Think Tank | CG & 3D Portfolio Pre-Production & Production

Next Start DateFeb 10, 2025

Overview

Program overview

Taught through Think Tank’s interactive platform, Portal, for the first 32 weeks, this program enhances your foundational skills through prerecorded tutorials, collaborative workshops, and one-on-one mentorship.

Specializing in your field of interest, you’ll create a portfolio that is catered toward a particular career, and often, a specific studio. With advice from your experienced supervisors, instructors and personal mentor, you’ll develop a wealth of industry insights and connections to prepare you for a career in Film, TV, or Games.

Along with providing you with the flexibility of remote learning, this program immerses you in a professional community built on mutual respect, artistic support, and ingenuity. At Think Tank, we strive for our students to not just observe this community, but become active players in it.

Who it's for

This program is for artists with foundational skills in CG who wish to spend the majority of their program remotely, but want to complete their portfolio in a highly collaborative, in-person setting. 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
Mudbox
Photoshop
V-Ray
Substance Designer
Substance Painter
Nuke
Marmoset
Marvelous Designer
ZBrush
R3DS Wrap
Unreal Engine
UVLayout

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 Games

Props & Environments for Film

Breakdown

Term by term

Term 1 (Online)

You’ll begin this program by diving right back into where your schooling or experience left off. You’ll learn creative techniques that enable you to produce complex and detail-oriented work at a more advanced level.

In addition to the intense course work, you’ll be required to select your specialization path from one of four primary options: Environments & Props for Film or Games, and Characters & Creatures for Film or Games. These paths will inform what will eventually become your portfolio project during the next two terms.

Courses *

/ 3D Modeling
/ Drapery
/ Hero Prop
/ Anatomy & Topology
/ Texturing
/ Look Development
/ Game Engines
/ Production Pipeline
/ Final Project

Student Art: Nicolette Batad

Term 2 (Online)

Courses in this term focus on advanced tools, workflows and techniques that will prepare you for the final stages of your specialization. Upon being connected with your personal mentor, 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 increase during this term as pre-production on your portfolio and demo reel begin while advanced courses continue.

Courses *

/ 3D Modeling
/ Hero Prop
/ Grooming
/ Anatomy & Topology
/ Texturing
/ Environments
/ Game Engines
/ Advanced Tools
/ Final Project

Student Art: Andrea Savchenko

Term 3 (Campus)

Welcome to the Think Tank Campus. 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 industry-hardened advice of your mentor, 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 *

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

Student Art: Ryley Kreye

* Specialization may affect course selection

Why Think Tank?

Personalized Fast-paced Hands-on Hybrid

Portal
Your virtual home base. Connect with classmates, your supervisor, take in live sessions, and explore the student gallery.
Weekly challenges
Each week, receive a set of challenges that reflects the problems and scenarios you'll encounter professionally.
Inspiring community
Online, you’ll be connected to a supportive community of artists and industry leaders. This only expands on campus.
Small classes
Each class features a max of 10 students. This means less theory, less waiting, more collaboration, and more feedback.
Elite access
Get the opportunity to work in Think Tank's advanced labs, and enjoy 24/7 access to all recorded live sessions.
Leave with results
Build a portfolio that showcases your area of specialization and primes you to enter the job market at an elevated level.

FAQ

Got a question?

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What is the tuition for CG + 3D Portfolio Pre-Production & Production?
Does this program require previous experience?
Do I need to submit a portfolio for this program?
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 16 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 should I have for this program?
For the first three terms we recommend using a Windows computer with a minimum 2.5ghz quad-core CPU with at least 16GB of RAM and an NVIDIA with 4GB of RAM; a headset (with microphone), webcam and broadband internet; and a creative pen tablet (ideally from the Wacom Intuos Pro line). You’ll be provided with access to all hardware upon coming to the Think Tank Campus in your final term.

Please Note: additional RAM may be required for the Intermediate Term and beyond.

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, ZWrap, Unreal Engine 5.
What kind of workload can I expect in this program?

There are over 1590 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?