Computer Graphics World

EDUCATIONAL SPECIAL

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Education Supplement of fl ight. “We got a lot of feedback on how well the animators learned from that process and how it really helped the actual nature of the animation,” Currey admits. Artistic Development According to Sony Pictures Imageworks, one of the best ways to establish new industry standards of excellence is through developing and nurturing a well-educated and competitive group of artists capable of creating world-class imagery and animation. To that end, the studio launched the in-house Imageworks Technical Training and Artist Development pro- gram, a dedicated training center integrated directly with production. Instructors in the program train new hires, con- duct continuing education courses on various phases of pro- duction, teach usage of third-party and proprietary software and techniques, provide career development and career-path opportunities, and off er special events and screenings. The Imageworks Training Program, under the guidance of executive director Sande Scoredos, provides more than 30 Software Skills Just as innovative production studios are investing in their artists, technology companies are dedicated to the continued education and training of their customers. Companies such as Adobe and Autodesk, for example, are concerned with helping educate not only students, but also instructors tasked with molding and shaping artistic minds. “In an increasingly competitive world, students and instruc- tors need to be more than familiar users of digital communi- cations technology to be successful,” says an Adobe offi cial. In response, the company launched the Adobe Certifi cation program to enable students and instructors to validate their digital media skills. Educators and students can be certifi ed for entry-level skills as an Adobe Certifi ed Associate (ACA) and professional-level skills as an Adobe Certifi ed Expert (ACE). Autodesk Professional Excellence Program (APEX) off ers software training, professional development, and accredita- tion to educators involved in games, broadcast/television, fi lm, and design visualization. APEX enables virtually anyone who teaches Autodesk Media & Entertainment software or creative fi nishing systems at academic institutions or Authorized Training Center sites around the world to en- hance their product expertise, instructional skills, and industry knowledge. Educators in APEX can achieve Autodesk Certifi ed Instructor (ACI) or Autodesk Approved Instructor (AAI) status; or participants can attain Master Trainer status as an Autodesk Certifi cation Evaluator (ACE), who can coach, mentor, and evaluate candidates who pursue the Autodesk ACI program. As part of APEX, Autodesk also provides community re- At DreamWorks, the staff ers can attend weekly artistic development classes to improve their current skills or help them develop additional ones. courses on such topics as life drawing, sculpting, and acting. Specialized task-oriented classes are also off ered on rotoscop- ing, matchmoving, animation, particle eff ects, compositing, color and lighting, and other production methods. The Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) program, meanwhile, is designed to build stronger relationships with established academic curriculums and to nurture and grow future generations of digital talent by working directly with academic faculty, explains an Imageworks representative. IPAX is focused on educating and exposing IPAX member schools’ faculty to real-time production issues, and helping them de- velop standards for training future digital artists. Imageworks executives provide the faculty of IPAX mem- ber schools with the opportunity to attend in-house training programs and experience a real-world production environ- ment, so they can bring the resulting skills and production knowledge into the classroom. The program is also intended to review curriculums annually to ensure that the latest devel- opments in technology and techniques being used through- out the visual eff ects and CG animation industry are being taught. 16 • Education Supplement • July 2010 sources for networking, learning, and sharing knowledge within the Professional Instructor Community, a portal for educators to network, exchange knowledge, and share best practices for teaching Autodesk Media & Entertainment soft- ware products. The company’s Train-The-Trainer courses also deliver industry-oriented learning opportunities for profes- sional educators. “Education and training are particularly important for Au- todesk,” says Jennifer Goldfi nch, marketing manager for Au- todesk Education at the Media & Entertainment division. “More than two million students are trained on Autodesk software each year, and we partake in a variety of educational activities.” Online Resources A wealth of software companies are taking advantage of the Web to deliver training, tips and techniques, and product in- formation to their user communities; and, today’s artists are quick to take in virtually everything available. The Autodesk Education Community boasts more than one million members worldwide. It provides free software licenses to students and teachers, as well as curriculum re- sources, such as Industry Careers Framework (ICF), a tertiary curriculum solution created by leading industry profession- als and infl uential academics in the global arts and animation community, reveals Goldfi nch. Autodesk’s The AREA is an online resource for anyone inter-

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