The Art Institute of Atlanta Introduces Visual & Game Programming

The Art Institute of Atlanta Introduces Visual & Game Programming

New program bridges gap between game artist and technical programmer

ATLANTA, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- To develop a game or animated feature film takes the work of both artists and programmers. For both sides to work effectively as a team, it is critical to have a third party who has the artistic talent and abilities and is well versed in the technical aspects of the game. To fill the need for this type of talent, 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 Association, Electronic Arts, Acclaim, Red Storm Entertainment, Digital Domain, Pixar Animation Studios, PDI/DreamWorks, 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 3-D 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.

With the advantage of having their artistic talent combined with the knowledge and skills of programming for 3-D development, shading, motion capture, and animation, graduates will have an edge in finding a wide range of employment opportunities in the entertainment and game production industries. The curriculum helps train students for entry-level positions that may include technical artist, technical developer, assistant technical director, 3-D 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. For more information, call 1.800.275.4242 or visit http://www.aia.artinstitutes.edu/programdegrees.asp .

The Art Institute of Atlanta is one of The Art Institutes ( http://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 Corporation ( http://www.edmc.com/ ) is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Student enrollment exceeded 66,000 as of fall 2004. 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. EDMC has provided career-oriented education for over 40 years.


Source: The Art Institute of Atlanta

CONTACT: Kim Resnik of The Art Institute of Atlanta, +1-770-689-4892, or
resnikk@aii.edu

Web site: http://www.aia.artinstitutes.edu/programdegrees.asp
http://www.artinstitutes.edu/
http://www.edmc.com/


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