Upcoming Dates:
Monday December 3rd: Final Day of Class! Bring your final project to class for us to view! Below will be a project description for your directed study, and a listing of everything we have worked on this semester so far!
Sunday December 9th @ 12:00 Noon: Final Deadine for updates on any previous assignments.
Directed Study Project Description:
Time Frame: Second Half of the Semester.
Project Description: The skill of a 3-D artist lies is one's ability to create purposeful 3-D content that satisfies the goals of the individual artist and the individual artwork in tandem. 3-D CGI is both a means to an end and a step in the process of larger projects. Your directed study is a chance to develop your own artistic process and create a work of art (or works) that fit your specific goals as an artist.
Pick a specialization in the 3-D arts practices we have studied. (Examples: Modeling, lighting, texturing, cinematography, animation, sculpting, rigging, visual effects, etc.) Develop 3-D content that demonstrates your exploration into this venue.
Come finals time, produce a completed work of art that demonstrates the sum of your experiences. Show us (the class) how this time has benefitted you by speaking about your development process, what you have learned, mistakes that were made, how you fixed those mistakes, and where you want to go next with your 3-D artist abilities.
Find a creative way to showcase the art you have developed. This can be in a series of images, a movie, or something else entirely!
Things to remember:
Artstation has a lot of artists that specialize in 3D arts with professoinal portfolios that demonstrate layout.
Sketchfab is an interactive website that allows users to display their projects in 3 dimensions.
A forum post that links to a bunch of overwatch character turnarounds.
Dead End Thrills is an art gallery of curated screenshots from video games.
Some general notes on building a 3-D gaming portfolio
A great example of a developed 3-D portfolio for clients.
SERVER AND FOLDER SETUP:
Make sure, no matter what you do, that a copy of everything can be saved and showcased on the computer! The layout for the first half of the semester is the same. For the second however, you will make a folder called "DirectedStudy" that contains a number of sub folders. See below:
Sunday December 9th @ 12:00 Noon: Final Deadine for updates on any previous assignments.
Directed Study Project Description:
Time Frame: Second Half of the Semester.
Project Description: The skill of a 3-D artist lies is one's ability to create purposeful 3-D content that satisfies the goals of the individual artist and the individual artwork in tandem. 3-D CGI is both a means to an end and a step in the process of larger projects. Your directed study is a chance to develop your own artistic process and create a work of art (or works) that fit your specific goals as an artist.
Pick a specialization in the 3-D arts practices we have studied. (Examples: Modeling, lighting, texturing, cinematography, animation, sculpting, rigging, visual effects, etc.) Develop 3-D content that demonstrates your exploration into this venue.
Come finals time, produce a completed work of art that demonstrates the sum of your experiences. Show us (the class) how this time has benefitted you by speaking about your development process, what you have learned, mistakes that were made, how you fixed those mistakes, and where you want to go next with your 3-D artist abilities.
Find a creative way to showcase the art you have developed. This can be in a series of images, a movie, or something else entirely!
Things to remember:
- Show it to us from multiple angles! We are making 3-D art afterall, and it is important for the audience to get the complete experience from the art that you have created.
- Package it professionally!
- Do you have an environment? Put two or three renders on a single spread!
- Did you model a character or an object? give us multiple angles!
- Remember to mark down important construction information! (Poly Count is important!)
- Do you want to use your art for a game or a movie? Pose your character! Make it move!
- Do you want to make advertisements or spreads? Build a description for your scene!
- Some examples below of ways to showcase your art:
Artstation has a lot of artists that specialize in 3D arts with professoinal portfolios that demonstrate layout.
Sketchfab is an interactive website that allows users to display their projects in 3 dimensions.
A forum post that links to a bunch of overwatch character turnarounds.
Dead End Thrills is an art gallery of curated screenshots from video games.
Some general notes on building a 3-D gaming portfolio
A great example of a developed 3-D portfolio for clients.
SERVER AND FOLDER SETUP:
Make sure, no matter what you do, that a copy of everything can be saved and showcased on the computer! The layout for the first half of the semester is the same. For the second however, you will make a folder called "DirectedStudy" that contains a number of sub folders. See below:
On the server, in the Classes —> AN410 section, create a folder with your first and last name. Create a week for each folder. You should submit animated videos of your assignments labeled as such. Any final models created in Mudbox can be submitted via “File—> export screen to PSD” In Maya, when exporting renders, be sure to check “save color-managed image” from the “save render” window.
Folder List: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6(this week), Project Folders, Directed Study, Portfolio
Week 1: (making objects in mud box. We built a simple fruit or veggie in class. You went further with the HW.)
lastname_p1_objectmodel1
lastname_p1_simplehead1
Week 2: Building character faces in mud box. Revised objects from the first week of class.
lastname_p2_objectmodel2
lastname_p2_characterhead2
lastname_p2_finalmudboxobjects
Week 3: (submit an image render of this along with your project files! more info below.)
lastname_p3_finalheadrender (created with file —> export screen to PSD)
(note, submit 7 images: front, side, 3/4 front, 3/4 back, back, from above, and below. Label them with the suffix “1,” “2,” etc.)
Week 4: (Built a scene in maya and incorporated mud box models. Incorporated texturing methods from mud box and maya together including normal maps, displacement maps, and ambient occlusion.) Submit renders from at least 3 angles.
lastname_p4_finalscene1
lastname_p4_finalscene2
lastname_p4_finalscene3
Week 5: Built a new scene, and incorporated proper UV layouts and textures into your scene. Render from three perspectives.
Note: Include snapshots (command + shift + 4) of any UV maps you have created for your textures!
lastname_p5_classcarUV
lastname_p5_finalsceneUV1
lastname_p5_finalsceneUV2
lastname_p5_finalsceneUV3
SubFolder inside Week5: UVmaps (should contain screenshots of each uv map.)
Week 6: (make a playblast of your character action scene.)
lastname_p6_actionPlayblast
ProjectFolders(from before midterms): (include project folders and files from your final character face, and you final maya environment scene here.)
Be sure to keep any project files you submit organized for viewing! Name components, textures, image packages, and any components you create in your project files! I should see a proper project folder setup here!
MAIN FOLDER ---> Directed Study: (Your directed study materials should be divided among these 7 folders. I will grade each individually as part of your project, as each covers a different stage in development of your project!
Subfolder: "research"
Place all research materials you compiled in preparation for your directed study here. If part of your research included websites, make an ORGANIZED list of websites in a word file, name and date it, and place it in this folder. Arrange any images or videos you have otherwise.
SubFolder: "project files"
Place your project files here. Make sure you optimize your files so they can be opened, and make sure ALL TEXTURES or LIGHTS are accounted for! I should be able to open your project and have access to all of your files and the like without needing to reconnect anything!
SubFolder: "renders"
Place rendered images or video of your project here. These are NOT play blasts, but full renders! Make sure you check your settings so we get full resolution, 1920x1080 images! Remember that we need multiple images from multiple points of view! No haphazard angles! Your choices matter and remember that this is part of the art that will be on display next semester!
SubFolder: "presentation materials"
Take the final artwork you have developed and create some type of package for us to view our professional work. If you are uploading it to a website, screenshot the images and layout from the website and place them here. Otherwise, any images created, documents printed, or examples produced will go here. Make sure these are also high-resolution.
SubFolder: "process"
Build either a video or series of images that documents the process of your project. Show us in images and/or video what you did to create your project! (This part is a key in any portfolio you make!)
SubFolder: "additional notes"
Write a short outline of things you have learned while working on this project. focus on mistakes made, how you fixed them, and what you would do next. This is a reminder for you, as well as a short list of notes for me to keep as well!
SubFolder: "extra credit" (Equivalent to 1/3 of a letter grade, or the difference between a C+ and a B-, or a B and a B+)
Any additional 3-D artwork you have created in your spare time can go in this folder. Include a document that describes what you were creating, how you tried to create it, and what you would do differently next time.
Finals grading will be determined by the following:
MAIN FOLDER ---> Directed Study: (Your directed study materials should be divided among these 7 folders. I will grade each individually as part of your project, as each covers a different stage in development of your project!
Subfolder: "research"
Place all research materials you compiled in preparation for your directed study here. If part of your research included websites, make an ORGANIZED list of websites in a word file, name and date it, and place it in this folder. Arrange any images or videos you have otherwise.
SubFolder: "project files"
Place your project files here. Make sure you optimize your files so they can be opened, and make sure ALL TEXTURES or LIGHTS are accounted for! I should be able to open your project and have access to all of your files and the like without needing to reconnect anything!
SubFolder: "renders"
Place rendered images or video of your project here. These are NOT play blasts, but full renders! Make sure you check your settings so we get full resolution, 1920x1080 images! Remember that we need multiple images from multiple points of view! No haphazard angles! Your choices matter and remember that this is part of the art that will be on display next semester!
SubFolder: "presentation materials"
Take the final artwork you have developed and create some type of package for us to view our professional work. If you are uploading it to a website, screenshot the images and layout from the website and place them here. Otherwise, any images created, documents printed, or examples produced will go here. Make sure these are also high-resolution.
SubFolder: "process"
Build either a video or series of images that documents the process of your project. Show us in images and/or video what you did to create your project! (This part is a key in any portfolio you make!)
SubFolder: "additional notes"
Write a short outline of things you have learned while working on this project. focus on mistakes made, how you fixed them, and what you would do next. This is a reminder for you, as well as a short list of notes for me to keep as well!
SubFolder: "extra credit" (Equivalent to 1/3 of a letter grade, or the difference between a C+ and a B-, or a B and a B+)
Any additional 3-D artwork you have created in your spare time can go in this folder. Include a document that describes what you were creating, how you tried to create it, and what you would do differently next time.
Finals grading will be determined by the following:
1: Organization of content and files. (Name everything!)
2: Surface Development: Clear silhouettes, avoidance of triangulation, efficiently designed models
3: Texturing Quality and Craftsmanship: Creation of well-designed UV maps on necessary models, textures that supplement the models crafted with minimal detection of seams.
4: Lighting Quality: Proper use of lighting to present models with respects to three dimensions. Use of cinematic or realistic lighting is carefully crafted, with necessary shadows.
5: For your playblasts(animation project before midterms): Clarity of action, believable movement, proper timing and staging.
6: Directed study documentation: Proper categorization of research materials.
7: Directed study final project (where elements apply):
8: FINAL PROJECT: Your presentation package for Monday! Keep it simple, and showcase your art the best way you can!
SOME FINAL NOTES FOR DEVELOPING 3-D ART!
In practicing: Quantity over quality: Make a lot of small things to build your skills! Spend longer times on bigger projects, but give yourself specific timelines so you can constantly create new projects!
In portfolio: QUALITY over QUANTITY! The point of any 3-D artist portfolio is to demonstrate that you understand the fundamentals needed to produce high-level art. One amazing 30-second sequence is better than a terrible few minutes! A really high quality model of an object or environment from a few different angles is better than lots of environments with questionable texturing.
Whether you are looking for industry positions or are more into conceptual development, focus on getting great at the specific skills you need most! 3-D is a huge avenue, and you do not need to know everything to become great at your specific skill set!
Job and Internship Search: Be specific about what you are looking to do! Want to work as a texture artist? Build a portfolio that centers around excellent texturing! Want to be a lighting artist? Practice lighting simple scenes!
6: Directed study documentation: Proper categorization of research materials.
7: Directed study final project (where elements apply):
- Quality of lighting,
- texturing,
- modeling,
- animation,
- cinematography,
- edgeflow,
- polycount,
- and overall look of final creation.
8: FINAL PROJECT: Your presentation package for Monday! Keep it simple, and showcase your art the best way you can!
SOME FINAL NOTES FOR DEVELOPING 3-D ART!
In practicing: Quantity over quality: Make a lot of small things to build your skills! Spend longer times on bigger projects, but give yourself specific timelines so you can constantly create new projects!
In portfolio: QUALITY over QUANTITY! The point of any 3-D artist portfolio is to demonstrate that you understand the fundamentals needed to produce high-level art. One amazing 30-second sequence is better than a terrible few minutes! A really high quality model of an object or environment from a few different angles is better than lots of environments with questionable texturing.
Whether you are looking for industry positions or are more into conceptual development, focus on getting great at the specific skills you need most! 3-D is a huge avenue, and you do not need to know everything to become great at your specific skill set!
Job and Internship Search: Be specific about what you are looking to do! Want to work as a texture artist? Build a portfolio that centers around excellent texturing! Want to be a lighting artist? Practice lighting simple scenes!
