Think Tank | 3D Portfolio Pre-Production & Production

Overview

Program overview

Taught in person at the Think Tank campus, this program offers small classes, hands-on workshops, and one-on-one mentorship to help advanced students elevate their skills in a portfolio-production pipeline.

Specializing in your area of interest, you’ll create a portfolio that is catered toward a particular career, and often, a specific studio. Guided by your experienced instructors and personal mentor, you’ll learn the ins-and-outs of production along with what it takes to find the best fit for you in Film, TV, or Games.

Joining us in North Vancouver means you’ll learn in the heart of the creative industry. Step into advanced labs, engage with the latest software and hardware, and connect with top studios, recruiters, and well-established artists.

Who it's for

This program is for artists with advanced skills in CG who seek a comprehensive education that places them alongside top studios and industry leaders. Students must be ready to dedicate at least 40-60 hours a week to their studies. Working while studying is not recommended.

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Software we'll provide

Mari
Maya
Photoshop
Substance Designer
Substance Painter
Nuke
Marmoset
Marvelous Designer
ZBrush
R3DS Wrap
Unreal Engine
Mudbox
UVLayout
V-Ray

You’ll choose your specialization in Term 1

While developing a broad skillset that enables you to pursue a variety of career paths, this program lets you focus on a unique specialization that will help define you as a CG Artist:

Characters & Creatures for Film

Characters & Creatures for Games

Props & Environments for Film

Props & Environments for Games

See all 12 specializations Plus sign

Breakdown

Term by term

Term 1

You’ll begin this program by diving right back into where your schooling or experience left off. With help from your Think Tank advisors, you’ll be paired with a personal mentor enabling you to produce complex and detail-oriented work in your selected specialization.

With their assistance, you’ll begin to develop a full-term final project that will serve as a high-quality asset preceding the portfolio production stage to come. Workload and expectations are intense, as pre-production on your portfolio and demo reel start alongside advanced courses.

Courses *

/ Traditional Sculpting
/ Advanced Tools
/ Production Pipeline
/ Experiential Learning Lab
/ Final Portfolio Pre-Production

Student Art: Orion Terry

Term 2

As the foundational piece of the portfolio production process, this mentor-focused term has you making definitive creative decisions on your pieces–such as finalizing shots, completing lighting, rendering, and compositing to produce what will become the final cut.

Alongside the advice of your instructors and mentors, you’ll take lessons focusing on presentation skills, portfolio packaging, career preparation and job search which will provide invaluable direction on preparing resumés and cover letters, as well as industry practices and ethics.

Courses *

/ Presentation Skills
/ Portfolio Packaging
/ Job Search
/ Production Pipeline
/ Experiential Learning Lab
/ Final Portfolio Production

Student Art: Orion Terry

* Specialization may affect course selection

Why Think Tank?

Personalized Fast-paced Hands-on In person

Industry leaders
Gain real-world insights and invaluable connections from instructors & mentors who are are themselves industry pros.
Weekly challenges
Each week, receive a set of challenges that reflects the problems and scenarios you'll encounter professionally.
Collaborative spaces
From winding down in the lounge to creating in the lab, the Think Tank campus is designed to inspire artistic collaboration.
Small classes
Each class features a max of 12 students. This means less theory, less waiting, more collaboration, and more feedback.
Real-world labs
Relevant software and state-of-the-art work stations allow you to develop your work with the same tools top studios utilize.
Leave with results
Gain the skills, confidence, connections, and portfolio required to make a statement and land that first job.

FAQ

Got a question?

Apply now

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What is the tuition for 3D Portfolio Pre-Production & Production?
Does this program require previous experience?
Do I need to submit a portfolio for this program?
Yes! Applicants must provide examples of their artwork that should include approximately5-10 original pieces related to animation, VFX and/or Computer Graphics. This collection can consist of 2D or 3D work that you’ve done in a previous course or on your own, such as:
- 3D models you created, textured, rendered or animated.
- Image manipulation using programs such as Photoshop (with ‘before’ and ‘after’ images).
- Compositing, design, or motion graphic work.
What are this program's admission requirements?
General Admission Requirements:
- Must have graduated from high school (or equivalent) or be at least 19 years of age
- Provide a valid piece of government photo identification.
- Provide the names and contact details of 2 references.
- Attend an interview (in person or virtual) with an Admissions Advisor.
Program Specific Requirements:
- Must have completed a minimum of 32 weeks of education at Think Tank or the equivalent at another recognized post-secondary institution – transcripts required.
- Or have a minimum of 6 months’ work experience in the field.
- You must submit examples of your artwork that should include a total of ten pieces of work related to animation, visual effects and/or computer graphics.
English Language Requirements:
- For applicants from countries where the primary language is something other than English, the applicant must demonstrate English proficiency.
- The preferred method to test your English proficiency is Duo Lingo—a testing platform that works globally, and has equivalencies for TOEFL. You'll meet Think Tank's admission criteria if your score is above or equal to TOEFL 65, IELTS 5.5, or Duo Lingo 90.
What hardware and software will I use in this program?
The work you do in this program requires a Windows computer with a minimum 2.5ghz 6-core CPU with 16GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GPU with 6GB of RAM. You’ll be provided with access to all hardware such as high-end Windows computers, dual monitors, keyboard, and mouse, as well as a Wacom tablet and portable backup drive (that you get to keep!)

All software tools needed for this program will be provided by Think Tank. This includes Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Substance 3D Designer, Adobe Substance 3D Painter, MAYA, Mudbox, MARI, UV Layout, V-Ray, Nuke, Marmoset, Marvelous Designer, ZBrush, Unreal Engine 5.
What kind of workload can I expect in this program?
There are over 760 instructional hours in this program. For every instructional hour, there is approximately 30 minutes of homework. Think Tank students can expect a workload between 40-60 hours per week.

Please Note: to succeed, we recommend forgoing all employment to adequately attend to the programs full-time schedule. This will prepare you for the demands of working in a fast-paced, intense, and highly rewarding industry.
When can I apply to this program?