A benchmark in 3D animation, VFX and video games
Located in the creative district on the Ile de Nantes, ESMA offers a modern and stimulating learning environment. The campus boasts professional facilities that meet industry standards, including drawing rooms, animation studios and high-performance computer workstations equipped with leading 3D and VFX software.
As part of an innovative environment combining creative companies, production studios, third places and cultural spaces, ESMA Nantes is at the heart of an ecosystem dedicated to images, 3D animation and special effects. This strategic location allows students to immerse themselves fully in the animation, VFX and digital creation professions.
Courses at ESMA NANTES
ESMA Nantes offers a full range of courses dedicated to animation, special effects and video games. Each course combines artistic excellence, technical expertise and immersion in the professional realities of the sector.
Prep Entertainment
A preparatory year dedicated to acquiring the essential foundations in drawing, volume and visual storytelling. This course helps students confirm their professional orientation and acquire the skills they need before training in 3D animation or video games.
3D Animation & Special Effects
A 5-year degree programme with RNCP level 7 certification, covering the entire process of creating an animated film: storyboarding, modelling, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering and compositing. The course culminates in the creation of a collective short film, which is presented before an international jury – a real springboard for showcasing your artistic vision.
Video Game
A 4-year course to specialise in video game professions: Game Artist, Level Designer, Technical Artist. The course covers graphic design, gameplay programming, UX/UI design, prototyping and the production of finished video games.
Gradual professional immersion
Throughout their course, students benefit from the support of professionals from 3D animation, VFX and video game studios. Through projects, workshops and masterclasses, they apply their skills in a professional way. In their final year, they create a short animated film or a complete video game, which they present to a panel of professionals.
A top-of-the-range campus dedicated to 3D creation, animation and video games
ESMA Nantes is located in the heart of the Île de Nantes, in an environment dedicated to visual innovation and the creative industries. The campus offers a stimulating educational environment, designed to train future experts in 3D animation, special effects and video games.
Equipped with cutting-edge professional facilities, the site has animation studios, drawing workshops, sound studios and computer rooms equipped with high-performance workstations. The software most widely used by international studios, such as Maya, Houdini, Blender, Unity and Unreal Engine, is fully integrated here, enabling us to master every stage of production: concept art, modelling, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, compositing and video-game development.
The campus also encourages teamwork and creativity through shared, collaborative spaces. This immersive environment enables students to develop practical, operational skills in 3D animation and VFX, as well as video game design and production, for successful integration into the most innovative sectors of the digital and entertainment industries.
Suitable accommodation solutions close to the campus
ESMA Nantes is making it easier for students to find accommodation thanks to its partnership with Artemisia, a specialist in modern student residences. Ideally located right next to the campus, the Artemisia student residence in Nantes offers more than 200 flats tailored to the needs of students: furnished studios from 18 to 25 m² or shared flats. Each unit is fully equipped for optimum comfort. Students also benefit from a wide range of services, including broadband internet access, laundry facilities and communal areas. A turnkey solution for students studying 3D animation, VFX or video games, looking for practical, comfortable student accommodation close to ESMA Nantes.
This proximity means you can fully enjoy the ESMA experience, strengthen student links and get actively involved in campus life. For those looking for other alternatives, Nantes has a wide choice of private student residences, shared flats and self-catering accommodation in lively, well-served areas of the city.
By choosing to live close to the campus, students benefit from a dynamic environment at the heart of Nantes’ creative ecosystem, conducive to academic and professional success.
The benchmark school for 3D animation, VFX and video games
Nantes, a booming creative hub
Nantes is a major centre for the cultural and creative industries, with numerous studios specialising in 3D animation and video games. The city is home to renowned players such as La Pompadour and Blackmeal, and is part of a dynamic context dedicated to images, digital technology and visual innovation.
Nantes is also a hub for major events in the digital arts and visual creation, which encourage professional connections.
A gateway to employment in French and international studios
Training at ESMA Nantes enables students to master the key skills sought by creative studios in France and abroad. Thanks to the alumni network and its many partnerships, students have easier access to leading studios in 3D animation, VFX and video games.
At the end of each stage of the course, you will gain recognised technical and artistic expertise, a real passport to the creative industries and a career in the digital professions.
Nantes, a creative and vibrant student city
Renowned for its dynamism and creativity, Nantes is one of France’s most attractive student cities. As the cultural capital of the West, Nantes is renowned for its heritage, its commitment to the creative industries and its privileged living environment.
Between the lively banks of the Loire, the Machines de l’Île, the narrow streets of the Bouffay and the many festivals dedicated to the digital arts, Nantes inspires as much as it connects to the players in the creative and technological sector.
The ESMA Nantes campus is located on the Île de Nantes, in the heart of the creative district, very close to the city centre and easily accessible by tram or bus. The TGV high-speed train station provides a quick link to Paris, and Nantes Atlantique airport offers flights to major European capitals.
Nantes combines innovation, culture and quality of life, creating an ideal environment for training in 3D animation, special effects and video games.