COURSE# AN310 | 3-D Computer Animation
Location: Mac Lab 4
Instructor: Michael Shaw
Time: Monday and Wednesday 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Course Description:
Welcome to DM 310! This course explores the finer workings of
producing 3-D content and the processes we have at our disposal for achieving
this! The course takes advantage of the
tools we have at our disposal to take creative approaches at creating
environments, hires models, studio and realistic lighting, introductory
animation and video renders! The computers are outfitted with all the software
needed to make the work of your choosing!
While in this class, every student will be given the chance later in the
semester to pick a focus for a “final 3-D assignment,” where the student will
be given the opportunity to produce content within a centralized medium and
theme.
Methods of Study – The Flow of Class is as follows:
Class Readings / Video Demonstrations:
Due to the nature of our content, each week,
students will be given video demonstrations and reference material to cover new
material discussed in class. This will serve as preparation for the next
class’s content as well as permanent resources for you! For those interested in
additional content, please be advised I will give a recommended reading list a
few weeks into the semester, once you understand the basics. These books are
optional, but may improve your understanding of the material!
In-class discussion and lessons:
Often we will reflect on the material in
class via group discussion. This is an opportunity to field questions and
prepare us for content creation. Often
we will consider strategies, methods, and established concepts, then innovate
our own.
Interactive Demonstrations:
For our class: Demonstrations will often be
given with an interactive twist. You will be asked to demonstrate a skill,
which we will then add on to, piece by piece.
This will be done to help you learn, implement, and master new
techniques for art making within this class!
In addition to this: You can
download a copy of Maya 2015 and Mudbox from the Autodesk website for free.
They will be compatible with the computers in Mac Lab 3, so you will be able to
do work from home computers/laptops, granted you have the proper software
updates! The goal of all class work and lessons will be to give you the tools
necessary to develop into a better artist, character modeler, designer, and
animator!
Projects:
Projects will be divided into two types:
In-Class projects will be shorter assignments
tied to demonstrations. These are projects that will help you understand and
implement new concepts. Often they will
be due at the end of class, or by the end of the following class.
Large-scale projects will be the longer
assignments that work towards the body of work you will turn in at the end of
the semester. These projects include
short films, models, environments, and animation tests that we will produce
throughout the semester. For some of
these assignments, you will be given the choice to work together as a group, or
alone. Prior to the first assignment where this is a possibility, we will have
a day where we discuss group dynamics. Each project will be executed in stages
including the following: Investigation; Brainstorming; Creation; Reflection;
Revision.
Reflection time will be given for the day
after a project is turned in. We will take a day to review all assignments, and
come back to class with our findings in an open discussion. This process gives
you the tools to leave what (for many of you) is your final animation class
with the ability to direct yourself into new avenues of exploration! This will
help you quite a bit when we get to professional development
Class time will be divided between
instruction and implementation, both often occurring at once. You will be notified of any scheduled studio
days for projects. On those days, I will be in class and serve as a guide to
help with problems, critique assignments, and answer questions!
Fields of Study Include:
----------------------------------------
Basic Maya Interface: Learning how
to work in 3D.
Lighting: How to create bones for a 3-D
Character of your creation, and how to make the subsequent skeleton function
properly within an animation. (We actually have a software granted to us by a
third party to help alleviate this process! i.e. save time!)
Texturing: The meat of this class: How to apply your 2-D animation skills in a
3D environment, and make believably moving and acting 3-D characters!
Modeling: What it is, how to do it, and how
to do it faster?
Mudbox and Organic Modeling: How
to integrate organic 3D modeling software into your workflow.
Cinematography: Using
Cameras in 3-D Animation
Blend Shapes: Making an
animated objections morph and act in space.
Basic Character Animation: Using a pre-constructed rig to practice character
animation and movement!
Course Goals:
DEPARTMENTAL OUTCOMES:
Students will demonstrate
the capability to organize and present concepts verbally.
Students will demonstrate
the capability to organize and present concepts audibly.
Students will produce
evidence of an understanding of the methods of audio production.
Students will be able to
coherently communicate the content their audio productions.
Students will demonstrate
the time management skills necessary to complete the entire sound creation
process.
Students will demonstrate
the capability to effectively publish their audio production via the web, and
integrate it into their current body of work.
PROFESSIONAL OUTCOMES:
Students will demonstrate
the ability to write an artist statement.
Students will demonstrate
the ability to document their work.
Students will demonstrate
basic computer/software literacy applicable to their field.
Students will demonstrate
the ability to give a public presentation about their work.
Students will demonstrate
the ability to research to stay current in their field.
Students will demonstrate
basic knowledge of communication etiquette in their field.
Students
will demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively.
-------Assignments
and Requirements ------
You
are required to attend class everyday, on time.
We will start class @ 1:00 every day, unless otherwise noted. As with the Student Handbook, students who
miss 3 days of class will fail the
course. This will be strictly enforced.
Prior to this event, any student that must miss a day needs to notify me ahead
of time, long before the start of class.
Anyone who wonders into class at least 1 hour after class begins will be
considered absent for the rest of the day. Three tardies equate to one absence.
If you miss, you must catch up on assignments via consulting other students,
and myself via email. I reserve the right to notify students ahead of time for
any day that MUST NOT BE MISSED due to course content be it finals,
assessments, midterms, or other coursework.
----Turning
in Assignments -----
Each
Assignment will be due on a scheduled date, given at the beginning of the
assignment. Often, this will be the day
before the class, to give students time to listen to, and review other
students’ work. Part of your grade will
be your review of the creations of your peers. We will remain objective
throughout, even when we are delving into content that goes beyond our personal
taste. When it comes to late
assignments, assignments will drop a letter grade each day they are late. After
3 days, I will not accept your assignment.
Supplies:
1)
Sketchbook and Notebook for taking notes. You will want to keep
track of your notes and illustrations. I expect you to make comments and
constantly critique your own work, in addition to others!
2)
External Hard Drive: Can purchase online and use with other
classes. If you already have it, great! If not, it’s an investment that can
last you long beyond your undergraduate career.
The Computers primarily use USB 3.0 connections. The hard drives listed
below are examples, compatible with mac and PC, but require formatting to go
cross-platform.
3)
Personal camera for photographic reference.
GRADING:
Each assignment will be awarded a grade based on the following
rubric. Plus(+) and minus(-) will denote more or less intricate mastery of
objectives. Students will be allowed to turn in higher-quality versions
of their projects midterm for a higher grade.
Group assignments will be graded on individual achievement, and
group achievement. Both grades count 50% of any group assignment.
A - Excellent. Assignment objectives are completed above and beyond the
course requirements to great effort and great success. Technical and
conceptual skills are on display in a masterfully coherent manner with clean
craftsmanship.
B - Proficient. The assignment completed
demonstrates most mastery of the skills presented, and objectives are completed
beyond course goals. Much effort, and a clear and concise direction shines
through the final result. There are still a few issues that can be pushed further.
C - Competent. The assignment completed
demonstrates relative mastery of the skills presented, and objectives are
completed to average sufficiency. Assignments are successful, and
craftsmanship and technical skills are on display -- All are completed at an
average level.
D - Deficient. The assignments completed are missing demonstrations of the
skills presented, and/or required objectives have yet to be completed. There
are conceptual and technical flaws and hurdles that have not been overcome.
F - Failure. The majority of the project
is either not completed, and/or objectives for assignment are not met.
Final Grades will be based on a comprehensive average of all of
your projects, as well as midterm and final milestones for blog upkeep.
*Your blog upkeep factors into your grades for each major
assignment handled out of class.*
Assignments are due at 9 a.m. on their scheduled dates. Loss of
data, files, or other associated items needed for any assignment or project
will require that you recreate your work, with no exceptions. You are solely
responsible for the security of your files. Your files are not 100% secure on
the server or computer. You should have multiple copies on multiple sources at
all times. No files are safe unless backed up to 3 locations. (Example:
Personal hard drive or flash drive, school network, personal computer, or web
service. Note: you can store work on dropbox. We will discuss cloud
storage.)
Copyright
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students with a special learning need are
encouraged to let their instructor know at the beginning of the course.
Reasonable accommodations (such as extended time for exams, readers, scribes,
and interpreters) are provided on an individual basis as determined by
documented need. It is the student’s responsibility to provide authorized documentation to Student Affairs or Achievement Center Support Staff as early in the
semester as possible.
Course
Content and Title IX Reporting
Students should be aware that information
disclosed to faculty (whether through assignments or as a personal disclosure)
that indicate experiencing sexual harassment, abuse, or violence while a
student at Memphis College of Art, requires that your instructor as a
“mandatory reporter” disclose this information to Student Affairs staff to
ensure students’ safety and welfare are addressed. Student Affairs staff will
contact you, and/or those involved, to make you aware of accommodations,
remedies, and resources available at Memphis College of Art.
HEALTH and SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
As more and more work, education and recreation involves computers, everyone
needs to be aware of the hazard of Repetitive Strain Injury to the hands and
arms resulting from the use of computer keyboards and mice. This can be a
serious and very painful condition that is far easier to prevent that cure once
contracted, and can occur even in young physically fit individuals. Paul
Marxhausen - visit his site below.
http://eeshop.unl.edu/rsi.html
http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/rsi.html
DEPARTMENT AND LAB POLICIES:
Immediately submit an online
tech request to report any
problems with a lab computer or printer.
Main MCA computing info site = mca.edu/labs --
go here for answers to frequently asked questions and online tutorials for MCA
specific technologies.
No Food or Drinks in Lab.
Keep the Lab Clean. Dispose of all trash -- Paper scraps, old
media etc.
Leave your workstation in an orderly fashion. All materials left
on the desktop will be deleted. Organize files within the documents folder on
your account. Delete your trash from your desktop and trash bin.
Back up work to an external source. Remember files are only safe
if they exist in 3 separate locations. MCA servers are not to be considered
secure and used only for temporary storage.
Log Out of your workstation prior to your departure. Upon your
departure, the chair should be pushed in. Your monitor, keyboard and mouse
should be placed in their proper positions.
COPYRIGHT:
You must receive copyright permission for all non-public domain
media used in projects. (Music, film footage, etc.) Public domain
material can be found at http://www.publicdomain.org/ and
http://www.creativecommons.org. Visit American University's Center for
Social Media Website for detailed information regarding the difference between
rights infringement and fair use. We will discuss fair-use policies during
class.
OSHA MANDATE:
Memphis College of Art students and faculty are required to follow
the standards detailed in the OSHA material safety
guidelines
