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The Digital Animation and Visual Effects program is an accelerated, full-time program taught by industry-veteran instructors on the same state-of-the-art technology used by major film and game studios. Completion of this certificate program will prepare students for entry into the digital media industry with a professional demo reel showcasing their skills in animation and visual effects. Our students find career paths in digital content for film, television, video games, and more!
The Digital Animation and Visual Effects program is a one-year (or one-and-a-half-year) intensive course split into two terms, 2D and 3D. As our students progress through the D-AVE program, they master the software and techniques used in the digital media industry. Through their work in the program, students will build an impressive portfolio of work to showcase their skills to prospective employers.
There are two annual enrollment periods in August and January. Classes are held on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and night classes are from 6:00 – 10:00 PM CST. To learn more about enrolling into our program, taking a tour of our facility, and the interview process, please fill out the contact form below.
The faculty at DMI is comprised of industry professionals who have years of experience in the fields of game development, visual effects, digital compositing, and digital marketing (depending on their expertise). DMI prides itself on our excellent and highly experienced staff, with whom students work closely with during their program.
Digital Animation & VFX online is the same high-quality and intensive 1030-hour program we offer on-site at DMI, but in the convenience of your home!
The online version of the Digital Animation and VFX program is designed for working adults. Classes are 5-hours a day and synchronous with real-time, 2-way video between instructor and teaching assistant.
Day Classes: Students attending Digital Animation & VFX online for the day section attend classes synchronously with the in-person students from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (CST).
Night Classes: Students attending Digital Animation & VFX online for the night section attend classes from 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM (CST), and the night section runs for a year and a half.
DMI's Animation, Visual Effects and Interactive Content online certificate program is the same intensive 1030 hour program taught on-campus, but fully online. AVEI is for students interested in digital content for film, television, and more. This program is designed for student with a rigorous work-ethic and discipline to master these skills off-campus. It is a fast-paced one-year, full-time program that will teaches students to create advanced digital media content, including 3D and 2D graphics. Industry veteran instructors teach 3D modeling, texturing, animation, motion capture, digital cinema technology, virtual reality and augmented reality content, digital compositing, and editing on the same state-of-the-art technology used in major studios.
AVEI - ONLINE students attend classes and labs five hours/day, five days/week from 9AM - 3PM (CST) synced with the on-campus classroom. Daily classes are live with real-time, 2-way video between instructor and teaching assistant. Classes meet everyday and students are responsible for attending. AVEI - ONLINE students additionally must participate in required online forums, as well as participate in progress checks and assessment work, which will not add significant workload if online students are on pace.
Students pursuing the AVEI - ONLINE program should have a suitable work environment that's quiet and distraction-free. The workspace should also include access to high-speed internet and reliable bandwidth. Our staff is available to help you see if this program format is right for you. This program currently runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The program includes 1,030 hours of instruction, and attendance is mandatory. Students who complete the program will take a demo reel and their group projects with them upon graduation to showcase their work for prospective employers.
Enrolled students will receive all needed technology for the program through DMI so that they may take part in the class live stream and use the same software tools as the on-campus class.
AVEI - ONLINE students will receive a laptop, external monitor and software access, but DMI can also provide a keyboard, mouse or tablet if needed.
If you want to enter the animation or visual effects industry, attending the Digital Media Institute’s D-AVE program is the quickest and most efficient method. Students who enroll in this program are not required to take an extensive general education curriculum and can quickly learn the skills they will need to land a job in the industry.
The visual effects software most commonly used in Hollywood are Nuke, MAYA, and Adobe After Effects, which are all taught at the Digital Media Institute.
Some of the first digital effects used in a film were used in the 1982 film Tron, although such technology wasn’t used widespread until the early 1990s.
AVEI – ONLINE has two scheduling options: AVEI – ONLINE DAY class is a 12 month program held virtually and synced with the in-person class.
AVEI – ONLINE NIGHT class is held 5:30PM to 9:00PM, Monday through Wednesday. Lab work is also required to be completed each week.
This class option will be fully virtual with no students meeting in-person. Attendance is essential to course completion. Throughout the course, students will produce an individual demo reel representing their skills in various VFX tasks. Group projects will also showcase their skills for prospective employers. Virtual students will have various progress assessments throughout the course. It is divided into 2 terms, 2D Components and 3D Components. Attendance is essential to course completion. Throughout the course, students an individual demo reel representing their skills in various VFX tasks. Group projects will also showcase their skills for prospective employers.
3D modelers create the geometric structure of what we see on screen. The modeler creates organic characters and inorganic environments for video games, VR, AR and movies as well as images and modeling for websites, still CGI rendering, animation, film effects, simulations, broadcast design, special effects, characters and props for film, and television effects. These multi-talented professionals also create images/models for geologists, architects, scientists, engineers, healthcare agencies, and more.
3D animators are responsible for creating movement in film, television, and game development. Animators bring life to characters and help tell stories through traditional key frame methods, and employ advanced methods including motion capture and simulation.
Interactive Content designers will often work closely with other members of a team to create content for video games for computers and video game consoles. With emergent interactive fields like Virtual reality and Augmented reality, the demand for content designers is growing.
3D modelers create the geometric structure of what we see on screen. The modeler creates organic characters and inorganic environments for video games, VR, AR and movies as well as The CG Generalist has all the basic skills to complete a content driven project, from 3D modeling, texturing, animation to lighting, shading and rendering through finial compositing.
3D animators are responsible for creating movement in film, television, and game development. Animators bring life to characteThe Motion Graphics Designer combines both 2D and 3D skills along with a strong motion design sensibility to create successful branding for a client.
Interactive Content designers will often work closely with other members of a team to create content for video games for computers aThe Compositor brings it all together; combining, integrating and retouching motion images for a variety of media. Some compositors focus their talents in film, television and streaming content enhancing or adding in CGI visual effects. Others specialize in rotoscoping, 2d/3D tracking for broad content areas including Stereoscopic conversion.
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