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Start   >  Master's & postgraduate courses  >  Education  >  Master's degree in Animation & Digital Arts for AAA Video Games
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  • Programme
  • Training Content
  • Learning methodology
  • Teaching team
  • Associates entities
  • Career opportunities
  • Testimonials
  • Request information or admission
  • discount
    This programme is part of the Employment Help grants programme
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Programme

Edition
12th Edition
Credits
60 ECTS (345 teaching hours)
Delivery
Face-to-face
Language of instruction
English
Fee
€8,300
Notes payment of enrolment fee and 0,7% campaign
Registration open until the beginning of the course or until end of vacancies.
Discounts, loans and financial aid
Start date
Start date: 01/10/2019
End date: 29/10/2020
Timetable
Monday: 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Tuesday: 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Thursday: 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Notes to the schedule.
Taught at
Tech Talent Center
C/ de Badajoz, 73-77
Barcelona
Why this programme?
The Spanish videogame industry has become one of the engines of growth of the Spanish economy, providing multiple opportunities for all businesses and participating in job creation.

Currently, Spain has 455 companies and studies surveyed, 31% of these are established in Catalonia. This growth has accelerated in the last 5 years, which have created 52% of businesses today. This sector is formed by a broad base of small companies and very few medium and large companies.

All of this, puts the video game industry among the leading national digital content industries. Internationally, Spain is an important market, reaching fourth place at European level and the eighth worldwide.

The video game industry requires highly qualified professionals, making the existence of a primordial quality training. Therefore, from the UPC School we organized the academic offering in Animation, 3D Technology and Video Games, which it's made up of the Postgraduate in Game Design & Management, the Master in Advanced Programming for AAA Video Games and the Master in Animation & Digital Arts for AAA Video Games. This training gives participants endless job opportunities in a wide range of sectors such as project management, game designer, programming, art direction, graphic design and 3D animation. The link between this training and the world of business is crucial is imperative.

In the master involving more than 50 companies that offer students lectures and conference sessions, through which pass on their knowledge and bring us closer to the reality of the sector. We must emphasize the high level of employability and the opportunity to work experience through partners. The result of all this methodology, essentially professional, the participation of Social Point through its sponsorship in the Three Headed Monkey Awards.


Project gallery
Aims
  • To learn about the creation process of a video game, as well as about each of its related parts.
  • To identify the elements involved in video game programming and design.
  • To learn to program all forms, facets and genres of videogames.
  • To acquire knowledge in the areas of artistic, graphic, modelling and 3D animation design.
  • To learn to use programming tools and IT software solutions.
Who is it for?

Aimed at graphic designers, animators and technical artists interested in the video games' creation, as well as 3D, virtual reality and audiovisual projects. They will know and manage the main tools for modelling, animation, video, post-production and level design. They will be able to develop any graphic resource that can be part of a large 3D production.

They will learn to use existing engines of the market to prototype, as well as an own engine developed by the students of the master in Advanced Programming for AAA Video Games. With these partners, they will manage and develop an ambitious video game project in large teams.

Training Content

List of subjects
2 ECTS 15h
Industry
  • History.
  • Industry.
  • Development.
  • Production.
5 ECTS 27h
3D Modelling
  • Polygon modelling.
  • Materials and textures.
  • Scenarios.
  • Bake maps.
  • Textured characters.
  • Optimitation and Exporting.


4 ECTS 24h
Game Design
  • Creativity.
  • Game Vision Document.
  • Game Design Document.
  • AAA Game Design.
  • Indie Game Design.
5 ECTS 27h
Level Design
  • Level Designer.
  • Navigation, Goals, objectives and rewards.
  • Design Modular.
  • Exercise Stage 3D.
6 ECTS 42h
Tech & Dev
  • Building a Game Engine.
  • QA.
  • Iteractions build.
  • Model.
  • Advanced Graphics.
  • Scripting & FSM.
  • PartSyst & Trails.
  • Shaders.
  • Augmented Reallity.
  • Sound.
7 ECTS 42h
Advanced 3D Modelling
  • Organic modelling.
  • Digital sculpture.
  • Retopology.
  • Lighting techniques.
  • ZBrush.
8 ECTS 45h
Animation
  • Animación por keyframes.
  • Rigging y Skinning.
  • Animación de personajes.
  • Animación facial.
  • Motion Capture y Retargeting.
  • Cinemáticas.
3 ECTS 18h
Vídeo & FX
  • Special effects.
  • Video editing.
  • Video composition.
  • Sound.
3 ECTS 15h
Business
  • Financing and crowdfunding.
  • Models Monetization.
  • Digital -Distribution.
  • Big Data.
  • ASO.
3 ECTS 15h
Comunication
  • Elevator pitch.
  • Video and press release.
  • Webs and publishers.
  • Preparation CV and interview.
3 ECTS 21h
Studios
  • Multiplatform Development.
  • Indie studios.
  • Techincal Arts.
  • Publishers.
  • AAA Studios.
  • Social Games.
11 ECTS 54h
Project

The professional project will be based on the creation of a video game thus putting in practice all the knowledge acquired during the program.

At upcvideogames blog, you could see the projects of previous editions of the master.

Degree
Special master's degree issued by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Issued pursuant to art. 34.1 of Organic Law 4/2007 of 12 April, amending Organic Law 6/2001 of 21 December, concerning Universities. To obtain it, is necessary to have an official university qualification. Otherwise, the student will receive a certificate of completion of the programme issued by the Fundació Politècnica de Catalunya.

Learning methodology

The teaching methodology of the programme facilitates the student's learning and the achievement of the necessary competences.

Learning tools
Participatory lectures
A presentation of the conceptual foundations of the content to be taught, promoting interaction with the students to guide them in their learning of the different contents and the development of the established competences.
Practical classroom sessions
Knowledge is applied to a real or hypothetical environment, where specific aspects are identified and worked on to facilitate understanding, with the support from teaching staff.
Success stories
Outstanding business knowledge and experiences with high added value acquired during an outstanding professional career are presented and shared.
Visits
These visits are to specialist centres, companies in the sector or outstanding and important locations in the sector, in order to obtain knowledge in situ of development, production and demonstration environments within the programme.
Problem-based learning (PBL)
An active learning methodology that enables the student to be involved from the beginning, and to acquire knowledge and skills by considering and resolving complex problems and situations.
Tutorship
Students are given technical support in the preparation of the final project, according to their specialisation and the subject matter of the project.
Assessment criteria
Attendance
At least 80% attendance of teaching hours is required.
Level of participation
The student's active contribution to the various activities offered by the teaching team is assessed.
Work out projects
Studies on a specific topic, by individuals or groups, in which the quality and depth of the work is assessed, among other factors.
Completion and presentation of the final project
Individual or group projects in which the contents taught in the programme are applied. The project can be based on real cases and include the identification of a problem, the design of the solution, its implementation or a business plan. The project will be presented and defended in public.
Work placements & employment service
Students can access job offers in their field of specialisation on the My_Tech_Space virtual campus. Applications made from this site will be treated confidentially. Hundreds of offers of the UPC School of Professional & Executive Development employment service appear annually. The offers range from formal contracts to work placement agreements.
Virtual campus
The students on this master's degree will have access to the My_Tech_Space virtual campus, an effective work and communication platform for students, lecturers and course directors and coordinators. My_Tech_Space allows students to find background material for their classes, to work in teams, ask their lecturers questions, consult their marks, etc.

Teaching team

Academic management
  • Alonso Alonso, Jesús
    Assistant Professor at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
Teaching staff
  • Alonso Alonso, Jesús
    Assistant Professor at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
  • Arqué Gallardo, Alejandro
    Game Designer, Square Enix.
  • Belmonte Martínez, Pablo Borja
    Founder & Creative Director, hiPolygon.
  • Boira Ricart, Oriol
    Graduate in Multimedia and post-graduate degree in Virtual Reality. More than 15 years of experience in the sector as a developer and game designer, and currently a digital product and service conceptualiser in the Catalan Corporation of Audiovisual Media. He wrote the book entitled "Vida Extra" on game design with Gina Tost.
  • Cerdà Pérez, Kevin
    A professional with more than 10 years of experience in the sector, and the co-founder of BeautiFun Games, where he worked as Game Designer and writer of Nihilumbra and Megamagic. He is currently Lead Designer and Narrative Director on projects including RiME and GYLT at Tequila Works.
  • Córdoba Schwaneberg, Frederic
    CEO & 3D Artist, Kotoc.
  • Estorach Cavaller, Vanessa
    Consultant and expert in mobile technology, leading the Mobile and Digital transformation. I have been working on the mobile industry since 2010. I was the co-founder and CMO of LetsBasket, a basketball tracking app. In 2014, I co-founded Women in Mobile (WIM), an initiative with the purpose of increasing the visibility of women in tech. In 2015, I have received the Dona TIC Award.
  • Font Moragas, David
    Composer & Programmer. Started working in GameBoy and GameBoy Advance games for US indie groups like Super Fighter Team. Composer for Yume (Freak Frog) soundtrack at Desarrollador.es nominée, composer and sound engine programmer for One Sequel (Digital Legends), Best 3D IMGA and Best Mobile Game Award at Desarrollador.es, composer for Furby Island. Best IP-based game IMGA and Best Mobile Game Award at Gamelab, sound designer and editor for Kukoo Kitchen (QuestTracers), Best Sound and Best Finish ArtFutura Awards, specialized audio analysis programmer for Dance Fabulous (Digital Legends).
  • Fuentes de los Santos, Carlos
    Computer Engineer and Master's in Videogames. He has 15 years of experience in the videogame industry, as the Gameplay Programmer at Pyro Studio and the Senior Gameplay Programmer, Lead Programmer and Engine & Animation Programmer at Digital Legends.
  • Gálvez Guerrero, Javier
    He has 8 years of experience in the sector, and has been a producer and story designer at Mango Protocol, an independent studio that has created the videogame series Psychotic Adventures (MechaNika, Agatha Knife, Colossus Down).
  • Gil Ramos, Sebastián
    Project Coordinator at Ubisoft.
  • Herrero Domingo, Raúl
    More than 20 years of experience in the videogame industry, programmer in the Commandos saga by Pyro Studios, where he led the development of this saga for consoles. Head of Projects at Arvirago, Production Director at Digital Legends Entertainment, where he worked in AAA projects, highlighting Respawnables and Afterpulse. Currently, he specializes in the analysis of video game data, he is CEO and founder of Katoid, where he has promoted and directed the "F2P Campus" accelerator of free-to-play video game companies that has some of the best international experts in this area. In the field of teaching, he teaches and lectures in various universities, congresses, training centres, etc.
  • Landa Bonilla, Unai
    A video game developer with more than 20 years of experience developing video game technology on multiple platforms (PC/Consoles/mobiles). He has been with Digital Legends, where he currently CTO, for the last 12 years. He previously worked at NoriaWorks, Pyro Studios and Trilobyte.
  • Nafria Nagore, Ramon
    Business Developer at BadLand Publishing.
  • Pereiras Bernárdez, Elías
    Freelance videogame programmer & developer.
  • Pillosu González, Ricardo Javier
    He has 15 years of experience creating professional video games at companies like Pyto Studios and Crytek. He has held technical positions such as gameplay programmer, AI and project management as the Development Manager and Development Director at Ryse: Son of Rome.
  • Rico Soto, Álvaro
    Design Director & Product Owner at Digital Legends Entertainment.
  • Ripoll Tarré, Marc
    He has more than 15 years of experience in the 3-D design sector. Founder and Lead Designer at The Game Forger S.L., a company that creates video games in virtual reality. Extensive experience as a teacher and lecturer at national and international universities.
  • Sanchez Martinez, Antonio
    Computer Engineer. Post-graduate degree in Advanced Project Management and Master¿s in Video game Design. More than 15 years of experience designing, developing and managing projects involving multimedia, gaming and video games. Founder and director of Rosebud Games since 2009. Producer of "Football Superstars" video game in Nottingham, UK from 2007 to 2009. Mention to the Best Technology in Video games at the ArtFutura Fair 2003.
  • Santamaria Pena, Ramon
    a professional with more than 15 years of experience developing video games. Software Engineer and Technical Designer at Electronic Arts i Starloop Studios. Founder of the company emegeme, where we have published several products for mobile devices, and the company raylib technologies, where we develop video game technology. Professor and coordinator of video game projects for 6 years. Creator of raylib, an open source tool for the development of video games and graphic applications.
  • Torrents Poblador, Pere
    Operations Manager at Scopely.
  • Tost Faus, Georgina
    Bachelor's degree in design, specialising in audiovisuals from ESDi Higher School of Design (URL). She is currently Director of Marketing and Operations at the video game company IGG, and a journalist specialising in technology, video games, the mobile economy and start-ups for various media outlets including TV3, Catalunya Ràdio, Onda Cero, TVE and Diari Ara. She has been a mentor in video game companies and technology start-ups, and wrote the book entitled "Vida Extra" on game design with Oriol Boira.

Associates entities

Strategic partners
  • Digital Legends Entertainment, S.L
    • Provides teachers and lecturers.
    • Offers professional internships for students on the programme.
  • The Game Forger, S.L.
    • Provides teachers and lecturers.
Collaborating partners

Career opportunities

  • Concept Artist.
  • Technical Artist.
  • Animator 3D.
  • Lead Artist.
  • Character Artist.
  • Level Designer.
  • Generalist 3D Artist.

Testimonials

Before enrolling I was an amateur videogame programmer and thanks to this master's course I was able to find a job within the sector. I wanted to shake up my professional profile and this is why I took this course. The programme was key to giving me a solid knowledge base and was very compelling for my professional future. The general view of this sector, with two points of focus for both technicians and artists, was also valuable because it gives artists the things we need to be able to discuss things in a more fluid way with the technicians and vice versa. This sector is growing quickly and needs well trained professionals.

David Teruel Gameplay Programer, Ubisoft

It is not very easy to get specialised training in the videogame industry because of the lack of centres dedicated to providing this kind of knowledge. In this Master's course at the UPC School I learned general knowledge about programming, modelling, animation and all kinds of techniques used by professionals. During this Master's course professors develop videogames in teams and this was an incredible experience. You can learn a lot, but most of all you have to emphasise the quality of the contacts that you can make: currently I am working at BeautiFUN Games, a company made up entirely of former students from this Master's course. We hope to launch our fist videogame in the winter of 2011.

Kevin Cerdà Game Designer, BeautiFUN Games

When I started this Master's course I was hoping to learn sector specific knowledge in programming and 3D art to be able to specialise and find a job in the videogame industry. The development of the training programme gives you access to three key pillars: theoretical bases and useful information about programming focused on the sector, complete 3D training to be able to competently create models and animations for videogames and the great firsthand professional experiences within the sector. Thanks to this Master's course I have launched a development company FlanGames this year (2011) .

Gabriel Callejas Game developer, FlanGames

I chose the UPC for my training in video games, as I had previously taken the bachelor's degree course in Photography and Digital Creation and the postgraduate course in Advanced Audiovisual Postproduction at the university. Halfway through the degree course, I started to become more interested in the area of digital creation, and I began to carry out projects with programmers at the FIB. That was when I began to immerse myself in the world of video games, and started taking part in Game Jams. I created my own portfolio with the games I produced, but even so, I felt I needed a qualification to end up specialising in this sector. It was at this point when I decided to do the master's degree in Animation, Digital Art and Video Games at the UPC School. Thanks to that training, I got the chance to do an internship as a QA Tester at Digital Legends, the company where I now work as an artist. Doing an internship as a QA Tester was a great experience, in which I learned a lot and it helped me to carve out a place in the industry.


Clara García   Game Artist, Digital Legends Entertainment

Testimonials<

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