Why this Mastère?
The Mastère Environment & VFX Artist 3D offers an ultra-specialised approach to 3D, focused on advanced technologies and artistic creation for video games, animation, film and entertainment.
The Mastère has a dual focus: beyond creating environments for video games and all areas of entertainment, you will learn to design spectacular digital special effects. This Mastère will let you specialise in a field in high demand, while benefiting from training at the cutting edge of industry technologies and trends.
You will also earn up to 3 professional certifications (Unreal Engine Developer, Autodesk Maya Certified Professional, Houdini Artist Certification) attesting to your mastery of specific software and tools, giving you a real competitive advantage on the job market.
Alongside artistic and technical skills, you will develop project management and team leadership methods. You will have the chance to work on a team video game project and to specialise further by choosing a minor in Year 4 (Character & CFX Artist, 2D/3D Animator and Rigger).
| Diploma awarded |
School title Mastère Environment & VFX Artist 3D |
| Pathways / Further study |
See further study options within our programmes |
| Tuition fees |
See the " Funding " section |
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Show all
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| Prerequisites |
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| Total programme length |
2 years: 1,010 hours |
| Assessment methods |
Continuous assessment: throughout the year via end-of-project evaluations (written reports, oral presentations, knowledge assessments during the project…) Exams: at the end of each semester, individual assessment of the skills acquired (via written, computer-based or oral tests) In Year 1: assessment of the PC game project (4 months) and writing of a game bibleIn Year 2 only: assessment of the demo reel/portfolio project of best work |
| Major projects |
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| Campus |
Lyon, Paris, Bordeaux and Online |
| Format |
Full-time initial training with a 6-month end-of-studies internship |
| Workshop |
Year 2 : 6 months |
| Average class size |
20 students |
| Pass rate |
N/A |
| Satisfaction rate |
N/A |
| Employment rate at 6 months |
N/A |
| Reported further study rate (via 6-month surveys) |
N/A |
| Intake |
September 2027 |
| Disability |
Click here to find out about our arrangements for welcoming and supporting people with disabilities |
8 reasons to choose the Mastère Environment & VFX Artist 3D: the programme that will make the difference in your career!
We believe real-world experience is essential to success. With our Project-Based Learning approach, you work on real projects alongside experts, gaining skills you can apply immediately.
A programme that combines immersive environment creation with technical VFX skills, enabling you to master a full range of tools for producing high-quality visual worlds. Choosing a minor from the other Mastère programmes lets you round out your knowledge and skills in Year 4.
You will learn to use the most advanced tools on the market for 3D modelling, animation and visual compositing. From the start of your programme, you will work with software used by the biggest animation and film studios.
You are encouraged to push the boundaries of creativity, explore new VFX techniques, produce 3D designs and develop unique visual environments through large-scale projects that simulate real-world situations.
You will have the opportunity to earn globally recognised professional certifications such as Autodesk Certified Professional, Adobe Certified Expert or Unity Certified Developer. These certifications are a real asset on your CV and will help you stand out to recruiters. The school prepares you for these certifications; taking them is optional and, where there is a fee, paid by the student.
The programme is based on an agile, project-based approach, enabling students to adopt a modern project management methodology, crucial in VFX and compositing jobs, with a strong collaborative teamwork component.
The Mastère explores the latest trends in artificial intelligence, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), opening up new creative avenues for virtual environments and visual effects.
The focus is on producing a professional-quality portfolio that showcases your technical and creative skills.
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194 pages covering everything about our campuses, schools, project-based learning, programmes, employability, campus life, etc…
Devised, designed and approved by the G. Art Advisory Board, made up of some thirty players from the ecosystem, the Mastère Environment & VFX Artist 3D programme offers creative, innovative, cutting-edge training.
It leads to roles as environment and props artists able to sculpt, model and texture optimised objects and environments for video games, animated films, special-effects films and any other digital innovation project.
- Advanced Modelling and Texturing
- Lighting Art, Rendering and Cinematics
- Visual Effects and Simulations (VFX)
- Integration, Previsualisation and Real Time (Game & XR)
- Project Management and Team Leadership
- Creating a PC video game
- Portfolio of best work
- Certifications
- High poly / low poly modelling for realistic and stylised environments
- Advanced sculpting techniques in ZBrush and procedural modelling in Houdini
- Creating textures and materials with Substance 3D Designer/Painter
- PBR (Physically Based Rendering) workflow and optimisation for real-time and pre-rendered output
Skills developed: you will be able to create realistic and stylised 3D models for complex environments, master textures and materials with professional precision and optimise your creations for different types of rendering.
- Mastery of render engines (Arnold, Redshift, V-Ray, Unreal, Unity)
- Lighting and shading for cinematic and photorealistic renders
- Creating moodboards, light scripts and visual atmospheres
Skills developed: you will be able to produce photorealistic renders with fine control of lighting and shading, creating striking visual atmospheres for cinematic and interactive projects.
- Particles, fluids, fire, explosions: simulation in Houdini and Unreal Niagara
- Procedural generation of vegetation, terrain and destructible environments
- Integrating VFX into a real-time production pipeline
Skills developed: you will be able to create spectacular visual effects such as explosions, fluids and fire using advanced simulation software, and integrate them into a real-time production pipeline.
- Optimising and integrating assets in Unreal Engine / Unity
- Advanced Level Art and World Building techniques
- Creating interactive experiences for video games, AR/VR design (virtual and augmented reality).
Skills developed: you will be able to integrate your creations into game engines such as Unreal Engine and Unity, optimise assets for interactive environments, and design immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences.
- Agile / Scrum / Kanban methodologies applied to art production
- Managing relationships with creative, technical and art teams
- Collaboration tools (Trello, Jira, Notion) and production pipeline
- Leadership and communication in a creative environment
Skills developed: you will be able to manage complex projects using modern management methodologies, coordinate creative and technical teams, and lead projects effectively with the right collaboration tools.
- Creating a PC video game over 4 months
- Building a professional portfolio and a striking demo reel
- Preparation for certifications: Unreal Engine Developer, Autodesk Maya, Houdini Artist
Skills developed: you will be able to create a complete PC video game, build a professional 3D director portfolio that reflects your skills and earn recognised certifications that help you stand out to recruiters.
Mastery of level design, shading, lighting and visual effects for real time.
Advanced skills in modelling, rigging, shading and animation.
Expertise in procedural FX, fluids, particles and destruction.
Gaming Campus delivers the most innovative teaching possible, fully in line with what video game companies need. The teaching team has chosen a 100% project-based, multidisciplinary approach. Every day, students put their knowledge into practice and turn it into skills.
For the Mastère Environment & VFX Artist 3D, we have chosen long internships rather than work-study in order to maximise the time devoted to training. This means you will complete more projects and take part in more masterclasses and workshops. It also makes it easier to consider periods abroad. Here is a comparison of the 2 approaches:
take a look at our other MSc, MBA and Mastère programmes >
Several times a year, we organise masterclasses with companies and iconic figures from the video game industry, in France and abroad.
In workshops, professionals share their expertise on specific topics: presentation of a new technology, CV workshop, …
Immersion by Gaming Campus is a key stage in our schools' teaching approach. For 2 weeks, all our students, whatever their programme, level of study or specialism, come together to immerse themselves in the industry they are training for.
Employability Week, a real highlight of the year, brings our students together on site in Lyon and Paris, and online. In total, more than 50 industry professionals meet and talk with our students to boost their search for internships and work-study placements, and help our alumni find their first job. Meetups, workshops, speed recruiting…
An event that brings our students together on site and online. In total, more than 90 offers are available to students, and around thirty industry professionals come to meet and talk with them to boost their search for internships and work-study placements, and help our alumni find their first job.
At the end of the programme, you receive a Gaming Campus skills book. You can use it to showcase yourself to companies and make the difference when looking for internships, a work-study placement or your first job. The title is awarded on validation of all skills blocks and the associated ECTS credits.
Our school's teaching approach is project-based learning (PBL). It builds skills and guarantees a very high level of employability. From Year 1 of the Mastère, you learn by doing. Your year is structured around 10 to 15 projects, and by the end of your programme you will have completed 75 projects. All your projects are supervised by professional lecturers. Some are real cases provided by video game companies.
How project-based learning is structured
01
Guided research
02
Project kick-off with the lecturer
03
Independent organisation of work, in a team or alone
04
Coaching by the lecturer
05
Submission of the deliverable
06
Project debrief
Project examples
- High poly / low poly modelling for realistic and stylised environments
- Advanced sculpting techniques in ZBrush and procedural modelling in Houdini
- Creating textures and materials with Substance 3D Designer/Painter
- PBR (Physically Based Rendering) workflow and optimisation for real-time and pre-rendered output
Skills acquired:
You will be able to create realistic and stylised 3D models for complex environments, master textures and materials with professional precision and optimise your creations for different types of rendering
- Mastery of render engines (Arnold, Redshift, V-Ray, Unreal, Unity)
- Lighting and shading for cinematic and photorealistic renders, inspired by real footage (drone)
- Creating moodboards, light scripts and visual atmospheres
Skills acquired:
You will be able to produce photorealistic renders with fine control of lighting and shading, creating striking visual atmospheres for cinematic and interactive projects.
- Creating a PC video game over 4 months
- Building a professional portfolio and a striking demo reel
- Preparation for certifications: Unreal Engine Developer, Autodesk Maya, Houdini Artist
Skills acquired:
You will be able to create a complete PC video game, build a professional portfolio that reflects your skills and earn recognised certifications that help you stand out to recruiters.
Project – Shading, optimisation and Unreal integration
Project – Shading in Substance Designer
Project – Trim sheet
Project – Procedural modelling
Project – Advanced Blender
Project – PC game & Game Bible writing
Project – Blueprint
Project – Advanced AI
Sample timetables
Immersion Week
Immersion by Gaming Campus is a key stage in our schools' teaching approach. For 2 weeks, all our students, whatever their programme, level of study or specialism, come together to immerse themselves in the industry they are training for.
Project 1
Advanced sculpting, modelling and texturing
Project 3
Environment VFX
Masterclass
Led by an industry professional
Project 3
Environment VFX
Workshops
Led by an industry professional
Project 4
Project management: learning management methods for art productions
Project 5
Advanced AI
Workshops
Job search strategy and tools
Project 6
Procedural modelling
Workshops
Soft skills
Our lecturers
Maxime Duchamp
3D artist
Camille Rivière
3D artist
Unreal Engine certified
Maxime Galland
Shading and procedural artist
Unreal Engine certified
All Gaming Campus programmes put student employability at the heart of the curriculum. During your Mastère Environment & VFX Artist 3D you will have several opportunities to build experience in industry, notably with a long internship in Year 2.
Why choose internships to train for the video game industry?
« With the end-of-programme internship, our aim is also to ease professional integration and recruitment by video game companies. To support our students in finding an internship, we have built impactful partnerships with companies in the industry. »
– The Corporate Relations team
Objective: confirm your career plans through an extended immersion in the business world.
The corporate relations team
The teaching team and the employability unit help you find your end-of-Mastère internship: searches and applications.
Gaming Campus has built close relationships with more than 100 video game companies in France and abroad.
Several events are organised during the year for students to take part in: Employability Week; Career Days; workshops on CVs, cover letters and online identity; LinkedIn masterclass.
Your corporate relations contact: entreprises@questeducation.fr
Career prospects and salaries
The Mastère Environment & VFX Artist 3D opens the door to a particularly wide range of video game jobs.
Here are a few examples; take a look at our job profiles to find out which jobs interest you most:
An exceptional 3,000 m2 campus in the heart of Lyon
+ Gaming Campus Online, our digital platform Gaming Campus Lyon
Online school
Gaming Campus Online
Admissions
We attach great importance to the diversity of our cohorts. That is why we have chosen an application process based on your file (not a competitive exam). Each application (submitted online on our website) is reviewed by the admissions team and then the teaching team. For admission, we take into account your career plans, your academic background and our prerequisites. The admissions process is quick and smooth, with no need to go through Parcoursup. From the moment you submit your application, allow 15 days to be accepted, waitlisted or refused.
Hold a Bac+3 in art and design, computer science, technology or science. Bachelor, BUT or Licence.
Funding
Tuition fees are €10,400 incl. VAT* per year for the Mastère years for the 2027 – 2028 intake.
(*) Price for payment in a single instalment. Payment in several instalments possible under certain conditions. Payment can be made in 1, 3 or 10 instalments. Stopping your studies due to force majeure (serious and disabling illness, accident, death of a relative) ends the direct debits.
Compare with other programmes, work-study and the 3 or 10 instalment schedule: Gaming Campus fees 2027-2028.
| Pre-registration | €650 incl. VAT |
| Single payment Mastère | €9,750 incl. VAT |
| Payment in 3 instalments | €10,000 incl. VAT |
| Payment in 10 instalments | €10,100 incl. VAT |
FAQ
Students will learn to master software and game engines used by the industry, such as:
- Modelling & Texturing: Maya, Blender, ZBrush, Substance 3D Painter/Designer
- Special effects & Simulations: Houdini, Unreal Engine Niagara
- Game engines & rendering: Unreal Engine, Unity, Arnold, Redshift, V-Ray
- The Environment Artist specialises in creating sets and immersive environments for video games, animation or film.
- The VFX Artist focuses on creating digital special effects (explosions, particles, fluids, destruction, etc.).
This Mastère lets you master both areas of expertise, a dual skill set much sought after by the industry.
On completing the programme, you can apply for roles such as:
- Environment Artist (video games, film, VR/AR)
- VFX Artist (video games, film, advertising)
- Lighting Artist
- Props Artist
- Shading Artist
- FX Technical Director (TD)
The fee is €10,400 per year.
Applications are assessed on file, with a review of your portfolio and an admission interview. Go to our application form.
Criteria include:
- Hold a Bac+3 (or equivalent 180 ECTS / RNCP level 6)
- A strong interest in modelling, texturing and VFX
- Recommended English level B2/C1
Apply for the programme
Simple application, quick response:
September 2027 intake: Applications open
We have chosen an application process with no competitive exam and without going through ParcourSup or Mon Master. This allows us to review each application individually and maximise equal opportunities and each candidate's potential. It also lets us give the academic background the same weight as the career plan. Finally, with a short admissions process based on dialogue, we hope to reduce students' stress when looking for a programme.
Apply now
For any problem sending this form, write to contact@gamingcampus.fr