The module is assessed through two complementary components that together evaluate stylised sculpting skill, pipeline awareness, professional communication and personal development.

Assessment Component 1: Stylised Game Asset Portfolio 40%

You will produce a set of stylised sculpted game assets designed for use within a shared game environment. Work should demonstrate strong stylised visual language, prioritising clear forms, readable silhouettes and appealing proportions rather than realistic anatomical accuracy.

Assets must be prepared to a standard appropriate for real-time use and aligned with the shared studio art direction. You will evidence understanding of a simplified game asset pipeline through visual outputs (e.g. high/low meshes, wireframes, UVs, bake previews), rather than extended documentation.

The portfolio should showcase your ability to:

* Apply stylised visual principles to game asset design
* Block out, refine and simplify form through digital sculpting
* Produce stylised assets suitable for real-time use
* Demonstrate awareness of a simplified asset pipeline through visual evidence
* Prepare assets with appropriate consideration for topology, UVs, baking and optimisation
* Align work with a shared art direction

This submission is supported by a short reflective rationale, focused on explaining creative choices and stylistic decisions, not documenting process step-by-step. This assessment allows you to resolve asset production early and apply learning from feedback in later work.

The reflection should briefly address:

* Key stylisation and design decisions
* How reference and visual style informed form and proportion
* Considerations made to ensure assets were suitable for collaborative use

This reflection is intentionally short and decision-focused, reflecting how artists justify work rather than document it.

Assessment Component 2: Stylised Character Studio Presentation 60%

You will produce a stylised character and present their work through a studio-style character review presentation. This presentation functions as a live artbook / sketchbook, where you visually communicate your ideas, development and technical understanding rather than submitting written documentation.

During the presentation, you will explain:

* The creative intent and stylised design of their character
* Key sculpting and pipeline decisions
* How they developed new skills or workflows during the module
* How feedback informed iteration and problem-solving
* How the character is prepared for use within a shared game environment

This assessment emphasises professional communication, ownership of learning and adaptability, mirroring how artists present work in studio reviews, critiques and interviews.

Assessment Component 2 Assesses your ability to:

* Communicate creative intent and stylised design decisions clearly
* Demonstrate understanding of sculpting and character pipeline concepts through practical work
* Evidence responsibility for learning new tools, workflows or techniques
* Respond to feedback and adapt approaches appropriately
* Articulate readiness of assets for collaborative production
* Demonstrate professional behaviours, confidence and studio awareness

This module introduces you to the principles of stylised digital sculpting and game asset production through a studio-simulated, collaborative project. You will develop a stylised character and a set of game assets intended for use within a shared game world, gaining experience of professional asset pipelines, visual consistency and production readiness.

Through guided workshops, studio sessions and independent practice, students explore how shape language, proportion and stylisation communicate personality, intent and readability in games. The module emphasises individual creative ownership within a shared production context, reflecting industry-standard approaches to character and asset development.

You will engage with the following indicative content:

* Principles of stylised visual language, including shape language, silhouette, proportion, surface treatment and consistency with a shared art direction
* Blockout and refinement workflows for stylised sculpting, focusing on volume, exaggeration, visual hierarchy and controlled detail
* Use of industry-relevant digital sculpting tools to create stylised characters and game assets
* High-poly to low-poly asset workflows, including retopology principles and preparation of simplified, game-ready meshes
* UV layout, baking and introductory texturing techniques to support real-time use
* Awareness of a simplified character and asset pipeline, including optimisation considerations and production constraints
* Preparing and presenting stylised assets for integration within a shared game environment
* Studio-style reviews, feedback engagement and concise reflection on creative decisions, professional behaviours and personal development

1. Investigate and apply principles of stylised visual language through analysis of reference and visual styles, informing the creation of clear, readable forms, silhouettes and proportions for characters and game assets.

Programme Learning Outcome: Research skills

2. Apply appropriate digital sculpting and modelling techniques to produce stylised game assets and a character using industry-relevant DCC tools, suitable for use within a shared game environment.

Programme Learning Outcome: Application & problem-solving Digital literacy

3. Demonstrate understanding of a simplified game asset and character pipeline by preparing stylised assets for real-time use, including consideration of topology, UV layout, baking and optimisation requirements.

Programme Learning Outcome: Knowledge & understanding

4. Communicate creative and technical decisions through studio-style presentation of stylised character and asset work, demonstrating engagement with feedback, responsibility for learning new workflows, and reflection on personal and professional development.

Programme Learning Outcome: Communication, Personal Development & Entrepreneurship

The module is delivered as a studio-simulated environment, with students working individually within a shared production pipeline, mirroring collaborative worldbuilding practices used in professional game studios.

You will be expected to engage in a structured blend of scheduled teaching and independent study.

Scheduled sessions will typically include lectures introducing core concepts, alongside workshops where students apply techniques, participate in guided discussions, and undertake problem-solving and peer-learning activities.

Lecture sessions focus on theory, methodology and good practice, while workshop and development sessions provide individual guidance, practical demonstrations and support in applying artistic and technical principles.

Independent study will involve recommended reading, research tasks, and ongoing development of project work supported by digital resources and forum feedback.

Teaching activities are designed to mirror professional art-department feedback loops, enabling you to experience iterative development and critique similar to industry practice.

Software & Tools

* Digital Sculpting Tools (e.g. ZBrush or Blender)
* 3D DCC tools (e.g. 3ds Max or Blender)
* 3D Material Creation Tools (e.g 3D Coat or Substance Painter)
* Unreal Engine
* Digital Painting Software
* Wacom Tablets
* Version control
* Video editing software
* Digital Academy Forum
* Digital Academy Upload System
* Data Projection Resource

3DTotal Publishing (2020). Fundamentals of Character Design.
3DTotal Publishing (2018). Creating Stylized Characters.
Spencer, S. (2011). Digital Clay: Character Creation with ZBrush.
Spencer, S. (2010). Digital Sculpting Human Anatomy (for simplified form references).
Williams, A. (2008). Force: Character Design from Life Drawing.
Gurney, J. (2010). Color and Light, Andrews McMeel Publishing
Penninck, G & Butler, S (2025) Mastering Technical Art in Unreal Engine: World Building, CRC Press

In this studio-based module, you’ll work as a character and asset artist within a collaborative production team, creating stylised characters and game assets designed for use in a shared, playable game world.

The focus is on strong visual language, clear shapes, bold silhouettes and appealing proportions (rather than realistic anatomy), reflecting the stylised approaches used in many modern games.

You’ll sculpt a stylised character and a set of game-ready assets, developing them through a simplified production pipeline that mirrors professional studio practice. Alongside hands-on sculpting, you’ll learn how assets are prepared for real-time use, considering topology, baking and optimisation so your work can be shared and integrated by others.

Studio-style reviews, feedback sessions and collaborative working help you build confidence talking about your work, responding to critique and contributing effectively within a team. By the end of the module, you’ll have portfolio-ready characters and assets that feed directly into a larger playable environment, giving you a clear sense of how stylised sculpting fits into real-world game development pipelines.