PORTLAND, OR — Xencelabs Technologies (www.xencelabs.com) and Full Sail University are giving computer animation and gaming students a hands-on look at some of the digital technologies used by profissionals in today’s creative environments. The Winter Park, FL-based university has purchased more than 1,500 Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium units, which are being used as a teaching and design tool in the school’s on-campus curriculum, as well as its online Computer Animation Bachelor of Science Degree and Game Art Bachelor of Science Degree programs.
The Xencelabs tablets are integrated into the overall mix of technology available to Full Sail students early in their degree programs. Students are using them to develop 3D models in the 3D Foundations course, create sketches in the Fundamentals of Art courses, and to paint materials and for digital sculpting as they grow their skills.
“We encourage our students to explore and push their creativity to the next level,” says Pete Bandstra, program director, computer animation, Full Sail University. “Tablet technology allows students to establish a more hands-on connection to their artwork. By providing our students with industry-standard technology during their time with us, they can harness the tools they will be using and encountering in the industry and throughout their professional careers.”
The tablets are also included in Full Sail’s Project LaunchBox, a kit all Full Sail students receive with a laptop computer loaded with software and other hardware components, all customized to their degree program and included in their tuition.
“Within our curriculum the Xencelabs Tablet is more than just a tool for sketching,” notes Bandstra. “It can be used with a variety of software packages from 3D modeling, texturing, compositing and other areas of the production process.”