Essential Courses to Kickstart Your Art & Game Dev Journey

Breaking into the world of art and game development can feel overwhelming – there are countless tools, skills, and workflows to explore. It's important to start with the right foundation, so we've prepared a list of courses that can help aspiring artists and developers take their first steps with confidence. Whether you're looking to learn Blender, experiment with Houdini, or build fundamental art and CG skills, these beginner-friendly programs could be a great starting point.

Introduction to Houdini – UTS Animal Logic Academy

UTS offers intensive workshops designed for beginners eager to explore industry-standard tools. Their one-day "Introduction to Houdini" course, taught by experienced FX Lead at the Animal Logic Academy, Raphaël Gadot, introduces Digital Artists to SideFX's Houdini.

Duration: 1 day

Price: $495 AUD (approximately $320 USD)

3D Blender Program – Todak Academy

You will gain hands-on experience with the entire 3D workflow, including modeling, animation, texturing, rigging, lighting, and rendering. The training is led by industry professionals from the game, film, and television sectors, ensuring you learn the most up-to-date methods and techniques. In the final term, you will apply these skills, guided by direction and feedback from your instructors, to produce a polished demo reel that will help you secure a job.

Duration: 3 days

Price: RM 500 (approximately $120 USD)

Absolute Beginners – CGMA

Intro to Houdini for 3D Artists - TECHART WORLDS

Designed for 3D artists and beginners interested in technical art, this course introduces Houdini fundamentals while focusing on creating portfolio-ready assets. It also includes personalized feedback to help students refine their work.

Students will learn how to become Houdini Technical Artists by creating a Neo-Classical Building Generator using SideFX's cutting-edge software. With expert guidance, they will build a strong foundation in Houdini and develop the skills to generate stunning results.

Duration: 9 weeks

Price: 595€ (approximately $690 USD)

CG Fundamentals – Think Tank Training Centre

This program includes beginner courses in 3D modelling for aspiring CG artists looking to break into the industry. Taught through Think Tank's interactive platform, Portal, this program combines prerecorded tutorials, collaborative workshops, and personalized instruction to teach students the basic technical and conceptual skills necessary to develop a finished asset.

By the end of CG Fundamentals, you'll be equipped with the skills and credentials to pursue Think Tank’s more advanced programs that begin in the Intermediate term, such as CG Asset Portfolio Production and Pre-Production (Online).

Duration: 16 weeks

Price: $4250 CAD (approximately $3085 USD)

Houdini Fundamentals – EFXCO ACADEMY

This five-day program dives into procedural modeling, animation, and VFX using Houdini. It's a project-based workshop, helping learners quickly get comfortable with industry workflows.

Duration: 5 days

Price: contact the team via email

Blender Basics Mini Course – Worldbuiders Workshop

This course will take you through the very basics of Blender. From understanding UI, how to model simple objects, texture and lighting. You will create a scene from scratch as you learn the software to create a final scene. Students will get a lifetime access to the course, community support from fellow learners, structured learning path. 

Duration: 4.5+ hours of narrated content

Price: $49.99 (use the code 80LV10 to get a 10% discount)

You may find more courses by visiting our Workshops page and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.