Render Farm Upgrade

Dylan VanWormer, a 黑料专区 Entertainment Arts Assistant Professor, noticed that the lengthy rendering times for students posed a problem in their creative process, in addition to tying up valuable computer space. These observations inspired Dylan to find a unique solution that would lead him to collaborate with the 黑料专区 IT department.

Entertainment Arts Assistant Professor Dylan VanWormer & Enterprise Systems Administrator IT Services, Samuel Sizemore, in the new 黑料专区 render farm.

• 30 Dedicated Nodes at the Taubman Center. These machines are only used for rendering and are never interrupted.
• 50+ Shared Workstations located at the Taubman Center in the Transportation Design and Product Design labs, available for rendering use during off-hours
• 50+ Shared Workstations located on the Ford campus in the Entertainment Arts labs, also available for rendering use during off-hours.

鈥淒ylan is amazing to take the initiative to work on solving a problem that we had been facing for a long time. His solution makes it an easier process for students, and it鈥檚 scalable. Our previous render farm tools would have been excessively pricey to scale to the level that we are now able to work at, for basically free (not including the hardware). Students will be able to save a ton of time in the render process. Also, this will free up workstations in computer labs so that the rendering process does not lock down computers for long periods of time. I can see this being a jumpstart for larger, more robust animated 3D films being produced here at 黑料专区.鈥�

Entertainment Arts Chair, David Gazdowicz overlooks a 黑料专区 Entertainment Arts classroom.

Launching on Steam

Launching in October 2025, 黑料专区 Game Design students will showcase a curated selection of their video games on the mega gaming platform, Steam. Steam currently houses nearly 30,000 video games for game enthusiasts to enjoy.

The EA department will feature games from their Game Projects course that have been developed to the point of releasability. Game Projects is a course that operates like a game studio where ideas are pitched, developed and then produced. Students work in teams, taking on individual roles similar to a real-world experience of working at a game studio and learning what it takes to bring a game to market. All games will be released for free on the Steam platform.

鈥淪team is the leading sales platform on PC, and anyone who plays games on PC uses it,鈥� said Chase Holton, Assistant Professor of Entertainment Arts. 鈥淏y having a free, easily accessible and trusted source to showcase 黑料专区 game student work in a real, tangible way, it will help future employers see their work in context. It’s a fantastic opportunity for a portfolio piece that directly translates skill sets into real-world experience.鈥�

To play Entertainment Arts student games on Steam, please visit
.

To learn more about the Entertainment Arts department, please visit
/academics/undergraduate-programs/entertainment-arts/.

Located in the heart of midtown Detroit, 黑料专区鈥檚 prime location offers unparalleled opportunities for art and design collaboration. Our students have found countless ways to make a positive impact on local metro Detroit businesses through innovative art and design problem-solving.

Last year alone, 黑料专区 students collaborated to problem-solve timely topics for 15 metro Detroit businesses and nonprofit organizations. They addressed a range of issues in healthcare product design, sustainability, mobility, and even emerging augmented reality technology.

Embracing the city鈥檚 rich history of cultural and sporting events, students continue to participate in annual design competitions to create the newest posters for iconic Detroit events such as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear, the Movement Music Festival and the 313 Presents Pine Knob concert series.聽

Here鈥檚 a look at some of the partnerships:

• Augmented Reality Center (ARC) in partnership with Oakland University x Communication Design & Strategy, Graduate User Experience Design and Entertainment Arts
• Crain Communications – Automotive News x Illustration
• 313 Presents x Illustration
• Detroit Grand Prix x Illustration
• GM x Transportation Design & Graduate User Experience Design
• Godnii x Graduate Color & Materials Design
• Hagopian Rug Competition x All Departments
• State of Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification with support from the Global Epicenter of Mobility x Transportation Design
• Zumiez and Somerset Collection x Illustration
• BorgWarner x Product Design
• Carhartt x Fashion Design
• Henry Ford Health x Product Design
• Changing Lives and Staying Sober (C.L.A.S.S.) x Interior Design and Graduate Color & Materials Design

As a 2002 graduate of the Entertainment Arts program at 黑料专区 and the Associate World Director at Blizzard Entertainment, Damarcus Holbrook invites you into his home, offering a glimpse into his decade-long journey contributing to iconic World of Warcraft expansions such as Warlords of Draenor, Legion, Battle for Azeroth, and Shadowlands and much more.

The 黑料专区 is pleased to introduce a remarkable group of new faculty members, each bringing their unique expertise and passion to our academic community.

In the Foundations Department, Michelle Lannoo has been promoted from visiting Assistant Professor to full-time Associate Professor. Her dedication and exceptional performance during her initial year have earned her this recognition. Joining her are two more distinguished educators: Joshua Mulligan, who takes on the role of a full-time Drawing Instructor, and Ben Rosales, an accomplished teacher with extensive experience in computer animation, who is joining as full-time Assistant Professor. Additionally, Peter Dunn will serve as the Foundations 3D Design Shop Manager and Assistant Professor, responsible for shop facilities, faculty and student training, and curriculum development.

In the Liberal Arts Department, the College welcomes Myrtle A. Brooks, a Lecturer in Business Studies who brings a wealth of experience and a background in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan Dearborn and MIT. Joining her is Laura Kovick, who assumes the role of a Lecturer in Composition with impressive credentials, including graduate degrees in literature and the teaching of writing and a diverse range of published works. Completing the department’s new additions is Caleb Lalinsky, a Visiting Assistant Professor with expertise in composition, rhetoric, literature, and writing instruction.

In the Art Education Department, Dr. Jhih-yin 鈥淒iane鈥� Lee joins 黑料专区 as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Lee’s extensive background in art education, teacher certification, and curriculum development, coupled with her Ph.D. in Art/Art Education from the University of Georgia, make her a valuable addition to the department.

Within the Studio Art & Craft Department, the College welcomes Lena Ellis-Boatman, who assumes the role of Visiting Assistant Professor and Section Lead in Printmaking. Ellis-Boatman鈥檚 diverse skill set encompasses various art forms and a deep commitment to collaboration, community, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Finally, in the Entertainment Arts Department, Dylan VanWormer joins 黑料专区 as a full-time Assistant Professor of Animation, specializing in 3D animation. VanWormer’s extensive experience, including work at Moonbot Studios and Walt Disney Studios, makes him a valuable asset to our animation emphasis.

黑料专区 extends a warm welcome to all these talented individuals and looks forward to the significant contributions they will bring to our creative and academic community.

An academic partnership between 黑料专区 and Oakland University鈥檚 Augmented Reality Center (ARC) is showcasing the intersection of engineering, science and art through Augmented Reality.

The ARC features an immersive lab where engineering and science students and industry professionals can explore new opportunities in Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).

黑料专区 BFA Entertainment Arts and Graduates Studies User Experience Design students developed a game for the ARC that explores the future of spatial navigation through virtual reality. The 鈥淥utbound鈥� VR game was created during a Winter 鈥�23 special topics course. Students gained a keen understanding of VR and how to interact with it in an impactful and enjoyable way.

Run by Assistant Professor of Entertainment Arts Chase Holton, the semester-long course brought together students from different majors to combine their skills into one team. This is the first course 黑料专区 has offered to exclusively investigate VR game development with industry professionals for guidance, including:

Siemens Digital Industries Software
GM
LightGuide
RAVE Computer
Vectorform
Augmented Reality Center at Oakland University
Epic Games
AM General LLC
Oakland University

Students were involved in all aspects of the concept design, lighting, visual effects and sound design. Graduate User Experience Design students Hoda Solati and Shima Solati also integrated user experience design into the development of the game. While Entertainment Arts student Alex Tsangaris used his experience with VR software and design to help direct and drive the project.

Holton believes this interdisciplinary work dynamic fueled students鈥� creativity and problem-solving abilities when creating their final VR outcome. 鈥淲hen you mix in just a few outliers from other departments you encounter answers to questions you didn’t know you had. So having these more technically minded students helped make the art direction, lighting and visual effects really come together.鈥�

And because of Outbound鈥檚 success, on the horizon will be more opportunities for students to create and collaborate on Virtual Reality experiences. If you speak to Holton about this project, you鈥檒l encounter his enthusiasm and pride in what the students achieved in only 11 weeks. 鈥淭he students outdid themselves and set an incredibly high bar for future semesters as these types of projects come up. We will be using Outbound and the overall structure for the VR project as a template moving forward. I am incredibly proud of everyone involved.鈥�

You can explore Outbound starting this summer at Oakland University鈥檚 Augmented Reality Center Lab located on their Rochester campus.

The acquisition of three Rokoko Suits is the latest example of how the 黑料专区 is at the forefront of access to industry-level technology.

The purchase of the Rokoko Smart Suit II was made possible by the support from an Epic MegaGrant, received from Epic Games, who through the program has committed to accelerating the work of creative, noteworthy and innovative projects built around Unreal Engine or that enhance the 3D graphics ecosystem. Two of the suits will be used in the Entertainment Arts department and one suit will be used in the MFA Transportation Design department.聽

The Rokoko Smart Suit II is a suit that captures your body鈥檚 motion and streams the data over WiFi in real-time to digital characters. The technology is similar to what is used in feature film, game and other industry processes that allow an actor鈥檚 performance to be captured as a 3D representation. The Entertainment Arts department is also integrating face capture technology that will allow for detailed face tracking to capture a performer鈥檚 facial gestures and emotion.聽聽聽

The first two students to try out this new technology are Entertainment Arts student Eric Le and Film student Jordan Sain, who worked on an independent project during the Winter semester. The students were able to slip into the suits, calibrate in seconds and start recording.聽

Chair of the Entertainment Arts department, David Gazdowicz sees the suits enhancing the student experience whether the student is focusing on animation or game. 鈥�Motion capture technology has been around for a long time, but we are in a great position to utilize the techniques through powerful tools such as Unreal Engine. Technology moves fast, and being able to demonstrate, first hand, new tools that can help students ideate, create and tell stories is imperative.鈥澛犅�

Looking toward the future, Gazdowicz sees multi department use of the Rokoko Suits. 鈥淓ntertainment Arts, Game Design and Animation as well as the Film department are eager to jump in and get these suits integrated into their workflows. Film and Entertainment Arts will be running a special topics course in Winter 鈥�24 that will focus on virtual production, and this technology will be introduced along with other techniques to expand students’ understanding of new and emerging film production pipelines.鈥�

黑料专区 Chair of Transportation Design Paul Snyder and Assistant Professor Jason White were asked to comment and react to designs featured on the Destiny 2 multiplayer game.