Training in 3 or 5 years

Become the Programmer of Image Technologies

Training in 3 or 5 years

Today, computer science is an indispensable propeller in all image technology professions: video games, special effects cinema, scientific simulations, procedural generation or generative artificial intelligence, events, advertising for the automotive, luxury, hygiene, food industries… Digital images are found everywhere, with one common point: they are generated by tools created by programmers. All these sectors are recruiting developers and technical artists with a high technical level and an understanding of visual, interactive, and communication issues, for professions that require a good balance between technical rigor and creativity.

ARTCODE offers a unique combination of teachings: programmers are brought to master software engineering, but also the tools of modern 3D image creators (3D, 2D, video game engines…) and generative AI algorithms that are revolutionizing the image industry today.

For the Bachelor Bac+3

Admission level BAC No specific specialty required

For the Master's Bac+5

Opening: September 2027

Admission level BAC+3 type: license, professional computer science license, IUT/BUT, Engineering School

Paris or Lille

Possible course on our campuses in Paris and Lille

Courses in French and English

ARTCODE - A School / A Studio

ARTCODE's pedagogy combines theory and execution. Each course leads to a project carried out by the student and each project leads to a published professional rendering: the projects - or their video reports - are published on the school's platforms or on the partners' networks. You thus train in the most important skill in the cultural and creative industries: delivering work, intended for a client or an audience. Every semester, a group project is launched and an industry professional, after evaluating your work, comes to present one of their own achievements. The best student projects are highlighted during these masterclasses.

This pedagogy goes hand in hand with work-study: from the third year, you can enter a work-study program in a company or studio, thus financing your studies. If you cannot find a partner company, you are not left on the sidelines: you work on the projects of the school's internal studio and also forge your experience.

Year 1 Year 1: Bachelor 1

The first year of ARTCODE teaches the fundamentals of programming for images, sticking exclusively to 2D projects. This constraint allows focusing on mastering code, understanding the general concepts of graphics, video games, and generative AI algorithms.

Examples of first-year projects: Alternative controller experience, 2D game programming (geometric shooter, auto battler, RPG…), digital lutherie (musical instrument design), Generative AI pipeline…

Real-time interactions and video games: Fundamentals of real-time programming: architecture, interaction, interfaces, network, Examples of projects: 2D arcade games (shooter, platformer), interface games (RPG, idle games), Introduction to Game design: fun and feedbacks, balancing, level design, level metrics, economic system, Introduction to game engine creation

AI & innovative technologies: Arduino/ESP32 and alternative game controllers, Sound and signal, Introduction to video game AI, Sound generation, sound processing, Introduction to deep learning and generative AI (images, sounds, videos)

Art and Graphics: Technical theory and mathematics of the image, Filming a movie in a week, U / UX, Information hierarchy and interfaces, 2D graphic programming (shaders), Art history, artistic direction and graphic design

General programming: C++ and Python, 2D mathematics and probabilities, Version management, Object-oriented programming, Fundamentals of operating systems and Linux, Introduction to computer sciences, Introduction to design patterns, Fundamentals of OS and software engineering

English, project management, public speaking

Year 2 Year 2: Bachelor 2

The second year of ARTCODE is dedicated to acquiring theoretical knowledge and practical construction of 3D software: theory of graphic programming and 3D shaders, creation of game engines in C++, use of 3D and special effects software (notably Houdini), creation of gameplays and 3D interactions. In addition to these essentials, the focus is on creating tools to facilitate productions: pipeline for animation/VFX films in Python, creation of specialized neural networks, virtual reality with Unity, web tools and databases, modification and tools in the Unreal engine.

Examples of second-year projects: Unreal pool (game or short film), XR application with external partner, Doom Like, VFX pipeline project…

Real-time interactions and video games: Creation of a simple C++ game engine (3D gameplay, lights, 3D animation…), Advanced 3D gameplays, C++ in Unreal Engine, Optimization and introduction to computer sciences

AI & innovative technologies: Neural network programming, XR with Unity, Web technologies and databases for the pipeline

Graphics and tool pipeline for animation and VFX cinema: 3D modeling and Python API for Maya, Nuke, and Houdini, Production chain management, infrastructure and pipeline with Shotgrid, FX in Houdini

Graphic programming: Introduction to graphic programming (mesh, shaders), 3D mathematics, Raytracing

English, project management, public speaking

Year 3 Year 3: Bachelor 3

When you reach the third year of ARTCODE, you are ready for work-study. You can use your skills in an image industry company or participate in the project carried by the school’s internal studio.

In any case, the teaching continues. Mastery of low-level C++ code is pushed with the teaching of parallelism and game engine architecture. Graphic mastery is reinforced with advanced Houdini courses. Finally, understanding of deep learning is accentuated with a study of the major categories of neural networks used in generative AI.

Examples of third-year projects: Deep learning project, Creation of a 3D advertisement, Web Portfolio School studio project

Real-time interactions and video games: Parallelism and architecture in a game engine, AI of multiple entities in a video game, Advanced 3D gameplays

Graphics and tool pipeline for animation and VFX cinema: Advanced Houdini, Houdini pipeline

AI & innovative technologies: Neural network programming, Web application architecture

Project management + Job search preparation

Year 4 Years 4 & 5

Master’s R&D for video games and special effects cinema Opening of the Master’s cycle: September 2027

A master’s at the cutting edge of technology

Video game and special effects cinema technologies feed and strengthen each other. Graphic algorithms previously reserved for animation or VFX cinema can now be used in real-time thanks to graphics cards built for video games. These same graphics cards are now used to train and execute neural networks that directly generate, for films, the images that used to take days to calculate. In both industries, increasingly complex graphic assets require increasingly sophisticated pipelines.

Program:

Engine programming: Architecture of parallelized game engines, Profiling and optimization techniques, Physical programming

Graphic programming: Modern graphic programming, Advanced animation programming, Compute shaders, GPU programming and parallelism

AI and innovative tool programming: How to train your AI, Advanced pipeline, Coding your AI with CUDA, Gaussian splatting

An Innovative and Enriching Pedagogy

Practice at the Heart of Teaching

Computer science is both a theoretical and practical subject. Without theory, no understanding is possible; without practice, there is no effect on productions. The ARTCODE curriculum consists of one-week workshops, dedicated to a specific subject and resulting in a deliverable. The student’s time is divided between the course, given by a permanent teacher or an industry professional, and practice, to deliver the workshop project. The teacher accompanies you during your practice.

Art and Reflection at the Heart of Technique

During the workshops, half a day is dedicated to stepping back from the studied subject. Philosophical consequences, technological evolution, artistic issues, historical debates… Technology shapes the world, and since you are called to master it, you must also be able to think about it.

Personal and Team Work

Every month, you work on a personal project to develop your autonomy. If the subjects of these projects are imposed during the first year of schooling, they gradually become free, to lead you to develop the skills that you are passionate about.

Every semester, each class works on a group project for two to three weeks. You thus address through practice the issues of design, coordination, team and project management. At the end of this period, you show your creations to the rest of the school and to an industry professional invited for the occasion. This professional then gives a masterclass, and the best individual projects of the semester are highlighted and presented by their authors.

Evaluation Leads to Emulation

The evaluation of work at ARTCODE is designed to mobilize energies and highlight exceptional work. It also provides improvement paths so that your skills are at the level required for entry into the industry.

Each work is evaluated according to three criteria: Creativity, Technical Mastery, and Professionalism. This is the CPT system. Each criterion can be evaluated with the mention Valid, Could Be Better (CBB), or Warning. A medal can also designate the deliverable as an exceptional project, exceeding the teacher’s expectations!

Prerequisites

Entry into the Bachelor cycle:
BAC level, no specific specialty required. Desired profile: motivation, seriousness (in short, the desire to program the images and games of tomorrow!)
Entry into the Master's cycle:
Admission level BAC+3

Tuition Fees

€6900/year + €370 registration fee

The ARTFX Pedagogy

Software Used / Languages Studied (informative list)

C++
Python
C#
Pycharm
Git
Renderdoc
Unreal engine
Houdini
Maya
Nuke
Blender
Unity

Career and Main Prepared Professions

The R&D programmer for video games and cinema is destined to navigate between these two industries. In video games, they work as an engine, graphics, or tools programmer on game engines, either directly in large studios or for the R&D providers of these studios. In special effects and animation cinema, they set up complex pipelines or dedicate themselves to the R&D projects of an industry always seeking innovation.

Historically, the programmer profession is the one that ensures the easiest integration into image technology professions. The ARTCODE programmer can aspire to the following jobs:

Gameplay Programmer
Pipeline TD
Technical Artist
C++ Programmer
C++ Unreal Programmer
C# Unity Programmer
VR/AR/XR Programmer
Houdini Artist
Network/Multiplayer Programmer
AI Programmer

Upon completion of the Master's, the ARTCODE programmer can aspire to the following jobs:

Engine Programmer
Graphics Programmer
Pipeline TD
R&D Programmer
Tools Programmer

Examples of Achievements

Work and Talent

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Following my programming training at ARTFX, I had the opportunity to work at Ubisoft Montpellier as an FX Technical Artist. My job involves coding shaders in HLSL, communicating my team's needs to the GFX team, benchmarking our FX on PC and console, and optimizing them. I also conduct R&D on new volumetric rendering techniques. The courses we received at ARTFX on graphic programming taught me the necessary basics to easily integrate into my team and understand their issues. In the future, I plan to fully transition to the role of a graphics programmer.

Elise Vidal Technical Artist / Graphics Programmer - Ubisoft Montpellier - Class of 2023

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