Please see the section on Course Description Symbols and Terms in the University Catalog for an explanation of course description terminology and symbols, the course numbering system, and course credit units. All courses are lecture and discussion and employ letter grading unless otherwise stated. Some prerequisites may be waived with faculty permission. Many syllabi are available on the Chico Web.

Computer Animation and Game Development Course Offerings

SUBJ NUM	Title	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
CAGD 110	Computer-Assisted Art I	3.0	FS	GE
This course provides an introduction to computer graphics and art. Students use the computer as a tool for creating static and animated images. Basic instruction in design and color relationships is provided. The writing component may include research reports from current graphics publications and/or attendance and discussion of art exhibitions. 1 hour discussion, 4 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (002287)
CAGD 112	Digital Photography	3.0	FS
An introduction to digital photography that explores the composition and aesthetics of photography. Emphasis is on concepts and techniques of image manipulation software. The course addresses printing and displaying photographic portfolios. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. (015869)
CAGD 117	Concept Design and Storyboarding	3.0	SP
An in-depth look into the pre-production process as it directly pertains to storyboard creation, character development and design, pre-visualization techniques, and principles of concept design. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. (015870)
CAGD 170	Video Game Design	3.0	FA
An introduction course to video game design, studying the art, technology, and science involved in the creation and development of video games. The course covers video game history, game theory, design of computer-based games, delivery systems, development cycle, case studies, ethical and social issues, and emerging technologies and trends. This course emphasizes the understanding and the interdisciplinary nature of video game design. This is not a computer programming course. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. (020239)
CAGD 180	Scripting and Programming for Computer Graphics	3.0	FA
This course introduces application scripting and programming to visual artists using scripting and programming environments embedded in applications and integrated graphical development environments. Fundamental scripting techniques for computer modeling, animation, video game and other visual media will be explored. Elementary application programs will be designed, implemented and tested. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. (020648)
CAGD 189	Industry Internship	1.0 -3.0	FS
You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020125)
CAGD 198	Special Topics	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Department permission. This course is for special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. Typically the topic is offered on a one-time-only basis and may vary from term to term and be different for different sections. See the Class Schedule for the specific topic being offered. (020130)
CAGD 199	Special Problems	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020133)
CAGD 230	Digital Modeling	3.0	FA
Prerequisite: APCG 110. The course explores the basic concepts, principles, practices, tools and techniques of digital modeling, and production pipeline used primarily in CGI, games, and simulations. Topics include creating modifying, texturing, lighting, and rendering basic architectural and prop objects. Projects are designed to guide students through the process of designing digital objects and understanding how objects are imported and used in CGI, games, and simulations. Students produce digital models that demonstrate these concepts, principles, workflow, and technique. 2 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. (021443)
CAGD 240	Digital Animation	3.0	FA
Prerequisites: APCG 110. The course explores the basic principles and techniques of motion such as in-betweening, timing, squash and stretch, and more. Students produce animated works that demonstrate these principles and techniques and that effectively communicate with the audience. 1 hour lecture, 4 hours activity. (020240)
CAGD 270	Level Design	3.0	SP
Prerequisite: APCG 170. This project-oriented course introduces the concepts and tools used in creating levels for games. Fundamental architectural theory, critical path, flow, pacing, dilemmas, balancing, difficulty level, playtesting, and storytelling relating to level design are studied. Existing game levels are studied and analyzed; original game levels are created using industry toolsets to meet game design objectives. Understanding how level design fits into the production pipeline and how to work in collaborative environments. 2 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. (021350)
CAGD 289	Industry Internship	1.0 -3.0	FS
You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020126)
CAGD 298	Special Topics	1.0 -3.0	FS
(020131)
CAGD 299	Special Problems	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020134)
CAGD 330	3-D Computer Modeling	3.0	SP
Prerequisites: APCG 110. This course uses 3-D modeling and animation software in developing 3-D computer models and creating presentations of those models in story-telling still scenes. The tools, techniques, and topics studied include basic and advanced 3-D modeling tools, 3-D scene layout, lighting, texturing, and rendering. 1 hour discussion, 4 hours activity. (002317)
CAGD 331	3-D Character Modeling	3.0	FA
Prerequisites: APCG 330. A study of the necessary principles and techniques of creating digital 3-D characters. Students learn the necessary skills for modeling characters, creating effective anatomy, and rigging characters for animation purposes. 1 hour lecture, 4 hours activity. (020241)
CAGD 340	Computer Animation	3.0	SP
Prerequisites: APCG 240. The concepts of computer imaging and animation are taught in this project-based course. Focus is on the principles of animation and how they apply to current computer animation techniques. This course emphasizes both creative and technical skills. 1 hour discussion, 4 hours activity. (002366)
CAGD 345	Advanced Animation Pre-Production and Story Development	3.0	FS	GW
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 or JOUR 130 (or equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, APCG 117. Concentration on story development as it directly relates to Computer Animation. Students write a treatment, script, and storyboard for an animation project. Emphasis is placed on understanding the story structure, writing interesting dialogue and developing an in-depth storyboard. The course gives students a practical approach to creating the pre-production component of an animated "short." 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course; a grade of C- or higher certifies writing proficiency for majors. (015871)
CAGD 360	Web Page Design	3.0	FA
This course focuses on the study of design and implementation issues for Web page creation and maintenance from the perspective of programming and writing code. Topics include page purpose, content, audience, navigation, speed, style, maintenance issues, mark-up language tags, style sheets, dynamic mark-up language, and scripting. Students are required to work collaboratively to produce functional sites and make verbal presentations. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. (002322)
CAGD 370	Video Game Development	3.0	SP
Prerequisites: APCG 170. The course covers the principles of game design, gaming strategies, game production, and marketing. Students learn to function as a productive member of an interdisciplinary game design team to plan, document, and develop a video game concept. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. (020242)
CAGD 377	Mobile Game Development	3.0	FA
Prerequisite: APCG 370. The course investigates the evolution of mobile gaming and the challenges for developing mobile games such as game design, art, programming, distribution, marketing, and monetization are examined. The phases in mobile game development and various roles in a development project are explored. Existing and planned mobile games are analyzed. The process of planning, designing, implementing, and producing mobile games on various architectures are also investigated. Throughout the course, game concepts and proposals are created for analysis with promising proposals moving on to planning, design, implementation, and development. 2 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. (021444)
CAGD 389	Industry Internship	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. This internship is offered for 1.0-3.0 units. Students must register directly with a supervising faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020127)
CAGD 398	Special Topics	1.0 -3.0	FS
This course is for special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. Typically the topic is offered on a one-time-only basis and may vary from term to term and be different for different sections. See the Class Schedule for the specific topic being offered. 3 hours lecture. (015892)
CAGD 399	Special Problems	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. This course is an independent study offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020135)
CAGD 420	Digital Lighting and Texturing	3.0	FA
Prerequisite: APCG 330. This course explores the techniques used for simulating realistic lighting and texturing in 2D and 3D environments and develops student skills in accurate image creation. 2 hours lecture, 2 hours activity. (020243)
CAGD 432	3-D Character Rigging	3.0	SP
Prerequisite: APCG 331. This course explains the technical skills and challenges of rigging for 3-D animation. Students develop key technical skills for 3-D character setup including how to build, rig, skin, pose, and test 3-D models for animation. Students explore the process of creating joints, assembling skeletons, fine-tuning rigs for realistic motion, rigging bodies and faces, and techniques for binding surfaces to skeletal rigs for animation. 2 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. (021225)
CAGD 441	3-D Character Animation	3.0	FA
Prerequisites: APCG 340. This course covers the study of motion, timing and acting as they apply to animated characters. Emphasis is on the performance of the character and how it reads to the audience. Techniques and methods for facial expressing, lip-synching, and staging are explored. 1 hour lecture, 4 hours activity. (020245)
CAGD 445	Advanced Animation Production	3.0	FA
Prerequisites: APCG 340, APCG 345. The computer animation production process is taught in this class. Working from a script, storyboard, and/or animatic, students complete an "animated short" with accompanying sound, music, and visual effects. Emphasis is on working as a member of a computer animation team, similar to a real-world production facility. 3 hours discussion. (002367)
CAGD 470	Video Game Production	3.0	FA
Prerequisites: APCG 370. Using the principles of game design, students work in collaborative teams to design, implement, test, and produce a computer game. Marketing strategies are also explored. 1 hour lecture, 4 hours activity. (020246)
CAGD 489	Industry Internship	1.0 -3.0	FS
You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020128)
CAGD 491	Portfolio	1.0	FS
Prerequisites: APCG 340. This course is an exploration of design and implementation of portfolios germane to the computer graphics field. 1 hour lecture. (020247)
CAGD 493	Senior Portfolio	3.0	FS
Prerequisite: Senior standing in APCG. This course affords senior level students the opportunity to develop work for a professional-quality portfolio through directed senior-level projects demonstrating their creativity, and acquired aesthetic and technical skills in their area of study. Projects are selected by negotiation starting with a specific written proposal and plan. The course utilizes the process of preparing and deploying a professional portfolio to incorporate these new works and refined selections of prior works. The course also addresses self-promotional strategies and successful work practices of industry professionals. Students are required to formally present the portfolio. Class time will be a mix of lecture, discussion, presentation, critique, meetings, and activities. 3 hours discussion. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. (021424)
CAGD 495	Advanced Production	3.0	FS
This course is designed to give hands-on experience to students in Applied Computer Graphics or related majors. Students work as collaborators on large-scale, professional productions relevant to their field of study. Content of this course is subject to change each semester. 1 hour discussion, 4 hours activity. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 12.0 units. (020563)
CAGD 498	Special Topics	1.0 -3.0	FS
This course is for special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. Typically the topic is offered on a one-time-only basis and may vary from term to term and be different for different sections. See the Class Schedule for the specific topic being offered. 3 hours lecture. (015891)
CAGD 499	Special Problems	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. This course is an independent study offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020136)
CAGD 499H	Honors Project	3.0	FS
Prerequisite: Junior standing, top 5% of major. An enrolled student must be sponsored by a full-time faculty member in Applied Computer Graphics. Independent study resulting in a piece of scholarly or creative work involving substantial research to be completed and publicly presented. Must receive a grade of B or higher. This course must be taken during two consectuvie semesters in order to complete the 6-unit Honors project. This course is not available to graduate students. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. (020643)
CAGD 545	Advanced Animation Post-Production	3.0	SP
Prerequisites: APCG 445. This course focuses on the completion of animation projects in the post-production environment, including editing, music, sound effects, and other post-production elements to successfully complete professional-level short animations. Emphasis is on working as a member of a computer animation team, similar to a real-world production facility. 3 hours discussion. (020248)
CAGD 589	Industry Internship	1.0 -3.0	FS
You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020129)
CAGD 598	Special Topics	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Department permission. This course is for special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. Typically the topic is offered on a one-time-only basis and may vary from term to term and be different for different sections. See the Class Schedule for the specific topic being offered. (020132)
CAGD 599	Special Problems	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020137)
CAGD 697	Independent Study	1.0 -6.0	FS
You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 10.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020138)
CAGD 698	Graduate Seminar in Computer Graphics	3.0	INQ
3 hours seminar. (020402)