CGI and Visual Effects with Digital Arts Foundation Year

This is a thriving sector in the UK, and Solent’s CGI and Visual Effects degree can take you in so many directions, from explosive film VFX to 3D character design, from architectural visualisation to motion graphics, from virtual production to motion capture.

You'll study a balanced blend of technical and creative elements aligned to current professional demands, while fostering a proactive attitude toward self-learning, problem solving, and critical creative awareness to help you thrive in an ever-evolving industry. Throughout your studies, you'll receive support to develop your own creative or technical practice within a specialist area and will be connected with industry for informed learning, constructive feedback, and valuable networking opportunities.

You will grow from a strong foundation of skills taught during your first year to become a fully industry-ready practitioner in the direction of your choosing upon graduation. Our top-quality teaching, as well as our small course size, means you will be individually guided towards you ultimate career.

You'll have access to industry standard software, equipment and pipelines throughout your studies, enabling you to choose the most appropriate applications for different subjects and ensuring you have the tools for whatever career you have in mind. Facilities on the course are extensive, with a full LED virtual production stage, photogrammetry body scanner, motion capture, green screens, LIDAR, drone scanning, 3D printing, and all the expected VFX equipment such as 360° cameras, chrome balls and Macbeth charts. Additionally, you can collaborate with film students to access top industry cameras like the Arri Alexas or Blackmagic URSA Minis.

We support you to build an industry network during your degree to help you find that first entry-level position through networking and dissemination of your work, hearing from guest speakers at our weekly forums, attending annual events such as CGFX, Industry Week, and our Graduate Show, as well as studio trips.

Our annual guest speaker event, CGFX, draws in some of the industry's top experts, allowing students to network and ask questions during the Q&A. Previous companies that have attended the event include Rockstar, Aardman, Framestore, Airship Interactive, MPC, Jellyfish, Ubisoft and many more.

If you’re looking to study our CGI and visual effects degree but don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience, the digital arts foundation year will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress. Find out more about the digital arts foundation year.

This course also offers the option of a placement year. A placement year allows you to put what you've learned in your first and second years into practice in the workplace, gaining valuable real-world work experience before you graduate. Our course and placements teams will help you find the perfect industry placement in your chosen field.

Foundation Year
Core Modules

Creative Industries Launchpad
Creative Exploration
Creative Digital Art Software
Creative Showcase

YEAR 1
CORE MODULES

VFX Toolkit
3D Art 101
Architectural Visualisation
Behind the Plates

YEAR TWO
CORE MODULES

VFX Live Brief
Virtual Production
Making Things Move

OPTIONAL MODULES
Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.

Thinking Procedurally
Capture Technologies
Creature and Character

FINAL YEAR
CORE MODULES

Destruction FX
Project Sprints
Final Major Project

OPTIONAL MODULES
Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.

Capture Technologies
Thinking Procedurally
The Creature Shop
Creature and Character

There are no exams on this course, however you may be assessed at the end of each block by:
Portfolios
Video submissions
Assignments
Sketchbooks
Individual presentations