So you’re done with High School and you’re trying to make your important selection of colleges. It is indeed an important decision to make and one that can set the tone for your early career. The options are continually broadening and the offerings by universities, colleges, and art institutes are increasingly diverse.

So with all the possibilities, why choose 3D@UIW? Well, to be frank, we might not be the program for everyone. We are an aggressive program with demanding classes that aim to push our students into new areas and make their outlook broad and their skills sharp. We work very hard; but we have lots of fun while we’re doing it. We empower our students to do more, and expect empowered work.

Our professors and instructors are well trained, well qualified, and active in the industry. They are out and about within the industry continually taking the pulse of the dynamic market and investigating new options for our graduates. The work of our professors can be seen in movies and games around the world.

Have any questions? Would you like to see the campus or the facilities? Please contact us and let us know; we’d be glad to provide any info about what we do and why we do it.

What to do next?

So you’ve seen the site, reviewed the curriculum and checked out the work that 3D@UIW students do. You’re convinced that this is the place for you. What next?

1. Apply for university admissions with the Office of Admissions.
2. Upon acceptance, immediately talk with Financial Aid to find out what aid you are eligible for.
3. You will receive a letter from the School of Media & Design welcoming you to the school and providing you with contact information.
4. Download and take a look at the 4 Year Plan curriculum.
5. Contact your faculty advisor (provided in the above letter) within 3D@UIW to set up the classes you should take.
6. Meet with your 3D@UIW Advisor.

Started somewhere else? No problem. Whether you’ve finished an Associates degree through a local community college, or are coming from another school a long way away, 3D@UIW is a great place to continue your 3D training. Some of our strongest graduates have been transfer students.

Because the program here at UIW is a BFA (not a BA), it usually takes transfer students three years to complete their degree. As with any transfer process there are details to be ironed out; different programs always have slightly different focuses – but we can find a good way to transition you from the training you’ve had to the training you will receive here. Let’s meet with your reel and transcript and figure out how you fit. If you are planning to transfer into UIW, please contact us so we can arrange a portfolio review to assess where you would fit into the program.

What to do next?

So you’ve seen the site, reviewed the curriculum and checked out the work that 3D@UIW students do. You’re convinced that this is the place for you. What next?

1. Use the Contact form to send us your most recent portfolio (reel, ArtStation link, etc…).
2. We’ll let you know where you’d fit within the program, and what courses you’d need to take here to complete the BFA.
3. Apply for university admissions with the Office of Admissions.
4. Upon acceptance, immediately talk with Financial Aid to find out what aid you are eligible for.
5. You will receive a letter from the School of Media & Design welcoming you to the school and setting up a time to register.

Degree:

The 3D Animation & Game Design Department at the University of the Incarnate Word offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA).  The BFA is considered a “professional prepratory” degree, meaning that when you graduate with a BFA, you’re ready to enter to enter the workplace.

Curriculum:

Select the desired track
to view its Four-Year Plan

Animation

Modeling

Programming for Games

Production Management

Click here for a PDF version (10/2/2019) of
all four Four Year Plans in a single document.

Pre-Fall 2018 Start Date Four-Year Plan

Full Time Faculty

Kassandra Arevalo

A graduate of UIW’s BFA program in Animation, Professor Arevalo comes back after working at Immersed Games.

Jing Tian Li (李景天)

A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Professor Li is also a graduate of the prestigious China Central Academy of Fine Arts. Li leads the character modeling, design, and rigging courses.

Troy Mishler

After a most recent stop at Bluepoint Games in Austin, Professor Mishler has recently worked on projects like Shadow of the Colossus, Everquest Next, and Everquest 2. Mishler leads the Environment Arts modeling side of the program.

Matt Tovar

Joining the UIW faculty directly from Sony Interactive, Professor Tovar has worked on such blockbuster films and games as: Call of Duty: Ghosts, The Last of Us, The Amazing Spiderman, Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception, Resistance: Burning Skies, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time just to name a few. Professor Tovar is a 2008 graduate of UIW’s animation program.

Adam Watkins

Watkins has been teaching 3D animation and game design techniques for over 20 years.  He is the author of over ten books including current industry best sellers Getting Started in 3D with Maya  and Creating Games with Unity as well as over 100 articles on animation and game creation techniques.

Watkins has served as Chief Technology Officer, Creative Director or Studio Manager for a variety of studios including the Justice Media Lab and VISIBLE Studios at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is currently the owner and CCO of the 3D studios Spoon Designs, LLC and Augmented Ideas, LLC.

Watkins currently serves as the department coordinator for 3D Animation & Game Design.

Adjunct Faculty

Leo David Charikar

Freelance character sculptor. Courses taught: Organic Modeling

Carlos Lucio

Architectural visualization and graphics at Marmon Mok Architecture. Courses taught: Set & Level Design.

The 3D Animation and Game industries are highly competitive and demanding. Finding work in this environment requires a strong portfolio that can compete in a national and international arena.

• There is no Portfolio Review for incoming Freshmen. If it’s your first semester in college, we welcome everyone – regardless of your high school experience.
• Understanding this reality, the ANGD department strives to help students find if they will be successful in this major as early as possible in their academic career.
• First year at UIW = overview of all the areas of 3D Animation & Game Design.
• After first year all ANGD students are required to submit a portfolio of the work completed in the ANGD first-year core.
• Only upon passage of this Portfolio Review can students enter the Animation or Modeling concentrations and continue study within the major.
• Portfolios are reviewed at the end of the first year.
• All transfer students who wish to start in the Modeling or Animation concentration classes must submit a portfolio at the scheduled portfolio review time the SPRING semester before they plan to attend.
• Since the number of applicants will vary each year, passing grades in first-year classes will not guarantee admission to the major.
• Students who do not pass the portfolio review may resubmit a portfolio the following year. Students who plan on resubmitting a portfolio for review should retake some or all of the first-year courses to enhance their portfolio.

Please note that acceptance to the University does not guarantee admission to the 3D Animation & Game Design major.