COURSE# AN310 | 3-D Computer Animation
Location: Mac Lab 4 – Room 202
Instructor: Michael Shaw
Time: Monday and Wednesday
Block A: 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Block B: 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Course Description:
Welcome to AN 310! This course explores the finer workings of
producing 3-D content and the processes we have at our disposal for achieving
this endeavor! The course utilizes
modern 3-D and CGI tools to create environments, high-resolution models, cinematic
studio lighting and realistic lighting, as well as 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!
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 2016, 2017 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 building a body of work you will turn in at the
end of the semester. These projects
include short sequences, models, environments, and animation tests. 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 3-D.
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!
-------Assignments
and Requirements ------
You are required
to attend class everyday, on time. We will start class @ 9:00 every day,
unless otherwise noted. The first 7 minutes of class will be for students
to load projects and assemble assignments for the day. Any student in the door
after 9:07 will be considered tardy. As with the Student Handbook, students who
miss 6 days of class (three weeks of course instruction) 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 30 minutes after class
begins will be considered absent for the rest of the day. 4 absences (two weeks
worth of absences) result in a loss of one letter grade. Three tardies equate
to one absence.
------- IN THE EVENT THAT YOU ARE ABSENT
--------
If you are absent, you must catch up on
assignments via consulting other students first, and myself via email second. 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. It is YOUR responsibility to
stay caught up in class during the semester.
----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 depends on turning each of your assignments in on time at
designated checkpoints. As long as you
are meeting current deadlines, all assignments can be turned in for final
review at the end of the semester. Any
missed checkpoints during the semester will factor into your final grade for
that project/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.
Western
Digital Example:
3)
3TB My Passport
(Already formatted for mac) https://tinyurl.com/driveexample
for keeping track of your computer files.
4) A three(3)-button computer mouse: These can be purchased anywhere. You want to bring one with a scroll wheel to class so you can better navigate maya! A good mouse will only cost $5 - $10.
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 portfolio upkeep.
Always BACK UP YOUR FILES IN THREE SEPARATE PLACES. In the event
that you lose your projects, remember that I can not grade what does not
exist! 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. Utilize
google drive, external hard drives, cloud storage solutions like Dropbox, and
other uses!
Copyright
LEARNING ACCOMMODATIONS:
In compliance with MCA policy and equal access laws, I
am available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that you may
require as a student with a disability. Request for academic accommodations
need to be made during the first week of the semester, except for unusual
circumstances, so arrangements can be made.
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:
