M.A. in 3D Art for Video Games
Design and create stunning worlds and bring them to life in real-time 3D engines
Project by Javier Martínez Monzoncillo, U-tad student
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Scholarships available up to 2,500 €.
Only until the 15th of July 2025!
Description
Define and oversee the visual elements of the video game to ensure a unique aesthetic, working collaboratively in a team and following industry-standard methods.
During the Advanced Program in 3D Art for Video Games, you will be part of a multidisciplinary team made up of students from other game development disciplines at U-tad, and mentored by active professionals from the industry. You’ll learn to collaborate effectively within a professional game studio environment. Together with your team, you will create an ambitious video game that will be published and showcased in local and international competitions and festivals. You’ll work in industry-standard facilities and use professional 3D tools such as Unreal Engine.
The training emphasizes a strong command of the entire 3D production pipeline: sculpting, retopology, texturing, and baking. You’ll master and oversee the complete artistic production process of a video game, and create high-quality 3D art — visually stunning and technically optimized — from concept to implementation. You will develop a wide range of skills in areas such as research, ideation, modeling, texturing, and the use of game engines to support the creation of original, impactful characters, environments, and assets.
You will gain solid technical skills, expert software proficiency, and a highly refined artistic sense.
Career opportunities
- Art Director
- 3D Artist
- 3D Modeler
- 3D Character Artist
- 3D Environment Artist
- 3D Props Artist
- VFX Artist
- 3D Animator
- Gameplay Animator
- Technical Artist
- Game Rigger
- Lighting Artist
- Texture Artist
Vías de acceso
Perfil de entrada del alumno:
- Estudiantes o titulados universitarios, especialmente de Bellas Artes, Diseño Gráfico, Diseño de la Comunicación Visual, y otros perfiles relacionados con la creación y diseño de material gráfico.
- Profesionales del sector del videojuego que desean un mayor entendimiento del apartado gráfico y/o desean asumir un rol experto en el sector.
- Personas sin experiencia profesional en el sector del videojuego, autodidactas y hechos a sí mismos en lo que a experiencia de juegos se refiere.
Dónde trabajan nuestros alumnos
Empresas colaboradoras
Where our students work
Study Plan
- Location: U-tad Campus
- Schedule: Monday-Friday
- ECTS: 600 hours
- Language: Spanish
- Start Date: October
- Teaching Method: On Campus
| Course Name |
| ANIMATION |
| Animation |
| Rigging |
| MODELING |
| Modeling in Maya |
| Character Modeling |
| Environment Creation |
| FUNDAMENTALS |
| 2D Image |
| Concept Art |
| Art Direction |
| SPECIALIZATION |
| Interfaces |
| VFX |
| Unreal Engine |
| PROJECT |
| Master’s Thesis |
The curriculum content and faculty may be subject to change based on academic needs.
- Understand and use an efficient workflow for creating video game art within a professional environment.
- Generate high- and low-polygon 3D models.
- Create high-quality textures.
- Adapt artistic creations to a wide range of visual styles.
- Use animation or motion capture techniques to bring characters and objects to life.
- Understand the fundamentals of color, form, anatomy, sculpting, design, and composition.
- Master integration, lighting, and shading in Unreal Engine.
- Decide on the details of video game visual effects to ensure impressive productions.
- Know how to use the main tools employed in real-time production.
Faculty
Our professors come from the most important video game productions and will help you understand the daily demands of this creative profession, which is essential to video game development.
Ramón Acedo
- Director and teacher of the Master’s in Art and Visual Design for Videogames
- Art Director at Tequila Works
Student Projects and Awards
Your Project: Your Best Professional Introduction
The audiovisual entertainment industry — and especially the video game sector — demands highly skilled professionals. The best way to demonstrate that level of preparation is through a top-tier portfolio.
At U-tad, we replicate the workflows and dynamics of professional studios, so our students graduate not only with technical knowledge, but also with a strong grasp of real-world industry practices.
The Final Master’s Project is a group endeavor developed in collaboration with students from other master’s programs, forming a real, multidisciplinary game studio within the university. While you, as a student, will make the creative decisions, you’ll be supported at all times by an experienced team of active professionals from the industry.
Talent Awards
U-tad is the Spanish educational institution with the highest number of PlayStation Awards — no fewer than fifteen in the last seven years. The first to win was Rolling BOB, which earned the Innovation Award and became the first U-tad game to be published on the PS4 Store. We’re now on track to release our sixth title.
Among all these award-winning projects, the standout is the acclaimed Intruders: Hide & Seek (also available on Steam), joined by Khara, Inglorious (known as Tribute of Rage during its university development), Rascal Revolt, and Windfolk, one of the highlights of Sony’s Gamescamp 2020. All of them are available for download from the PS4 online catalog, and Rolling BOB and Intruders are also available in physical format in stores. No other university in Spain consistently delivers projects of such high caliber.
At the Titanium Awards of the BIG/Fun&Serious Festival, a leading European event in the industry, we’ve been honored seven years in a row with the award for Best University Project. Our success extends to other prestigious competitions such as Gamelab, Gamingfest, Gamepolis, IndieSummit, Game JamOn, and Indie(Mad) — where we’ve competed not only against other student projects, but also against commercial titles developed by established studios.
On the international stage, U-tad has already won four awards at SXSW, the world’s leading creative festival held in Texas — making us the only Spanish educational center to not only win, but even be nominated.
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Frequently Asked Questions about the M.A. in 3D Art for Video Games
You will learn to create all the visual content of a video game with a comprehensive and professional approach. From character and environment modeling, concept art, texturing, VFX, lighting, and animation to visual storytelling and rigging. You will master industry-standard tools within Unreal Engine 5, the leading development engine in the industry, and prepare to take on leadership roles in art teams working on real video game projects.
It is aimed at students or graduates in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Visual Communication, and related fields, as well as industry professionals looking to specialize. It is also ideal for self-taught individuals and video game enthusiasts with no prior experience but with strong artistic and visual motivation.
It has a duration of 600 hours, spread over an academic year (from October to June), in an on-site format. Classes are held Monday to Friday in the evening (6:00 PM to 10:00 PM CET), allowing students to balance it with other activities.
This master’s prepares you to work as a 3D modeler, VFX artist, animator, concept artist, texturer, technical artist, 2D content designer, or art director, among others. Our graduates are part of top-tier studios such as Rockstar North, Ubisoft, Tequila Works, Splash Damage, Mercury Steam, King, Gameloft, Saber Interactive, and Rebellion Developments.
The master’s final project consists of creating a complete video game with a high production value, developed as a team and with a professional approach. These projects have been awarded at national and international festivals such as the PlayStation Awards, Gamelab, Fun&Serious, and SXSW, establishing U-tad as a leading educational institution in the industry. This project will be your showcase to companies in the sector.
Yes, the master’s program has classes from Monday to Thursday, from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM CET, which you can adjust to fit your work schedule.
Software
