Good university In UK / Need Info!

#41

Hi Daniel,

I’ve studied at Teesside for one year and I can tell you that the course is pretty good for someone who has never done anything in 3D. Most of all, the facilities are awesome -maybe the best I’ve seen anywhere. The university also holds the Animex festival, a great opportunity to meet professionals coming from some of the best studios all over the world.

I’ve been at Hertfordshire as well during an open-day and their local festival. The campus seems very nice as well as courses and tutors. A real strength is the proximity to London and all the consequent benefits.

Last but not least, I’d have a serious look at online resources such as Digital Tutors, CGWorkshop and Escape Studios [to mention but a few], you could find anything you need just there without the need of further explanations.

Anyway, I’d say that it is not the course that makes the real difference, but yourself. Lots of people that go at uni don’t know what they’re going to do or are not passionate enough in my opinion. Make your homework and be 101% sure of what you want to be, it can save you lots of time! Good luck.

#42

Thank you!

#43

If you’re still considering Bournemouth, I might have some insight. I just finished first year on the Computer Visualisation and Animation course. The lecturers are mostly very qualified, talented people, many of them with ongoing work in the industry on the side. One gains a lot from other students, especially the exceptional ones who go out of their way to learn stuff not on the course.

Regarding software packages, we mostly use Maya here. All the computers are on Linux, so we have to make do with GIMP instead of PS. Nuke, Mudbox and Houdini are also used, particularly after the first year. We learn Python (for Maya) and C++, which is a real boon when it comes to getting employed, and speeding up or improving the workflow. Maths and Life Drawing are taught well, and feel very relevant to the majority of 3D career paths. The library also has books and DVDs on many aspects of 3D if you want to study in your spare time, some more useful than others. It feels to me like many people prefer to do the minimum possible to scrape passing the course, which is not an ideal way to go about things in my view. The majority on this forum are dozens of times more dedicated to their art than most students I know.

I haven’t a clue about the Portuguese grading system, but the entry requirements to the course are really not that high. I would learn some 3D basics beforehand, as well as practising drawing/ painting and putting together a small but decent physical art (i.e. on paper) portfolio. You can’t expect to be taught every detail of a software package by the lecturers - I found my few years experience in 3Ds Max very useful when it came to learning Maya, while newcomers to 3D packages were often confused, with their grades suffering as a result of the learning curve.

Overall, if I was basing the value for money on the hours in Lectures and tutorials (and this goes for any university probably), I would say it is faster and cheaper to teach yourself. Degrees are not that valuable nowadays, so what does that leave us with? The experience of working with other people, teaching them and getting contacts with the industry are I would say the most valuable parts of the university experience (from a career point of view). It is an enjoyable experience of course. If you can get those three benefits elsewhere, like a job, I would probably recommend forgoing the degree.

Good luck with your decision, and in your future career!

#44

Thank you! Next summer I will visit UK and every University, I hope I can get a feeling of each one and ask more detailed questions there.

Thanks for the clarification of the software package. But only one question, Why in the world are they teaching c++? I mean they could teach Max script or AE/Nuke Expressions… Is c++ taught in that specific degree or is there another degree more of vfx? Thanks!

#45

I think C++ is taught (in Computer Visualisation and Animation - there is a similar course, Computer Animation Arts without much of the programming/ maths, and focussing more on cinematography, compositing and actual animation) so that we can develop tools to make art, or programs/ games. I guess the object-oriented programming principles are useful when scripting as well.

One part of the course is more baffling for a VFX artist, that of the fundamentals of computer architecture - being able to build a computer out of boolean logic gates, timers etc, up to higher level structures like registers, memory and graphics chipsets. But I have found both elements useful when, for example using Cg to develop shaders for a real-time engine. I guess the CVA course is more geared towards technical artists/ TDs. Students’ programming projects often include writing particle systems, fluid dynamics systems, that kind of thing. You can often choose which directions you want to go in at Bournemouth, which can only be a good thing!

#46

Thanks! That was really helpful! I’m not so much of a scripting guy, but more of a visual… so yeah… I would go with “Computer Animation Arts” as you say it’s less programming/math. Thanks again for explaining! I really do not see myself in a programming class right now… and in c++, that’s one hard language x) I prefer keeping with software made already and try to create a good product out of it. But I do take my hat off to those guys who make the software and plugins.

#47

Yeah the Bournemouth computer visualization and animation course is probably by far the best CG course in the UK, the computer science aspect is there but it makes you more employable which is part of why its so respected.

I disagree with it being easy to get into though, when I applied its was 40 applicants for each place and they ask for A,A,B in good subjects.

You don’t need a visa or anything like that for working in the UK if your from the EU

The cost of living in London is extremely high so its not a great place to be a student, a room would be like £500 a month minimum.

I would judge the standard of a university by its teachers and the former students work, no student work on their site = alarm bell.

A lot of them name drop and talk about great facilities I would not listen to that personally, let the work do the talking, if the student work from the previous years is looking lame, can be sure the course is not up to scratch. Be careful because there are a LOT of bad 3D courses in the UK and very few good ones. Can count them on one hand, education here is quite a big business so you get a lot of sham courses.

There is less of that money grab mentality in mainland Europe, many have a lot of integrity and really care about the students performance as opposed to the numbers.

#48

Awesome! Bournemouth looks great! How is the place? And what is it like to live there? Criminality? How are the people?

#49

Can you give me a link to a Bournemouth student’s reel please, I’m looking up on youtube and it’s not very impressive, actually pretty bad comparing to other unis. But I’m certainly doing a bad search. Thanks!

#50

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=BACVA+&oq=BACVA+&gs_l=youtube.3...6680.6680.0.6847.1.1.0.0.0.0.85.85.1.1.0...0.0...1ac.rjMTlNAmEeE

Should give you an idea of some people on that course’s work. I don’t know how much value to give to students’ showreels really, if they are perfect, it doesn’t necessarily correlate to the uni doing a good job, or vice versa.

Crime is not something I’m aware of much! Bournemouth as a town is really nice, great night life and leisure activities with the beach! The lecturers are all pleasant, but some will go further to help than others. Occasionally a module has a lot lacking ahem cinematography. One very helpful aspect of the course for me (in first year) was the Peer Assisted Learning - 2 hours a week of talking through problems, being shown inspiration etc, with a group of diligent, paid second years. In my experience, it’s probably a majority of non-English students, so you’d fit right in.

#51

Ohh… it’s fine… It’s just that I looked up some reels of other unis like this one (in the US). And maybe my expectations were higher… But after all you will go there to learn… xD so yeah… it doesn’t matter that much.

Bournemouth looks really great, It’s in my list now, next year I will visit it to see how everything is!!

Thanks.

#52

For something shorter than a BA or MA, I found Escape Studios to be great if you are looking for VFX work (not so much modeling)

#53

Yeah… I know about Escape Studios :slight_smile: Thanks anyway.

#54

This is the main site for their CG stuff, its actually the National Center for it

http://ncca.bournemouth.ac.uk/

This is the youtube channel showing their work, it goes back to 1999, that’s a really long time for a computer graphics course, some great stuff on there

http://www.youtube.com/user/NCCAAnimation#p/

As for Bournemouth as a town, its very safe and friendly, the town is mainly comprised of lots of students and old people living out their retirement. Its got some of the best beeches in the UK, is about 90 mins from London on the train, close to Brighton, very nice location, MUCH cheaper than london. I go there to swim on hot summer days, i currently live in the big smoke :slight_smile:

#55

Hahaha… It looks like a great uni!! I don’t have much interest in the beach because I grew up in Portugal and we have beaches everywhere. And it must be kinda cold in UK beaches comparing to ours. But anyway, I do not plan to live there! I want to live in London :slight_smile:

Thanks for the info… Loved some of the work they’ve done!!

#56

British beeches are the best in the world, will put hairs on your chest :smiley:

But yeah london is a great city, there is so much to do, good luck with your studies :slight_smile:

#57

Haha… thanks!

#58

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