Entertainment Design

The films you watch, the TV shows you follow and the games you play are made by people who,
for the most part, work at studios. Many people, with many specialties, collaborate on the
production of what we define as entertainment. Within these studios are thousands of artists who
draw, paint, sculpt, design and use specialized computer programs for 2D and 3D work such as
Adobe Photoshop and Autodesk Maya.

Over the past decade, the entertainment industry has continued to grow with a steady demand for
more qualified artists. As the entertainment industry matures and audiences demand an ever
increasing level of realism, studios spend more money on qualified people. If you can draw, you
have the potential to be one of those people. But potential needs to be developed into skill. Skill
needs to be developed into a portfolio. A portfolio needs to be distributed through a network.

The growing entertainment industry represents an opportunity for artists unlike anything we have
seen in the past hundred years. If you like to draw, believe that you have potential, and dream of
one day working on the next Starcraft, Bioshock, Battlestar Gallactica, Lord of the Rings,
Transformers or Wall-E, don’t let anyone tell you that it is not a real job. Because it most
definitely is.

The Gnomon Entertainment Design track is one year. Let’s clarify that four years of college
represents having summers off so that you are actually attending eight ‘semesters’. Gnomon is
four, although we call them ‘terms’. Therefore you will experience not one quarter, but a full half
of the normal college course load. Where things get more complicated, and we recommend doing
your research on this, most colleges will fill your course schedule with many classes that are
valuable, yet irrelevant to what you really need to study with instructors who are not doing what
you want to be doing. Do you want to study anatomy with a fine artist who does abstract gallery
work, or someone who designs characters for a major game studio? Food for thought.

Once completing the four terms of the Entertainment Design track, interested students can apply
for admission to our two year, eight term, accredited Digital Production for Entertainment
program. Please visit the program page to learn more about what the industry refers to as the
most accomplished program of its kind.

As you can see, your career path through Gnomon can consist of, in the end, twelve terms and
three years of intensive education and portfolio development. This workload represents the
equivalent education of both a bachelor's and master's degree. While you may not end up with a
degree, you will end up with what matters most — the skills needed to get a job, thereby
launching you into your new career.

Industry Approved Curriculum

Gnomon's Entertainment Design Track consists of twenty intensive drawing and design courses.
Each class develops the student's knowledge, technique, and understanding of the creative
process.
 • Term One
o Photoshop for Digital Production
o Figure Drawing
o Overview of VFX and Game Production
o Perspective
o Visual Communications 1
o Art History 1
• Term Two
o Visual Communications 2
o Anatomy
o Costumed Figure Drawing
o Graphic Design
o Character Sculpture 1
o Art History 2
• Term Three
o Zoological Drawing
o Storyboarding
o Character Design
o Product Design
o Color Theory and Light
o Design History
• Term Four
o Introduction to Maya
o Creature Design
o Environment Design
o Vehicle Design
o Film History
o #

Launched in 1998, the Gnomon CG Certificate Program has recently celebrated ten
years of helping students enter the entertainment industry with graduates placed at
most of Hollywood’s top studios. This program is designed to provide students with
an in-depth technical and artistic understanding of the tools used in the visual
effects, film, broadcast and gaming industries. Since its inception, Gnomon has
adhered to a strict traditional drawing/design portfolio requirement for admission. It
is for this reason that our placement rate is 90%. It is also for this reason that
Gnomon's criteria for admission is so high. Every term we reject applicants whose
drawing skills show potential, however, are undeveloped. The Entertainment Design
track offers an opportunity for students to develop their portfolios for admission. It
suffices to say that we, and the industries that we serve, strongly believe that the
best 3D artists have strong drawing and design skills.

Digital production 2 years

This program is intended for those who have a background in visual or traditional art and desire
a career as a digital artist in the game, broadcast or film industries. Our curriculum is geared
towards the development of artistic and technical skills by profession and not by industry.
Therefore, we teach you to be an accomplished artist first. Your skills are then applicable to all
industries of entertainment. As these industries converge and the level of quality improves, both
the fundamental and specialized skills attained are transferable.

Unlike conventional curriculum, this is not a diluted program with classes that simply fill a
program's roster; these are specific classes that develop you as a professional and readies each
student to work in the field of their choice. This program is hybridized into a core curriculum and
the development of an expertise. Students will build foundational skills in the first two terms,
then choose an area of concentration for the remainder of the program.

Modeling and Texturing

This track focuses on the design and creation of digital assets for games, broadcast or film. As a
modeling and texture artist you will create assets for these industries, with skills rooted in a
strong understanding of form, texture, and detail. Assets may vary from a simple building for a
live action shot or a more complex creation of many elements for a 3D feature or game.

This track focuses on creation, modeling and look development through final rendering and
delivery of content. Supporting these concepts are fundamental classes on anatomy, sculpture,
painting and design.

Curriculum Details

• Term One
o Introduction to Maya
o Introduction to Compositing
o Texture Mapping 1
o Overview of Visual Effects and Games
o Visual Communications 1
o Storyboarding
• Term Two
o Hard Surface Modeling 1
o Surface Modeling
o Digital Sculpting
o Introduction to Texture Painting
o Character Sculpture 1
 o Anatomy
• Term Three
o Animation and Visual Effects
o Lighting and Rendering 1
o Hard Surface Modeling 2
o Character Modeling and Sculpting
o Character Sculpture 2
o Character Design
• Term Four
o Lighting and Rendering 2
o Hard Surface Texturing and Shading
o Creature Modeling and Sculpting
o Character Kinematics
o Environment Design
o Visual Structure
• Term Five
o Character Animation 1
o Art of Compositing
o Character Texturing and Shading
o Character Skinning
o Look Development
o Expression and Scripting
o #
• Term Six
o Unreal
o Environment Creation for Games
o Character Creation for Games
o Commercial Production Techniques
o Shave and a Haircut
o Cloth, Hair and Fur
o Elective
• Term Seven
o Choice of Two Demo Reel Classes
o Demo Reel Character Construction and Design
o Demo Reel Rigging for Animation
o Demo Reel Digital Sets
o Demo Reel Props
o Demo Reel Game Level I
o Career Realities
o #
• Term Eight
o Choice of Two Demo Reel Classes
o Demo Reel Game Level II
o Demo Reel Lighting and Compositing
o Demo Reel Animation
 o Demo Reel Effects
o Demo Reel Personal Project
o Interview and Resume Workshop
o Business of Production

Students will receive a certificate of completion for this program after successfully completing
all of the above classroom training and laboratory time.

Note: This is a sample curriculum and is subject to change.

Character and Creature Animation

This track focuses on the creation of animated assets that demonstrate proficiency as an
animator. It is loaded with animation-based classes that cover CG and traditional animation, stop
motion animation and technical character rigging.

Animators are the actors of the game and visual effect industries. Through performance,
animators deliver emotion to a character be it humorous, sad, serious or somewhere in between.
An artist's animation skills need to demonstrate their ability to act in a variety of roles and
transfer these emotions.

Curriculum Details

• Term One
o Introduction to Maya
o Introduction to Compositing
o Texture Mapping 1
o Overview of Visual Effects and Games
o Visual Communications 1
o Storyboarding
• Term Two
o Hard Surface Modeling 1
o Animation and Visual Effects
o Character Design
o Character Sculpture 1
o Principles of Animation
o Anatomy
• Term Three
o Character Kinematics
o Character Animation 1
o Timing for Animation
 o Lighting and Rendering 1
o Improvisational Acting
o Previsualization and Animatics
• Term Four
o Lighting and Rendering 2
o Character Animation 2
o Character Skinning
o Gesture Drawing
o HD Digital Filmmaking for VFX
o Visual Structure
• Term Five
o Character Animation 3
o Art of Compositing
o Creature Animation 1
o Matchmoving and Integration
o Acting for Animators
o Character Development
• Term Six
o Character Animation 4: Facial Animation
o Animation for Games
o Creature Animation 2
o Zoological Drawing
o Story Development
o Elective
• Term Seven
o Choice of Two Demo Reel Classes
o Demo Reel Character Construction and Design
o Demo Reel Rigging for Animation
o Demo Reel Digital Sets
o Demo Reel Props
o Demo Reel Game Level 1
o Career Realities
o #
• Term Eight
o Choice of Two Demo Reel Classes
o Demo Reel Game Level II
o Demo Reel Lighting and Compositing
o Demo Reel Animation
o Demo Reel Effects
o Demo Reel Personal Project
o Interview and Resume Workshop
o Business of Production

Students will receive a certificate of completion for this program after successfully completing
all of the above classroom training and laboratory time.
Note: This is a sample curriculum and is subject to change.

Visual Effects Animation

The focus of this track is on the various processes in which imagery is created and/or
manipulated outside the live action shot. Most work as a visual effects artist is to create realistic
elements that are integrated into a shot that would otherwise be too costly, dangerous or
impossible to capture on film.

This track is perfect for the artist who wishes to work with all the elements that comprise a visual
effects shot. This includes the blending of background plates or matte paintings with 3D
architectural, character or elemental assets. Classes concentrate on lighting and filming
techniques, creation, tracking and compositing of elements, and the creation of both particle and
dynamic effects.

Curriculum Details

• Term One
o Introduction to Maya
o Introduction to Compositing
o Texture Mapping I
o Overview of Visual Effects and Games
o Visual Communications 1
o Storyboarding
• Term Two
o Hard Surface Modeling 1
o Animation and Visual Effects
o Cloth, Hair and Fur
o Rotoscoping
o Art of Compositing
o Principles of Animation
o Cinematography for Visual Effects
• Term Three
o Previsualization and Animatics
o Hard Surface Texturing and Shading
o Dynamics Effects 1
o Lighting and Rendering 1
o Digital Sets
o VFX Design
• Term Four
 o Lighting and Rendering 2
o Dynamics Effects 2
o Advanced Compositing
o HD Digital Filmmaking for VFX
o Character Kinematics
o Visual Structure
• Term Five
o Dynamic Effects 3
o
o Commercial Production Techniques
o
o Expression and Scripting
o
o Matchmoving and Integration
o
o Character Skinning
o
o Elective
o
• Term Six
o Dynamic Effects 4
o
o Houdini
o
o Crowd Simulation with Massive
o
o Digital Matte Painting
o
o Rendering with Pixar's Renderman
o
o Scripting for Production
o
• Term Seven
o Choice of Two Demo Reel Classes
o Demo Reel Character Construction and Design
o Demo Reel Rigging for Animation
o Demo Reel Digital Sets
o Demo Reel Props
o Demo Reel Game Level I
o Career Realities
o #
• Term Eight
o Choice of Two Demo Reel Classes
o Demo Reel Game Level 2
o Demo Reel Lighting and Compositing
 o Demo Reel Animation
o Demo Reel Effects
o Demo Reel Personal Project
o Interview and Resume Workshop
o Business of Production

Students will receive a certificate of completion for this program after successfully completing
all of the above classroom training and laboratory time.

Note: This is a sample curriculum and is subject to change.

Generalist

Not sure what area of digital production in which to excel? Our 3D Generalist track is perfect for
exploring all aspects of 3D production. This track is an outgrowth of our longstanding program
"High-End CG Certificate Program." As with the former, this track covers all aspects of 3D
production along with a strong visual art foundation. This program has plenty of allowances to
choose elected specialty classes when further focus is desired.

Curriculum Details

• Term One
o Introduction to Maya
o Introduction to Compositing
o Texture Mapping 1
o Overview of Visual Effects and Games
o Visual Communications 1
o Storyboarding
• Term Two
o Hard Surface Modeling 1
o Surface Modeling
o Digital Sculpting
o Introduction to Texture Painting
o Character Sculpture 1
o Anatomy
• Term Three
o Animation and Visual Effects
o Lighting and Rendering 1
o Hard Surface Modeling 2
o Character Modeling and Sculpting
 o Environment Design
o Character Design
• Term Four
o Character Animation 1
o Lighting and Rendering 2
o Hard Surface Texturing and Shading
o Character Kinematics
o HD Digital Filmmaking for VFX
o Visual Structure
• Term Five
o Character Skinning
o Art of Compositing
o Cloth, Hair and Fur
o Expressions and Scripting
o Dynamic Effects 1
o Matchmoving and Integration
o Shave and a Haircut
• Term Six
o Unreal
o Character Animation 2 or Dynamic Effects 2
o Advanced Compositing
o Digital Matte Painting
o Commercial Production Techniques
o Elective
o #
• Term Seven
o Choice of Two Demo Reel Classes
o Demo Reel Character Construction and Design
o Demo Reel Rigging for Animation
o Demo Reel Digital Sets
o Demo Reel Props
o Demo Reel Game Level 1
o Career Realities
o #
• Term Eight
o Choice of Two Demo Reel Classes
o Demo Reel Game Level 2
o Demo Reel Lighting and Compositing
o Demo Reel Animation
o Demo Reel Effects
o Demo Reel Personal Project
o Interview and Resume Workshop
o Business of Production
Students will receive a certificate of completion for this program after successfully completing
all of the above classroom training and laboratory time.

Note: This is a sample curriculum and is subject to change.