# Animation and Gaming (Certificate of Achievement (C))

Santa Barbara City College · 2026-2027 Catalog · Department: Multimedia Arts and Technologies (MAT)

Source: https://catalog.sbcc.edu/academic-departments/multimedia-arts-technologies/animation-gaming-certificate-achievement/

### Overview

The Animation & Gaming curriculum develops students’ aesthetic and technical competence by providing training with professional software in production processes. The program builds a foundation in 2D and 3D Animation, production pipeline and game development for entertainment, serious games and simulations. Our courses give students a core background in visual arts and screen design, also providing technical skills in media development, production and distribution.

The program prepares students for employment at entry-level positions in game development firms or for transfer to media, animation and gaming programs at 4-year institutions. The program provides a technical overview of the processes in the field that will prepare students for entry jobs as a tester, production assistant, content developer, character animator, 3D modeler, graphic artist or interactive web programmer in the gaming industry.

### Requirements

**Certificate of Achievement Requirements**

Complete all Major Requirements for the Certificate of Achievement with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or better.  Candidates for a Certificate of Achievement are required to complete at least 20% of the major requirements through SBCC.

| Course | Title | Units |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Major Requirements** | |  |
| **Required Core** | |  |
| MAT 103 | Introduction to Multimedia | 3 |
| MAT 111A | Photoshop for Media Production | 1 |
| MAT 112 | Digital Drawing | 3 |
| or MAT 134A | Classical Animation I |  |
| MAT 116 | Interactive Design I | 3 |
| MAT 131 | Digital Imaging I | 3 |
| MAT 136 | Introduction to 3D Animation | 3 |
| MAT 137 | Visual Effects for Film, Television and Gaming | 3 |
| or MAT 118 | 2-D Animation techniques |  |
| MAT 138 | 3-D Character Animation | 3 |
| MAT 141 | 3-D Modeling | 3 |
| MAT 145 | Video Game Design | 3 |
| MAT 167 | 3-D Environments Design | 3 |
| MAT 205 | Portfolio Development | 3 |
| **Total Units** | | **34.00** |

**Recommended Courses**

| Course | Title | Units |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ART 140 | Studio Art Foundations (2-D) | 3 |
| ART 141 | Studio Art Foundations 3D | 3 |
| FP 181 | Production Sound for Film and Television | 3 |
| MAT 121 | Computer Interface Design | 3 |
| MAT 134B | Classical Animation II | 3 |

### Learning Outcomes

-   Develop digital drawing skills using bitmap and vector drawing tools to create story-boards, character sheets, animation poses and turnaround studies.
-   Use Timing, Staging and other principles of Animation to create short stories and work with 2D animation techniques and output the animation to video.
-   Create complex 3D models, apply complex color and textures to them according to design and story.
-   Create a digital lighting system and render Photo-realistic images in 2D using Mental Ray.
-   Set up a skeleton for a 3D model and animate a character according to a storyboard.
-   Animate the character according to the dialog in the story.
-   Analyze story, design and game play of released games in the market or their own projects, and identify problems and successes in those areas.
-   Create game assets optimized for game engine use.
-   Work with a Game Engine to create basic game-play for a game prototype.

### Recommended Sequence

Make an appointment with your SBCC academic counselor through Starfish to create a Student Education Plan that reflects a recommended course sequence for this program that is tailored to your individual needs.

How to schedule an Academic Counseling appointment.