National Centre for Computer Animation

The National Centre for Computer Animation has been at the forefront of computer graphics and animation education and research in the UK since 1989.

In 2011, the Centre was presented with the Queen’s Anniversary Award for “World-class computer animation teaching with wide scientific and creative applications” and its contribution to world-leading excellence and pioneering development in the teaching of computer animation. The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes form part of the national honours system and are the most prestigious awards in UK education.

The aim of the NCCA is to promote science in the service of the arts and to embed a theoretical underpinning within a contemporary professional setting, allowing graduates to leave BU with highly sought-after skills in the computer animation, visual effects and computer games industries.

Our courses

Undergraduate courses

BA (Hons) Computer Animation Art & Design (with Foundation Year option)

This cutting-edge course places an emphasis on the creative side of computer animation, combining traditional art disciplines like life drawing and cinematography with more technically focused disciplines.

BA (Hons) Computer Animation Technical Arts (with Foundation Year option)

Technical Art/Direction is the practice of using art/animation and computing/maths skills to solve aesthetic problems. This course is a unique 50/50 mix of art and science.

A Computer Animation, Games & Visual Effects student at work

BA (Hons) Visual Effects (with Foundation Year option)

If you have a strong desire to work in the feature film visual effects industry or associated areas, this is the perfect course for you.

Postgraduate courses

MA Digital Effects

This course will provide you with a strong theoretical and technical underpinning for the principal areas of study, thanks to lecture series on filmmaking techniques, green screen, MOCAP, computer graphic principles, the fusion of art and technology, personal research, and applied digital effects theory and practice.

MA 3D Computer Animation

This Master’s is the perfect launch-pad for a career in a wide range of disciplines, including concept design, character and creature animation, modelling, lighting, rigging, texturing, compositing and simulation. The course will help you acquire the skills needed to work in a number of areas where computer animation is applied, including films, animated features, computer games, television production, commercials, illustration, scientific visualisation, and flight simulation, to name just a few.

MSc Computer Animation & Visual Effects

During your year-long study, you will develop your programming and scripting skills, and become familiar with special techniques and tools associated with computer animation. These skills are assessed in a variety of projects you will undertake during the year. Emphasis is placed on the use of industry-standard hardware and software in the development of these techniques.

Image of a group of people watching many pictures

MSc Artificial Intelligence for Media

This new course focuses on using existing machine learning frameworks of Tensorflow and PyTorch to address practical problems in media production. As a student on this course, you will have access to the latest deep learning methodology such as VGG, LSTM and GAN which are commonly used in AI research on image processing.

Industry links and accreditations

We have forged links with many of the UK’s, and the world’s, most prominent animation organisations and award-winning professionals. BU is also one of a small number of institutions from around the world who have been granted Houdini Certified School status by Side Effects Software, and a number of our computer animation degrees boast the ScreenSkills Tick, indicating the quality of those courses. Find out more about our accreditations and industry links.

Industry-standard facilities

Our facilities on Talbot Campus can be found in Poole Gateway Building, a modern development that opened in spring 2020. This houses a range of industry-standard equipment and technology to support our students’ studies, including a green screen studio, virtual production facilities and computer labs equipped with professional production software. Take a look at our gallery or explore our virtual tour to find out more.

The new Poole Gateway Building opened in spring 2020 and provides a range of high-quality technical facilities to support undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as research. It is used predominantly by students from the Faculty of Science & Technology and the Faculty of Media & Communication, although it’s also open and accessible to students from other faculties.

The green screen studio in Poole Gateway Building, designed for shooting actors, practical special effects and miniatures

A studio space in Poole Gateway Building

You can watch your work come to life on the big screen in our immersive, cinema-style screening room

NCCA degree shows

The NCCA annual degree shows provide an opportunity for final year Undergraduate students and Master's students to showcase their work to industry professionals and potential employers. View the 2022 Undergraduate degree show booklet.

Undergraduate Degree Show 2022
Undergraduate Degree Show 2021
Postgraduate Degree Show 2021
Undergraduate Degree Show 2019
Postgraduate Degree Show 2019
Undergraduate Degree Show 2018
Postgraduate Degree Show 2018
Undergraduate Degree Show 2017
Postgraduate Degree Show 2017
Undergraduate Degree Show 2016
Postgraduate Degree Show 2016
Undergraduate Degree Show 2015
Postgraduate Degree Show 2015
Undergraduate Degree Show 2014
Postgraduate Degree Show 2014
Undergraduate Degree Show 2013
Postgraduate Degree Show 2013

BFX Festival

The annual BFX Festival is one of the largest visual effects, animation and games festivals in the UK, bringing together professionals and students from across the world to share insights into how the best films, commercials, television shows and games are made.

Find out more on the BFX site

A woman looking at a display featuring a figure or Morph, the animated character

Once Upon a Time in Animation

Celebrating 30 years of the National Centre for Computer Animation, the Once Upon a Time in Animation exhibition at Poole Museum provided an overview of 30 years of excellence in animation research, practice and innovation at Bournemouth University's National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA).

Featuring a wealth of creative talent from students, graduates and researchers from BU, the exhibition explored different areas of animation, from film to game design, and includes household names such as Miffy, Beatrix Potter and Aardman.

Find out more about the exhibition

Research

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research. Universities are scored across three elements – the quality of outputs (e.g. publications, performances, and exhibitions), their impact beyond academia, and the environment that supports research.

For REF 2021, the NCCA contributed to Bournemouth University's submission under Unit of Assessment 32 (UoA32): Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory. We submitted three impact case studies, which included projects using art to communicate scientific concepts, improving wellbeing through participatory art, and improving character development techniques in the animation sector.

66.3% of our research outputs (UoA32) were assessed to be internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour, or above
100% of our research environment was scored as conducive to producing research of internationally excellent quality and enabling very considerable impact, with 72.5% of that classed as conducive to world-leading research quality and outstanding impact
83.3% of our impact case studies were found to have very considerable impact in terms of their reach and significance.

Find out more about our REF submission

More about the NCCA

UOA 32: Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory

Find out about our REF 2021 submission to UOA 32.