Digital Design and Graphic Arts
Do you have a dream of running your own business and would like to be able to create your own designs for advertising & marketing? Would you like to know how to create graphics such as logos, business cards, flyers, banners, and package labels? Are you interested in photography or just love to dabble with filter effects? Cape Coral High School isn’t just an IB school; it’s a digital design center. Students enrolled at Cape High have access to the technology-intensive courses that allow them to work hands-on with the same cutting-edge technology and software as today’s premiere design professionals.
This academy prepares graphic design students for a successful career in both design and production through an emphasis on developing the student's capacity for critical thinking, and stimulating imagination and innovation.
The critical skills of perception, interpretation, and inventiveness are fostered as well as an understanding of digital design business practices. Industry standard software applications are used while solving design problems, planning, and executing solutions.
Many of the courses at Cape High require students to work with products from Adobe. Adobe staples such as Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro are used extensively by digital design and graphic arts students.
Student computer stations have the complete Adobe Master Collection installed to give students the best possible access to these applications.
Video Game Design and 3D Animation
Are you interested in how video games are made? Would you like to know how visual effects in movies and 3D animations are brought to life? Want to create 3D objects for 3D printing? If you are creative, detail-oriented, and enjoy using the latest technology, a career in the 3D industry is within reach. Opportunities for aspiring game developers are diverse and can include computer programmers, 3D modelers, animators, concept artists, level designers, texture artists and many more. Using a hands-on approach, you will receive an intensive, in-depth exposure to the core of 3D design, game mechanics, story and plot development, 3Dmesh data and content creation using the same software tools the pros use, 3ds Max & Maya.
The video game industry is a multi-billion dollar global industry and game designers are routinely in demand. Students who study video game design and 3D animation at Cape High have the opportunity to pursue a variety of computer-based design courses using industry-leading software. With programs like Adobe Animate, Autodesk’s 3ds Max, Maya, Mudbox, and Unity, Cape High students work hands-on with the same revolutionary software as today’s design professionals, which gives them a significant advantage at the postsecondary level.
Students are introduced to the fundamental principles of 3D animation and game design development. This program is a four-year sequence of project-based courses oriented to game and simulation development that align relevant academic, employment, and workforce standards.
The content includes practical experiences in game and simulation conceptualization, design, storyboarding, development, methodologies, audio and sound effects design and production, video and special effects design and production, and implementation issues.
The main areas of focus within the art of video game design are: concept artists, 2D and 3D animators, and 2D texture artists. For gaming development, students can eventually enjoy a career as a games programmer, lead programmer, engine programmer, or a tools programmer.
Students in the video game design and 3D animation program spend four years working with Autodesk’s 3ds max and Maya software as the core application in a curriculum designed to accelerate their exposure on a career path towards video game design and development. Within those years, students will have the opportunity to take industry certification exams related to the course.
3ds Max and Maya are the same software programs used in engineering companies to do plant layouts. Architectural companies also use these programs to present walkthroughs of new buildings to clients, and many entertainment companies, including Bungie, Naughty Dog, Ubisoft, Pixar and Disney, use 3ds Max and Maya to create popular AAA games and animated movies.