COURSE CATALOG

Intro to Python

Ages 12 and up

This popular course is an excellent introduction to programming for students. Python is an excellent first programming language because students can quickly learn how to think like a programmer. Python is easily readable – students won’t need to memorize the complex syntax that other programming languages require. Instead, students will be able to focus on learning programming concepts and paradigms. This course incorporates fun, visual features to teach Python. While learning to code in Python, students will be able to observe their code in illustrative patterns and designs. This is a fun way to integrate art/design, computer science, and geometry all tied into one course! For more advanced students, this course will also allow them to delve deeper into Python programming, and learn to program simple, textual and graphical based computer games.

Machine-Learning/AI is the newest most exciting sub-field of computer science that is used today to recommend movies and music based on previous selections, to allow a Tesla to self-drive and steer you home autonomously, and to allow an iRobot vacuum cleaner to self-map your home for future precise cleaning. This Introduction to Python for Machine-Learning/AI week-long course prepares high school students to learn the Python programming language from scratch, but also includes an overview of data science and machine-learning/AI using Python. Moreover, learners are given a range of simple to increasingly difficult programming projects in class through an introduction of a range of open-source Python tools, modules, and libraries used in data analysis and machine-learning. This course culminates in a fun and challenging project to build a classification machine-learning model to analyze movie reviews.

Machine-Learning/AI with Python is the second course of a two weeks series that introduces high school students to machine-learning programming with Python. This course assumes students have a solid grasp of intermediate-to-advanced Python, as dataset analysis and machine-learning projects are introduced in the first two days.  As all machine-learning models must be trained, trimmed, and corrected using clean and complete datasets, so this course begins with an introduction to data science, data classification, data analytics, and dataset compilation. A series of machine-learning/AI algorithms and techniques such as Random Forest, SVM, SVP, Naïve Bayes, nearest neighbor variants, and TensorFlow will be presented through discussions and projects. Moreover, a description and related projects will be assigned using a series of related open-source modules and libraries, such as Scikit-learn, NumPy, Matplotlib, Pandas, Pygame, Keras, NLTK, BeautifulSoup, and VADER. This course culminates in a capstone  project to build and customize a neural-network machine-learning powered arcade space shooter. The prerequisite for this class is MGTA’s Introduction to Python for Machine-Learning/AI.  Instructor permission is required if students have not taken this course, but have taken other Python courses.

This course will provide students with a basic understanding of the Java programming process. Object-oriented programming concepts, simple tutorials, and game building examples will be used to learn the Java language and syntax. This course will cover programming basics, input, output, data structures, methods, file io, class hierarchies, and object oriented programming. A few other topics will be covered as well, chosen based on the student’s engagement and understanding of the core material. In this student-driven programming experience, students will work in small teams closely guided by our instructors, to tackle fun and engaging coding challenges, suited to their learning pace and prior experience.

This course utilizes the C# programming language within the Unity game engine to help students learn game programming. Students will initiate the development of a variety of games by writing C# scripts to enable desired game features, object and character behaviors, and game mechanics. Students will then use a collection of custom tutorials to expand on and publish one of their games. Taking the Game Design with Unity and C# course after this course is encouraged but not required.

This course utilizes the Unity game engine to help students learn game design and development. Students will build 2D and 3D worlds and utilize C# scripts to create desired game mechanics. Students will learn more in depth in their chosen specialization (art, animation, programming, audio production, etc.) before joining a team where they will put those skills to use.  Teams will create a game using a collection of custom tutorials provided with each of the base game templates provided. Students will publish their games, use collaboration software, and have the option to continue working with their development team after the course is complete.

Taking the Game Programming with Unity and C# course prior to this course is encouraged, especially for students who might want to take on the role of Game Programmer in their development team.

This course utilizes Unreal Engine 4 to help you learn game design and development. You will learn various aspects of game design using Unreal Engine through its built-in tools for creating materials, landscapes, lighting, post-processing, physics and their node-based programming system Blueprint. Using these and other tools, you will develop game prototypes, create game mechanics, and learn about animation and cinematics. You will learn how to package your games for distribution and will have the skills necessary to build and share your games.

This class allows students to create their own characters and worlds and bring them to life! Students will receive general and intermediary digital painting lessons using Photoshop and Wacom Digital drawing tablets. Lessons include texturing, landscaping, shading and coloring techniques, and anatomy.

Students will then learn digital art Photoshop studio tricks and techniques that can be used in game design, auto-cad, architecture, and sciences and medicine visualization. By the end of the week, students will become efficient in creating quality works of digital art, skills applicable across many disciplines and professions.

3D modeling and animation allows aspiring young artists to create characters and bring them to life in video games. All of the great 3D game characters you know and love are made with the process we learn in this 2 week course. You’ll start your journey by learning the fundamentals of creating 3D props and characters. You’ll also be introduced to texturing basics, UVing, rigging, and the principles of animation. Every great character needs a game. You’ll learn how to integrate your art into the Unity 3D game engine and hookup some basic gameplay. This course is a prerequisite for Art, Modeling, & Animation Track Week 2.

Example talks and experiences: Life as Game Artist, Careers in the Serious Game Industry, The Digital Art and Animator Entrepreneur, The Management of a Game Art Team, Inside the Mind of an Art Director.

In part 2 of this course, you’ll build on your knowledge of the tools and techniques used in making 3D game art. You’ll refine your competency in texturing, modeling, and building game-ready and optimized 3D and textured objects. You’ll model an organic character and use more sophisticated rigging and technical preparation. You will need a working knowledge of animation techniques, Unity 3D, and 3D Max for this course, if you do not attend the prior week’s session.

In this class, students will learn the basics of Blender, a free and open source 3D software used by both beginners and experts in the 3D animation/modeling industry. During this week, students will be learning the process involved with creating a simple 3D character in Blender. The students will model, rig and animate their character and render out a video of their animation.

In this class, students will learn how to bring computer and video game characters to life using 3D Animation using Blender, a free and open-source software. 3D animation is the art of taking 3D models and giving them motion. Students will start the course by learning the basics of Blender, which will include object creation, basic modeling, navigation, lighting and rendering.

Once students are familiar with Blender, we will move to 3D animation. Students will be given pre-made, rigged 3D models and learn how to apply the principles of 3D animation to breathe life into the characters. The principles we will be learning include squash and stretch, anticipation, exaggeration and timing. Students will animate characters such as a little red astronaut, a cute little duck and a noble fantasy knight. Using animation, students will learn how to make their characters walk, run, attack and express themselves.

Note: This class is an animation class and while we do go over 3D modeling, the focus of the class is animation. This class is a good complement to the MGTA Art and Animation for 3D Games and Intro to 3D Modeling courses. This course has no prerequisites and is intended for beginners.