

DAVE School students will learn to execute pre-production, production, and post-production in real-time and convergence techniques, immersive VR, and more.

The three-month studio residency held on campus brings everything together with the development of two entire projects, managed as a VFX studio environment. Facial rigging and animation, body mechanics, and camera and digital scene creation are taught using Maya, Unreal Engine, and After Effects. Next, students will discover the art of motion and learn how to rig mechanical assets and characters for lifelike movement, followed by motion capture of real subjects translated into 3D avatars.

The VFX course begins with a comprehensive introduction to the principles of hard surface modeling (vehicles, buildings, armor, etc.), then moves to the art and science of texturing, lighting, and “look development.” DAVE School students will then explore organic modeling and digital sculpting in ZBrush and create creatures, people, and animals. Students get to refine their skills in an immersive combination of project-based workflows and applied studio skills, preparing them for their advancement into the VFX workplace. Its uniquely flexible, hybrid format combines nine months of live, online classes with three months of in- person learning here at our Orlando, Florida campus. Our Visual Effects Production program spans 12-months and offers scheduled starts each Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The DAVE School VFX Diploma teaches specifically for this exciting world. Most VFX work comes to fruition in sophisticated, highly collaborative post-production studios all around the world. Often, VFX means having to remove elements from an already-filmed scene, whether it’s an unwanted passer-by, the cables supporting a stunt person, or an entire city skyline. Events that are too dangerous to film, such as particle- based effects like smoke, water, and oceans, or worlds and environments come to life through Visual Effects. Visual Effects (VFX) describes almost everything that’s added into a movie or TV show after the filming is complete - the explosions, the falling helicopters, or the transformation from 21st century New York into 1920’s New York.
