Game Art & Design I

Overview

Game Art & Design I builds technical skills in 3D workflows. Students move from simple props to textured, game-ready assets and then into Unreal Engine for environment design. The year focuses on Blender and Unreal pipelines, preparing students to assemble complete, interactive scenes.

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Looking for lessons and assignments? See the Modules Page.

Recap — What You Should Know

Before starting this course, you should already be comfortable with:

  • Industry Roles & Pipelines — careers in games, animation, and design; how roles fit into production.
  • Digital Literacy — file management, backups, naming conventions, and managing software (Blender, Krita).
  • Visual Storytelling — genres, player agency, composition, and concept sketching.
  • 3D Basics — Blender navigation, creating/exporting a simple prop, comparing 2D and 3D workflows.
  • Collaboration & Critique — working in teams, presenting works-in-progress, applying feedback.
  • Professional Practices — starter portfolio, resume basics, freelance vs studio career awareness.

If any of these areas feel shaky, review your Intro to Media Careers notes or revisit key modules before moving forward.

What We Cover

Step 1 — Blender Fundamentals & Basic Props

Learn Blender navigation and modeling tools by creating simple props (crates, barrels, furniture).
Focus on clean meshes and simple materials.

Step 2 — Intermediate Prop Modeling & UV Mapping

Build more complex props and game-ready assets.
Practice UV unwrapping and prepare models for texturing.

Step 3 — Texturing, Lighting & Export Pipeline

Create textures and bake normal/AO maps.
Set up lighting for renders and learn how to export assets for Unreal.

Step 4 — Unreal Engine Setup & Asset Import

Open Unreal Engine, set up projects, and import Blender models.
Learn to organize scenes and build basic materials.

Step 5 — Environment Design & Level Assembly

Block out simple spaces, place props, and sculpt landscapes.
Add foliage and adjust lighting to set mood.

Step 6 — Final Environment Project

Design and light a small themed environment using your hero prop.
Add basic Blueprint interactivity, record a walkthrough, and publish portfolio renders.