3D Environment Artist leads Image Arts Immersive Imaging course

Nansy Khanano, one of the first hired Unreal Generalists at Canada’s largest virtual production company, Pixomondo (external link, opens in new window) , is leading students through FPN537 Immersive Imaging (external link, opens in new window)  this term. Khanano, a 3D environment and Unreal Engine virtual production artist who has mastered the art of generating and producing virtual environments, brings her expertise from the award-winning company to the classroom.

Khanano brings a mastery of prototyping, building 3D environments, modeling, texturing, engine optimization, and integration, and is ready to share her industry knowledge and skills with students as they embark on their own career journeys. 

Immersive Imaging is a pilot course running out of Image Arts and currently being offered to IMA, RTA and Performance students.  In the future, the course will be available to all students under the name Gaming Engines.

Building a course around the creation of virtual environments

Following Khanano’s suggestion during a brainstorming session with other members of the Image Arts faculty, the course takes students through the process of building an immersive environment in Unreal Engine (external link, opens in new window)  in order to gain hands-on experience in advanced real-time 3D creation for photoreal visuals and immersive experiences. Unreal Engine is a game engine used to create the highest-quality games, films, visualizations, and designs.

From production to post-production, students utilize sources from still photographs, motion graphics, and motion picture stereography to create a final immersive experience they will present to an audience. 

Highlighting the different paths within the industry

Having been an Unreal Generalist at Pixomondo helped Khanano shape the flow of the course. “I worked on environments for StarTrek: Discovery, StarTrek: Strange New Worlds and a new live action series on Netflix: Avatar: The Last Airbender,” she shares. “Going from a computer screen to a large scale LED wall is a really wonderful experience, especially when the actors immerse themselves.”

Unreal Engine is a robust program that has begun to overlap many industries. With this in mind, Khanano wants students to know their options within the industry. “We’ve talked about different applications in the industry and discussed specific pipelines where Unreal Engine might be used, for example: animation, virtual production, game development and advertising,” she says. “I’m looking forward to showing the students all the different paths they can take to get into this industry.”

Matching students’ passion with leading industry professionals

RTA Media professor Dr. Kristopher Alexander, who wrote the course and sought out Khanano as the instructor, notes the ways in which having her join The Creative School will make an impact.  "With interactive 3D engines like Unreal Engine not just representing the future, but the present of media production, having industry members such as Nansy, who come directly from one of the leaders in the space, Pixomondo, is a clear indication of the tangible steps we are taking at The Creative School to match students passion for production, with their path of study,” he says. “This is in addition to working alongside the brilliant Julie Lottering (external link, opens in new window) , Director of Unreal Engine Education at Epic Games, to help forge a concrete path for our students in the interactive 3D space.”

For students looking to break into the industry, Khanano offers very practical advice: create a profile on LinkedIn, get on relevant discord servers to become part of the community and share your work with industry members, and volunteer for events like the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (external link, opens in new window)  (TAAFI), EGLX (external link, opens in new window) , and the Toronto International Film Festival (external link, opens in new window)  (TIFF). “Get involved with the management and get to know the different studios around the area,” she says. “The more people you know and the more your name is out there, the more you’ll be on everyone’s mind.”

Connect with Khanano on Twitter (external link, opens in new window)  or LinkedIn (external link, opens in new window)  and explore more of her work on ArtStation (external link, opens in new window) .

The Creative School at Ryerson University

The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.