UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE & SHORT COURSES INVOLVING 3D DESIGN

Here you will find a list of full time modelmaking courses.

Please click here for our list of short courses.

Whilst we endeavour to keep all this information up to date, it is advised that you check the establishments website for current details of each course.

If you come across any errors, please contact

FULL TIME COURSES

ARTS UNIVERSITY BOURNEMOUTH

Wallisdown
Poole
Dorset
BH12 5HH

COURSE LEADER

Paul Johnson

BA (HONS) MODELMAKING

ABOUT THE COURSE
 

This specialist, innovative course is a European leader in the field of modelmaking. It sets out to be challenging, practical and demanding but also to provide a rich, rewarding, fun and vibrant experience. You will develop technical and aesthetic abilities, experiencing a wide variety of processes and materials in carrying out a range of challenging and interesting briefs - working both physically and digitally. Creative, analytical and interpretive thinking is continually encouraged throughout the course. Design methodology and critical analysis is promoted alongside visual and aesthetic judgement. You will be encouraged to develop an independent approach to learning, designing and problem solving. The course prides itself on its learning and teaching approaches and has a strong team of ex-industry professionals which is further supplemented by visiting industrial specialists.

The course has strong links within the creative industries and graduates are in high demand. Importance is placed on the promotion of students, strengthened by links with former graduates and industry contacts. The course values work experience enormously and students are encouraged to carry this out with significant companies at home and abroad. Cultural and historical insights provide an appropriate critical basis for understanding and contextualisation. The role of modelmaking is rapidly changing and increasingly modelmakers are required to take responsibility for project management in broad areas of media production, architectural representation and exhibition design. The course reflects this change, providing graduates with the necessary skills to be able to take on the demands that contemporary industry presents.

This course is affiliated to the Bournemouth Skillset Screen & Media Academy and is endorsed by the Association of Professional Modelmakers.

 

 

UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE

Faculty of Art & Design
University of Hertfordshire
College Lane
Hatfield Herts
AL10 9AB

PROGRAMME LEADER:

Steve Sheffield

BA (HONS) MODEL DESIGN: MODEL EFFECTS
BA (HONS) MODEL DESIGN: SPECIAL EFFECTS
BA (HONS) MODEL DESIGN: CHARACTER AND CREATIVE EFFECTS

ABOUT THE COURSE
 

This is a unique course, which has a programme of three interrelated degrees enabling students to work alongside each other sharing a combined first year experience. The Model Design programme has a renowned history of producing professionally qualified graduates who make an outstanding contribution to the Creative Industries.

Students are supported by exceptional staff and use workshops equipped with cutting-edge facilities. The staff team are all leading experts in their field, with extensive industry experience and all of the visiting lecturers are professionals currently working in the Creative Industries.

All areas of professional modelling are catered for, with graduates working in such diverse fields as characters, miniatures, props and special effects on all of the Harry Potter movies; to designing, making and testing components for Red Bull Formula 1 racing cars.

Other professional career destinations include; being part of the design team at Seymour Powell, one of the world’s leading design consultancies or, leading a team of professional model makers at Foster + Partners, who are one of the top architectural practices in the world.

It’s close association with leading professionals, means that it is also an industry accredited course and was the first in its field to achieve the Creative Skillset Tick and is still the only one to have received Creative Skillset’s prestigious Tick for Special Effects.

Some of our graduates’ work for Chris Corbould, the Oscar award winning Special Effects supervisor on Batman, James Bond, Inception and many other similarly outstanding action packed movies. Most recently many of our students were able to work on Star Wars: Episode 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Tarzan, Pan, Guardians of the Galaxy, Edge of Tomorrow and Macbeth as part of their studies.

All second year students can participate in work experience modules that are substitutes for the normal programme of study. Often, students do a variety of placements both in term time and during the long summer vacation. The majority of these opportunities come from our extensive network of contacts, including those from our many successful graduates now working in senior roles across the industry.

Uniquely our students can work as a team across Character Creation and Effects, Model Effects or Special Effects to make ambitious projects that simulate working practices in the Film & TV industry but also, they can work with other students across the School of Creative Arts.

Our students often work collaboratively with students on the prestigious 3D Computer Animation and Modelling, or Visual Effects for Film and Television courses, as well as the Film and Television Production students. Recent successes include one of our students assisting with the special effects on the BBC award winning MA graduate film “She’s Mine”.

 

 

UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON

Deane Road
Bolton
BL3 5AB

PROGRAMME LEADER

Beccy Barnes

BSC & BDES (HONS) SPECIAL EFFECTS FOR FILM & TELEVISION

ABOUT THE COURSE
 

Special Effects at the University of Bolton has established itself over the last half decade as being one of the best courses in the country for practical effects. With the launch of our brilliant Special Makeup Effects (SMUFX) and Modelmaking Effects (MMFX) degrees we’ve taken the opportunity to refocus our core work into Creature and Character Effects.

Creature and character effects cover a vast range of skills and disciplines. Our focus is on the most appropriate skills for the job of creating amazing creatures. We cover concept design and sculpture to create unique and dynamic characters, with costume and mechanical elements like animatronics and puppetry to bring those creatures to life. We want to make use of the best techniques and technology available to create amazing effects, things like 3D printing and engineering. The core tenets of design, realisation and fabrication underpin the amazing and varied work we do on this course. One day you might be sculpting and mould-making, or in the workshop fabricating armatures or animatronics, then another you might be in the costume shop making creature suits or things for more human sized characters. 

There will always be overlap in skills within practical effects but this course is not a make-up one nor is it modelmaking, though often, those skills might be relevant and appropriate. Creature and character effects is about little green space wizards and werewolves, knights in armour and battle worn space suits, It’s hulking barbarians and cackling witches. It’s about taking an art based skillset and pointing it at monsters and heroes. 

 

 

CITY OF GLASGOW COLLEGE

60 North Hanover Street
Glasgow
G1 2BP

COURSE LEADER:

Simon Atkinson

HND 3D DESIGN: MODEL MAKING FOR THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

ABOUT THE COURSE

This two year course offers you a nationally recognised HND qualification in Model Making. On this course you will develop multiple skills and knowledge of materials and processes relevant to the model making industry, and its varied requirements whether for Film/TV Props, Miniatures, Prototyping, Engineering, Architectural or Exhibition Models.  

You will take projects from research to completed model stage using concepts, sketch design and macquettes, as well as presentation artwork to support your finished model. You’ll learn a variety of traditional hand skills as well as the use of industry standard technology including laser cutting and 3D printing.

As part of the course, students have had the opportunity to work with live clients throughout the UK and Europe  and have made industrial visits to London, Liverpool, Manchester and Barcelona and other centres.

Students who Successfully complete this course will be awarded an HND 3D Design/HND 3D Design: Model Making for the Creative Industries.

This course is placed on the Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework at Level 8.

 

NATIONAL CERTIFICATE MODEL MAKING FOR TV & FILM
 

ABOUT THE COURSE
 

Model Making is a growing, multi-disciplined industry with career paths leading into all areas of the creative industry, including film, television and theatre.

At NC level you are taught a wide variety of traditional hand skills, the use of materials and techniques. Teaching and learning is through a series of project based units where you develop skills in research, idea development and presentation, as well as the production of 3D models.

This course can be used as preparation for further study at HND level Model Making.

This course is placed on the Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework at Level 6.

 

 

DUN LAOGHAIRE INSTITUTE OF ART, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY (IADT)

Kill Avenue
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin

COURSE CO-ORDINATOR:

Mr Julian King

BA IN 3D DESIGN, MODEL MAKING + DIGITAL ART

With three equally valuable areas of study, on this course you will learn the techniques to ensure you thrive in the modelmaking industry and a variety of creative practices. Graduates design and create 3D and digital representations of ideas and concepts in a variety of contexts such as film, gaming, architecture, exhibitions and street theatre.

 

 

COLEG Y CYMOEDD

Nantgarw Campus
Heol y Coleg
Parc Nantgarw
Cardiff
CF15 7Q

COURSE CO-ORDINATOR:

Alistair Aston

BA (HONS) TV & FILM: PROP MAKING

Prop Making is an integral part of TV, Film, Exhibitions and Performance. Coleg y Cymoedd is situated within close proximity to Pinewood, BBC Roathlock and Dragon Studios. You will be ideally placed to develop a rewarding and challenging career in making props in a well-equipped and professional environment.

During the course you will build and develop a wide range of practical and technical understanding working with materials and processes employed within the industry, such as sculpting, casting, carpentry and metal fabrication. Practical skills will be supported by high levels of contextual and historical understanding, underpinned by research, theory and analysis. This year will develop your professional knowledge and skills preparing you for industry.

 

 

THE NORTHERN SCHOOL OF ART

Hartlepool Campus
1 Church Street
Hartlepool
TS24 7DR

COURSE LEADER

Tony Shaw

BA (Hons) VISUAL EFFECTS & MODEL MAKING

BA (Hons) Visual Effects and Model Making is predominantly aimed at the growing film and TV industry, which is hungry for the practical skills this programme will facilitate. However, the skills undergraduates explore on the programme are pertinent to a whole host of other industries, which include Animation, Architecture, Product Design, Advertising, Exhibition Design, Heritage and theme parks.

Even the glamorous Formula One racing teams employ model makers in the development and building of their cars. Also Digital Model Making or CGI software such as 3ds max is often used in Illustration and graphic design, as well as for all the other industries listed here:

• Architectural Model Making,
  
• Model Making and Design for Theatre.
  
• Film and TV prop making.
  
• Prototyping for Industrial Designers
  
• Puppet and Character development for stop frame animation
  
• Interactive Exhibition Models
  
• Animatronics and Automata for exhibition and TV
  
• Character Design
  
• Photographic props for advertising
  
• Concept models for the games industry

 

 

NORTHBROOK METROPOLITAN COLLEGE

Littlehampton Road  A259,
Worthing,
West Sussex
BN12 6NU

COURSE LEADER

Dan Jenkins

PROP MAKING & SPECIAL EFFECTS BA (HONS)

This course focuses on the design and manufacture of props for theatre, TV, film, display and entertainment industries. Current students come from a wide range of creative and academic backgrounds, but all share a joint passion for design and making. The course explores a wide range of creative techniques such as wood and metal work, sculpting, moulding and casting, decorative finishes, model making and soft props/puppetry, to create a broad creative skill set that will support your development as a prop maker.

Key features:

• Highly practical industry-focused course
• Personal studio spaces
• Machine tools, plaster room, laser cutting and 3D printing
• Opportunities to work on productions in our theatre

 

 

NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL

Beaconsfield Studios
Station Road
Beaconsfield
Bucks
HP9 1LG

COURSE CO-ORDINATOR:

John Lee

MODEL MAKING FOR ANIMATION

This unique and exciting one year full-time practical diploma course delivered in partnership with Mackinnon & Saunders and Aardman Animations will equip students with the skills and experience necessary to enhance their career in the field of professional model / prop making within Animation or other media industries.

This is the only UK based model making course located in a dedicated film studio environment.
 
Students will be creating professional models, sets, props and puppets. Successful candidates will work individually, and as part of a team within a course comprising tutorials and challenging modules, which will culminate in building models and sets on the current grad animation films.
 
Students will be encouraged to research, sample, test, and mix traditional and new techniques throughout the course and will use a vast array of materials to successfully realise the brief. This will be as “real world” as it can be.