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Tech Art Program

Online / Beginner-Friendly / Career-Based

Studios need technical artists who can bridge the gap between art and code. In this hands-on program, you’ll train with industry experts, build tools and systems, and complete real-world projects that help you stand out and launch your career.

 

Becoming a Technical Artist

What Vertex School Can Do for You

Starting your journey as a Technical Artist isn’t just about learning tools and workflows, it’s about unlocking the power to bring creative ideas to life through logic, systems, and code.

It’s where your love for problem-solving meets your passion for art, and where your technical skills grow with every assignment, tool, and shader you build.

This isn’t just an online program, it’s a community of driven creatives and working professionals who are shaping the future of games and real-time 3D. You’ll be surrounded by people who speak your language, share your goals, and challenge you to push further.

So dream big, solve bigger, and let Vertex School be your launchpad into the world of technical art, where creativity meets engineering, and your career takes off.

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Starting the Technical Artist's Journey

Discovering the Path and What It Takes to Walk It

Joining Vertex School’s 17-month Tech Art Program means committing to a path that blends creativity with problem-solving. From mastering the fundamentals of 3D asset creation to building shaders, tools, and scripts, each term builds your technical skills step by step - preparing you to create a portfolio that reflects real-world experience and studio-ready capabilities.

Following the structured learning path ensures you gain the right knowledge in the right order, building a strong foundation before diving into more advanced concepts like procedural systems and Python scripting. This is your roadmap to becoming the kind of Technical Artist teams rely on, creative, technical, and ready to contribute from day one.

TERM 1: GAME ART BASICS

12-WEEK COURSE 

Build Your Artistic and Technical Base
Start your Tech Art journey by mastering essential game art skills and pipelines. This term focuses on 3D modeling, digital sculpting, texturing with Substance Painter, UV workflows, and real-time rendering.

You’ll learn how to create game-ready assets and understand the artist’s language, setting a strong foundation for all future terms.

CHECK OUT GAME ART BASICS
TERM 2: BLUEPRINTS - INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING

12-WEEK COURSE 

Learn to Think Like a Programmer
Dive into Unreal Engine’s visual scripting system, Blueprints, to build interactive gameplay prototypes. You’ll explore logic, data flow, communication patterns, and gameplay mechanics—all without writing code. By the end, you’ll design and deliver a playable prototype, proving your ability to problem-solve programmatically.

CHECK OUT BLUEPRINTS
TERM 3: SHADERS - CREATING ART WITH MATH

12-WEEK COURSE 

Bring Your Art to Life with Shaders
Discover the power of shaders—the GPU programs that control surface visuals and effects. This term teaches shader fundamentals, material creation, and practical artistic effects like vertex painting, parallax mapping, and dynamic environmental shaders. You’ll culminate with a stylized diorama showcasing your shader skills

CHECK OUT SHADERS
TERM 4: ADVANCED UNREAL CONCEPTS - TOOLS FOR CREATING WORLDS

12-WEEK COURSE 

Multiply Efficiency with Tools and Systems
Learn to build procedural tools, editor scripts, and optimized workflows to streamline game development. This term covers Blueprint tools, procedural content generation, Nanite/Lumen tech, and performance profiling. Your capstone will be a procedural mini-world demonstrating tool creation and efficiency.

CHECK OUT ADVANCED UNREAL CONCEPTS
TERM 5: PYTHON - YOUR FIRST PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

12-WEEK COURSE 

Automate and Build Real-World Tools
Expand your programming skills with Python, a key language for technical artists. You’ll learn core computer science concepts, automate workflows, and create robust tools for DCC software like Maya or Blender. Your final project will be a production-level Python tool that solves a real problem in a pipeline.

CHECK OUT PYTHON
TERM 6: UNLOCK YOUR PATH - CHOOSE AND BUILD YOUR FUTURE

12-WEEK COURSE 

Specialize and Showcase Your Strengths
In your final term, pick a specialization that matches your passion—Shader Artist, VFX Artist, Procedural Artist, Tooling & Pipelines Artist, or Programmer. Build a portfolio-grade capstone project under expert mentorship that highlights your unique technical and creative skills, readying you for your next career step.

CHECK OUT UNLOCK YOUR PATH
WHERE OUR STUDENTS GET JOBS
Vertex School Student Jobs EA Dice
Vertex School Student Jobs Apple
Vertex School Student Jobs Ubisoft
Vertex School Student Jobs Blizzard Entertainment
Vertex School Student Jobs CD Projekt Red

PERSONALIZED MENTORSHIP

At Vertex School, we know that every aspiring Technical Artist brings a different mix of strengths and interests—some are drawn to shaders, others thrive in Blueprints or tool development.

That’s why every student in the Tech Art Program receives personalized mentorship from real industry professionals working at studios like CD Projekt Red, d3t, Meta, and Playground Games.

You’ll get direct, weekly feedback from mentors who’ve walked the path, helping you navigate technical challenges, build smarter solutions, and grow your skills with confidence.

PROFESSIONAL TOOLS & REAL-WORLD WORKFLOWS

From day one, you’ll train with the same tools and workflows used in professional game studios. That means hands-on experience with Unreal Engine, Python, Blender, Maya, Substance Painter, and more.

You won’t just learn the software, you’ll learn how studios actually use it to create real-time games, build pipelines, and solve production bottlenecks. Our projects are designed to mirror real-world tasks so you’re not just ready for a job, you’re ready to contribute from day one.

A COMMUNITY OF TECHNICAL ARTISTS

Tech Artists are a unique breed - equal parts creative and analytical, and we’ve built a school where you’ll feel right at home.

At Vertex, you’ll join a thriving, supportive community of students, mentors, and alumni all working together to grow, share ideas, and level up. Whether it’s peer reviews, critique sessions, or celebrating small wins, you’ll have a circle of like-minded creators with you every step of the way.

EXPERIENCED INDUSTRY MENTORS

Our mentors aren’t just educators - they’re working professionals at top studios who bring real production experience to every session.

They’ve helped build top games and cutting-edge pipelines, and now they’re here to guide you. You’ll learn directly from the people solving real problems in AAA and indie studios alike, giving you the insights, tools, and feedback you need to thrive as a modern Technical Artist.

FAQ FOR THE TECH ART PROGRAM

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