at your fingertips including:
- the Virtual Reality Lab
- motion capture facilities
- Half Life 2 (source game engine)
- Unreal game engine
- XNA (Dreamspark) Xbox 360 development environment
- Maya
- Macromedia software
The Games Lab
This is home to all the latest consoles for our game students. You’ll have access to Playstation 3 development kits, PSP development kits, Playstation 2 Linux development kits (available to borrow) and a range of other consoles and games.
University Library
Modern, comfortable and a great learning environment, our library offers a wealth of information including 400,000 books, DVDs, maps and thousands of online ejournals and newspapers. Many electronic resources are available anywhere, 24/7 and our friendly staff are always on hand to help.
Careers & Opportunities
Career prospects
The South East is the entertainment and IT centre in England so you’ll have lots of opportunities on the doorstep. On completing this course, you’ll possess the full package of professional skills for use in the media industry, as well as other areas such as business, commerce and education. With an emphasis on graphics and animation, this course produces creative technical artists specialising in 2D or 3D animation.
Graduates from this course have been successful in finding work with these big names:
- Black Rock
- Climax
- Codemasters
- Electronic Arts
- Exient
- Jagex
- Kuju (Zoe Mode and Nik Nak Games)
- Pivotal Games
- Rebellion
- Sony
- Travellers Tales
Work experience
The best way to boost your CV is by doing an industry placement. This is a great opportunity to put your developing skills into practice in an industrial or commercial setting – and be paid for it! Taking a year in industry is an extremely effective way to increase your employability for when you finish the course. You may even find that your placement employer hires you once you graduate.
There are also opportunities to do a placement overseas. We actively encourage such placements as it’s a great way for you to experience another culture and develop some language skills. In previous years some of our students have secured exciting placements at Lion Head Games in China.
Our team at the Student Placement and Employability Centre (SPEC) ensure you have access to a range of volunteering and work experience opportunities. We also offer support during your year-long industrial placements, and provide support for the different types of application processes.
Career planning
6.04 minutes
Finding a job is a competitive business, but the statistics show that 89 per cent of our 2011graduates went into employment, further study or training within six months of finishing their degrees.
To make sure you take the right steps on your career path, we’re here to give you help, support and advice throughout your study. Even after you’ve graduated, we continue to give you support for up to five years.
Employers tell us that they want graduates to be able to demonstrate certain skills when they come out of university. Our courses take account of this. We make sure we prepare you for employment through work-related learning, projects, placements and working in simulated environments that are designed to prepare you for the working world.
Open Day
Our next open day is Wed 10 July
VISIT US! Have a look around and get a feel for what it’s like to live and study here. We’ll be on hand to talk to you about your course interests and show you all of our amazing facilities. You’ll also get to meet tutors and other students…
Application, Fees and Funding — find out more