and have joined an elite group of 100 universities worldwide to officially become an ‘Unreal’ academic partner.
This follows recognition of the successful integration of ‘Unreal Engine’ into the .
Unreal Engine is the Epic Games software package that supports game design, virtual production, animation, and visual effects. Epic is responsible for games such as Fortnite and behind the visual effects work on TV shows such as the Mandalorian and Loki on Disney+.
For almost 10 years, have partnered to deliver courses in visual effects and entertainment design in Adelaide and online, instructed by Flinders lecturers and world-class teachers who are professional practitioners who have worked with some of the globe’s top entertainment providers.
The progressive course produces students who have regularly won international accolades for their outstanding work and gone on to contribute their exceptional skills at organisations like Warner Brothers and Technicolor.
CDW Studios last year established itself as a leader in integrating Unreal Engine into its production work and was awarded an Epic Games Mega Grant in 2020 to produce an animated series using Unreal Engine.
Flinders and CDW Studios have ambitious plans to add more courses to the Unreal partnership next year, with the development of a Bachelor of Creative Arts in Games Production, a relaunch of Masters programs on Visual Effects, and the development of the Bachelor of Creative Industries course in Digital Media all planned for 2022.
Michael Edmonds, Senior Program Lead for Epic Games Education Learning, says: “The Unreal Academic Partner Program recognises exemplary universities that have already integrated Unreal Engine into their classes and labs.
South Australia seems to be a hotbed for games and virtual production instruction, he says, with “three out of the four institutions awarded this status in the whole of Australia in Adelaide”.
Jason Bevan, Senior Lecturer in Visual Effects and Entertainment Design, says embedding Unreal engine into the Flinders-CDW Studios BCA VEED adds to the instruction at CDW for concept art, animation, and 3D modelling.
“As well, Flinders University is a leader in South Australia for motion capture and virtual production, supported by the largest facility of its kind in South Australia , where Unreal Engine is the method of production.”
“This is an ‘epic’ time for Flinders and CDW Studios,” he says.
Meanwhile, Flinders University graduate Bonnie Grant, who now works at Adelaide-based ModelFarm, a 3D architectural visualisation company, says she used Unreal Engine in her Honours year-final film project, part of which is featured in the clip below.
“The first piece (above) is a sci-fi hanger, I was responsible for all aspects, from modelling and texturing to rendering,” she says.
“Unreal Marketplace assets were also used in a motion caption piece we did for the Australian Dance Theatre, in which I was responsible for motion capture and cleanup of the data.
“In my Honours project, I was responsible for the animation on the player character as well as all the blueprints scripting and assembling the level and setting up the non-player character AI. The assets that were used were sourced from the Unreal Marketplace.”
