CSG/ART 4283 Game Asset 3D Modeling and Animation | Fall 2025

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🌟Course Description: CSG/ART 4283 Game Asset 3D Modeling and Animation

Introduction to 3D modeling creation and basic animation focusing on the best practices for games and film production. Students will apply foundational principles of design and animation, employing interdisciplinary knowledge from the creative arts and beyond to develop innovative solutions to visual challenges. Through hands-on experience, students will develop professional techniques for creating 3D computer models, texture, materials, mapping, shader development, and Level of Detail (LOD) modeling.

Prerequisite: None 

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🎯️ Course Goals (Objectives)

1. Analyze a complex computing problem and apply principles of computing and other relevant disciplines to identify solutions.
   1. Apply interdisciplinary knowledge to assess both the technical and artistic aspects of a creative project and inform innovative computing solutions.
   2. Analyze how historical and cultural factors influence digital media works
   3. Evaluate the evolution of stylistic trends in technology and design.
   4. Analyze current methodologies in creative digital industries
   5. Explain the world coordinate system, scale, and core 3D terminology.
   6. Differentiate between low-poly and high-poly models, analyzing tradeoffs in performance and visual fidelity.
   7. Evaluate how modularity and poly-count impact optimization in interactive applications.
2. Design, implement, and evaluate a computing-based solution to meet a given set of computing requirements in the context of the program’s discipline.
   1. Produce creative works informed by the critical questions, texts, media, forms, practices, or systems of knowledge relevant to the creative arts.
   2. Demonstrate proficiency in animation principles and technologies.
   3. Apply conceptual and technical skills to create and refine creative work.
   4. Plan, execute, and evaluate a final project, demonstrating proficiency and reflecting on creative decisions.
   5. Evaluate best practices for developing dynamic, interactive 3D environments in game design, simulation, and animation.
   6. Navigate the Blender interface and set up a scene with proper scale and orientation.
   7. Apply box modeling techniques and modifiers to construct base geometry.
   8. Create modular assets that can be reused across environments.
   9. Design seamless textures using UV unwrapping, textile density, trim sheets, and normal maps.
   10. Implement Levels of Detail (LOD) for a complex object and manipulate breakpoints to control rendering transitions.
   11. Apply FBX export settings to ensure correct scale, orientation, and inclusion of necessary data.
3. Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles.
   1. Create and maintain a portfolio that demonstrates principles, techniques, and skills applicable to the industry
   2. Recognize the role and skills of a 3D modeler within a Game Production
   3. Identify ethical considerations in sourcing and using textures, models, and assets (e.g., copyright, licensing).
   4. Discuss copyrights and AI ethical issues regarding digital art
4. Apply game design principles and technical skills to create interactive digital experiences that are functional, engaging, and optimized, demonstrating proficiency in design, production, and execution across media such as games, simulations, and XR.
   1. Demonstrate technical proficiency in visual organization and 3D design composition.
   2. Apply principles of color theory in models, materials, textures, and scenes to enhance visual storytelling
   3. Analyze visual elements to identify details, patterns, and relationships
   4. Demonstrate technical proficiency and apply tools to meet standards
   5. Critique and evaluate design solutions through discussions and reviews.
   6. Recognize and apply fundamental design elements (e.g. principles, game development, animation).
   7. Acquire fluency in major discourses (e.g. game design, animation, 3D modeling).
   8. Create optimized 3D models and textures suitable for games, simulations, or XR applications.
   9. Demonstrate principles of animation by producing keyframe, one-shot, and loop animations for 3D assets.

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Course Requirements

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❗Syllabus Disclaimer: As with most technology courses this course is in a state of constant update in order to keep up with the ever-changing technology and advancements in the field. This syllabus is not a contract, but a plan for action. The instructor reserves the right to alter its stipulations, upon prior notification to students, if and when educational and technological circumstances warrant changes.

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⚡Additional Resources

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🔗This syllabus is located online at: https://sites.utulsa.edu/csg/csg-courses/csg-art-4283-game-asset-3d-modeling-and-animation/