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Animation & 3D Pathway
The Animation & 3D pathway immerses students in character animation, 3D modeling, and motion graphics, equipping them with the essential skills for careers in film, gaming, virtual reality, and interactive media. Through a hands-on, project-based curriculum, students learn how to bring characters to life, create immersive environments, and design motion graphics that captivate audiences. With a focus on technical precision and creative innovation, this pathway prepares students for exciting opportunities in animation studios, game development, digital media, and beyond.
This pathway consists of four specialized courses, each designed to build technical expertise and design skills:
Adobe Visual Design I – Focuses on foundational design principles and certifies students in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
3D Modeling & Animation I – Introduces fundamentals of 3D modeling, texturing, and animation using industry-standard software to create basic 3D assets and animations while learning key principles of motion and design.
3D Modeling & Animation II – Expands on advanced rigging, lighting, and animation techniques for more complex 3D projects to develop professional-quality character animations and interactive environments.
CTE Advanced Studies – A capstone course directly aligned with the Academy's internship program, providing real-world experience in a professional design setting.
Taught by Mr. Busch and Mr. Fullenkamp, this pathway offers hands-on projects, industry-recognized certifications, and an internship opportunity, ensuring students graduate with the skills needed for careers in character animation, 3D modeling, motion graphics, and digital media.
Adobe Visual Design I
Explore graphic design, digital illustration, and photography using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop in this dynamic course. Skip the lectures and dive into hands-on projects, earning badges through Adobe Professional certifications that highlight your design skills. Beyond basic button-clicking, you'll master design principles, refine problem-solving, and collaborate on designs with fellow creatives. Take the first step towards a career where your design passion evolves into expertise. This course is aligned to the Adobe Certified Associate Photoshop and Adobe Certified Associate Illustrator certification.
What do students say about the course?
“I like this class a lot, it helps us with illustrator, along with other editing softwares, and I will definitely use the tools I've learned how to use in the future.”
“In this class, I really appreciate the structured and thought out assignments, interactive class activities, and lively atmosphere. I'm learning a lot of helpful tools that add to my capability to be flexible and knowledgeable.”
“I think this class provides really universal skills that can be applied to multiple fields, especially as our world becomes more and more technologically advanced.”
“I think this class is very fun and peaceful, and I like how the assignments you can do on your own time. Another thing is that it takes time to learn and memorize all of the keys, it takes tons of practice but is worth it in the end!”
3D Modeling & Animation I
3D Modeling and Animation I is an introductory level course focusing on the concepts and tools used by digital artists in a wide variety of creative careers including graphic design, film, and game design. Students work with professional-grade creative software packages to develop 2D and 3D digital graphics and audio/video media. Students use Adobe CC Suite, and digital 3D Modeling with 3DS Max to build needed skills for subsequent courses.
What do students say about the course?
"3D Modeling and Animation was such a fun and interesting class to take, I learned so much about the software and techniques used in professional animation and my teacher was always there to help! We had a lot of creative freedom within our modeling projects and animating projects, but there was always helpful resources provided. I feel like this class got me so far ahead of the game and really well prepared for college and career."
"3D Modeling and Animation is a fun and intuitive class. I learned all kinds of things I never thought I'd able to do in 3D studio max. 3D studio max knowledge is a great resource to have because it's still used a lot. The only downside is you don't get much creative freedom in this class because you are learning the fundamentals, it's more structured compared to the higher level 3D Modeling classes."
3D Modeling & Animation II
3D Modeling and Animation II emphasizes the use of industry-standard digital technology and media to help students develop the artistic and technical skills necessary to plan, analyze, and create visual solutions to contemporary communication media. Students engage in digital art activities using professional-grade creative software packages to develop complex 2D and 3D digital graphics and audio/video media. Students apply Adobe CC Suite and 3DS Max skills working with cameras, more advanced animation techniques, lighting, and mapping, adding some of the Adobe skills learned in DDA 1, to create a video tutorial to share with other classes.
Photos Coming Soon!
What do students say about the course?
"This class expands on the principles that I learned in 3D Modeling I by more in depth into various systems in 3DS Max. This gave me much more creative freedom with my projects and allowed for them to be much more advanced. It also allowed me to get certified for 3DS Max, which will help me prepare for my future. I really enjoyed this class and would definitely recommend it to anyone taking 3D Modeling I."
CTE Advanced Studies
The Advanced Studies course augments the content of previous courses and prepare students for success in transitioning to postsecondary education and future careers. Students work under the guidance of a teacher with expertise in the content of previous courses in collaboration with community members, business representatives, and other school-based personnel. The four parts of the course include writing a research paper, producing a product, developing a portfolio, and delivering a presentation. Students apply 21st-century skills to solve real-world challenges, showcasing their creativity, collaboration, and technical expertise. Competitive events, community service, and leadership activities provide the opportunity to apply essential standards and workplace readiness skills through authentic experiences.
Photos Coming Soon!
What do students say about the course?
"Advanced Studies provided me with great insight into how design could be used in a professional career setting. The internship opportunities it provided were very beneficial in determining what career path I wanted to pursure and the way the class meshes with ACD is very beneficial to anyone pursuing the arts. I would recommend Advanced Studies for any seniors who are passionate about design."
"Advanced Studies really helped me coalesce all the experience and design mastery I had learned over the years into one curriculm record that displayed my best works. I'm super glad I finished the Academy with such a mastery course, and the student led presentation at the end of year was super useful for my upcoming college portfolio!"
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