Talbot Heath School | 3D Computer Games and Animation Club - Summer 2026
Course Description:
This five-day course is the perfect introduction to the world of game development and character animation! Whether you’re interested in building your own video game, animating a 3D character, or diving into the world of Fortnite or Unreal Engine game creation, this course has something for everyone. Students can choose to focus on a single area or explore all areas during the week – no prior experience required!
This year, student will be able to choose Unreal Engine or Fortnite (Unreal Engine for Fortnite) to create their games. Within UEFN, we have a further choice of creating Star Wars, KPOP Demon Hunters and LEGO games!
Hosted at Talbot Heath School in Bournemouth, BH4 9NJ, this introductory course for boys and girls (from any school) is aimed at all ages and ideal for beginners – absolutely no prior experience is necessary.
Unreal Engine and Fortnite
Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) is a powerful creation tool that brings the full capabilities of Unreal Engine to the Fortnite ecosystem. Designed for developers, artists, and creators, UEFN allows users to build, script, and publish custom islands and experiences using advanced tools like Blueprints, Verse scripting, Niagara VFX, and high-fidelity lighting. It supports collaborative workflows, enabling teams to work together in real time. With seamless integration into Fortnite, UEFN empowers creators to push the boundaries of gameplay, visual storytelling, and interactive design – bridging professional game development with the massive, global Fortnite audience.
Star Wars® Creation in UEFN
LEGO® Creation in UEFN
KPOP® Demon Hunter in UEFN
Unreal Engine 5
Step into a galaxy far, far away and create your own Star Wars-inspired worlds using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN).
Bring iconic Star Wars characters to your islands, including Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, and The Mandalorian, alongside Rebel troops, Stormtroopers, Jawas, and rideable Tauntauns. Expand gameplay with a range of vehicles, from agile N-1 Starfighters to X-wings, TIE Fighters, and ground-based AAT tanks, all customisable via spawner devices. Players can also access an extensive arsenal of over 25 weapons, including character-specific Lightsabers, blasters, the Wookiee Bowcaster, and powerful turrets. Together, these tools enable creators to design immersive, action-packed Star Wars experiences, combining aerial combat, ground battles, and cinematic storytelling within Fortnite’s creative ecosystem.
Set your inner child free and create a magical, fantastical, quirky LEGO® experience in Fortnite Creative and Unreal Editor for Fortnite. LEGO® Islands feature more than just exclusive content – they also have custom settings, a unique scale, and more that makes them a uniquely LEGO experience!
Building with LEGO assets means learning to think about how to use these assets inside Fortnite. Players move and interact on a LEGO Island in the same way Fortnite characters do, just on a smaller scale, and with a few features just for these islands.
Step into a vibrant, music-driven world inspired by K-Pop Demon Hunters and create your own high-energy Fortnite experiences. Students will design stylised environments, characters, and gameplay that blend music, performance, and action, drawing on bold visuals and fast-paced storytelling.
Using UEFN tools such as Blueprints, and real-time effects, learners can build rhythm-based challenges, combat encounters, and cinematic sequences. From character-driven gameplay to dynamic stage environments, this theme encourages creativity, visual design, and interactive storytelling – while developing practical game development skills in a fun and contemporary setting.
Unreal Engine is a powerful real-time 3D creation platform developed by Epic Games, widely used in game development, film, animation, architecture, and virtual production. Renowned for its high-fidelity graphics, advanced lighting systems, and cinematic tools, Unreal Engine empowers creators to build immersive and photorealistic experiences across multiple platforms.
It features a visual scripting system called Blueprints, robust animation and physics tools, and support for real-time ray tracing. With its open-source framework and cross-industry adoption, Unreal Engine is a versatile tool that blends creative flexibility with technical power, enabling both individuals and large studios to push the boundaries of interactive storytelling.
Activities
Game Creation
Using the world-famous Unreal Engine – the same software used to create games such as Fortnite and TV shows such as Star Wars: The Mandalorian, students will learn how to make their very own 3D game in just a few days, from a choice of 3D platformer, Racing Game or Shooter.
The first two days cover foundational skills required to navigate and populate assets within the Unreal Engine and UEFN. Key features are explored through a series of small, incremental tasks that cover key learning outcomes and allow students to complete their first 3D game using the Fortnite world or customised assets. The remaining days allow for the creation of a more feature-rich and graphics-intensive game, complete with environments, sound, lighting, animation and AI (artificial intelligence), with a strong focus on learning while playing. Our expert staff will guide the construction of the core gameplay elements, but students will also be encouraged to explore, experiment and extend the game in any way that they choose.
Students will be able to either create their own bespoke level using our customised world or, if they prefer, create their own Fortnite or Windows-compatible game.
Character Animation
Using industry-standard 3D software, students will learn how to animate several characters, introducing the theory and practices associated with character animation and performance.
The course covers foundational skills: the 3D application software and UI, animation workflows, basic physics, giving an object the illusion of weight, how objects move through space and applying our knowledge via a bouncing ball exercise.
We then move to creating more complex body mechanics, including walks and jumps, and navigating around obstacles. Our expert staff will introduce observation techniques and the art of animating whilst encouraging students to explore and experiment with the tools.
Students can also export their characters into the Unreal Game Engine for lighting and shot setup.
“My son absolutely loved the course! Because there was a ‘partial’ world set up it meant he could really make visible changes and see how his coding impacted. The instructors were attentive and let the students go at their own pace - I would certainly recommend this course to anyone interested in coding and gaming!”
Alison
Parent, Bournemouth
“I did the 2-day game development course and really enjoyed it. I love gaming but had never done any game development before the course. I learned loads including creating character controls, developing NPCs, sizing characters and creating scenes. By the end of the course I had developed a game and I would definitely recommend this course to anyone interested in gaming“
James
Student aged 13, Bournemouth
“I have really enjoyed cgApprentice, and have learned a lot about the Unreal engine and how to design video games with it. It is a pleasant and enjoyable place to learn and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to make their own games“.
Murphy
Student aged 15, Bournemouth
Course dates
One event is available:
27th July to 31st July 2026 | Students aged 8 to 16
Course Cost
This five-day course costs £295
–> Book your place using this link <–
https://forms.gle/sEU2X6n8WXyxdwm3A
You will be taken to a form where you can add the participant’s details and find payment instructions. Any questions, please email info@cgapprentice.com
Topics Covered
• Using the Unreal Engine (standalone) or Unreal Engine for Fortnite • UI and Navigation • Sound • Animation • Visual Programming • Puzzle Creation • Physics Simulations • Materials • Lighting • Spawning enemies and allies • Dataflow • Datatypes and Conversion • Input • Variables • Incrementing • Functions • Arrays • Loops • Packaging a game for Windows 10/11 Computer •
Hardware and Software
Talbot Heath’s new suite of Laptops will be used to run the Unreal Engine, Fortnite and ROBLOX Studio; pre-loaded with all the necessary software, scene files and assets. The software is free to download and use – so pupils can continue to explore their new skills at home!
About cgApprentice
cgApprentice is dedicated to bringing world-class education in animation, games and VFX into British schools. Our courses are written by leading educators, and we are the proud recipients of an Epic MegaGrant, awarded by the makers of the Unreal Engine in recognition of our innovative and inclusive approach to learning.
Timetable
Monday to Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|
Morning Session 01 | 09.00 - 10.30 | 09.00 - 10.30 |
Morning Session 02 | 11.00 - 12.30 | 11.00 - 12.15 |
Afternoon Session | 13.30 - 15.15 | --- |
Pickup Time | 15.30 | 12.30 |
Address
Talbot Heath School, Rothesay Rd, Talbot Woods, Bournemouth BH4 9NJ
Unreal Engine is the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool. Continuously evolving to serve not only its original purpose as a state-of-the-art game engine, today it gives creators across industries the freedom and control to deliver cutting-edge content, interactive experiences, and immersive virtual worlds.
The Unreal Engine is used in several creative sectors, Computer Games, Architecture, Film and Television, Training and Simulation and Automative & Transportation.
Create cutting-edge interactive and immersive gaming experiences with the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation platform. Designed for teams of all sizes and titles of all genres, Unreal Engine is behind some of the most successful games of all time.
https://www.unrealengine.com/
arVEE is our virtualised computer environment, allowing students to immediately access virtual workstations on the cloud, reducing the need for costly IT infrastructure. In this scenario, we can provide a virtualised high-end workstation to the students at the touch of a button; all they need is a low-end Windows PC or Mac and an internet connection.
The virtual environment can be run via a small application installed on the machine, or run via a internet browser, offering a secure environment that respects the need for privacy, safety and data security.
Our virtual environment spec is normally as follows:
- Windows 10 Operating System
- NVIDIA T4 Tensor Core GPUs for lightning-fast graphics
- 16 or 32 GiB RAM
- Cloud-based storage
- Simple client or Internet browser access to our learning infrastructure
- Safe and secure sandbox environment
With arVEE, partner schools can use their existing suite
of Windows PCs and Macs to easily and remotely access
cgApprentice’s fleet of high-powered workstations. These
workstations are optimised for intensive graphics work and
game development and come pre-installed with the latest
industry-standard software.
arVEE can be accessed via a small downloadable client, or via your computer’s browser. To ensure a real-time experience, we advise a 5 Mbps connection.
From there, our classes and learning materials give step-by-step guidance on how to create complete 3D games, along the way covering a range of valuable topics and subject areas, from maths and coding to colour theory and design language.
cgApprentice classes are written by internationally-renowned educators with a proven track record and a wealth of experience – their students have gone on to work on amazing projects including Jurassic Park, Skyfall, Star Wars, Red Dead Redemption 2, Avengers, Paddington, Total War series of games and Blade Runner 2049 to name a few.