SE# DM410: Advanced 3-D Computer
Animation
Location: Mac Lab 3 - Room 004
Instructor: Michael Shaw
Time: Monday and Wednesday 1:00 PM -
3:30 PM
Contact: mshaw@mca.edu |
901.282.3902
Office Hours: M and W: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Course Description:
Welcome to DM 410! This course explores the finer
workings of producing 3-D computer-animated content and the processes we have
at our disposal for achieving this! The course takes advantage of
ALL the tools we have at our disposal to take creative approaches at creating
characters, environments, animated movies, effects, and everything in
between! This class is unique in the sense that you are given a
choice for specialization during the midpoint of the semester! In spending the
first half to pursue a number of different intermediate goals, you develop the
necessary skills to investigate new forms of art making in the second half of
the semester.
Think: How do you see yourself using 3-D CG art? Where does
it fit into your future portfolio?
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Methods of Study – The Flow of Class is
as follows:
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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 any autodesk software
we use 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 portfolio 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 animation exploration!
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:
----------------------------------------
1. Character
Modeling and Character Sculpting: Modeling via Mudbox.
Vertices and Polygons vs. Sculpting via subdivision modeling programs.
2. Character
Creation and Kinematics: How to create structures for a 3-D
character or object of your creation, or integrate pre-fabricated resources
into your workflow. How to make the subsequent form function properly within an
animation.
3. Character
Animation using Pre-Constructed Rigs:
4. Blocking
in Character Action:
5. Working
sound and audio into 3-D animation:
6. Optimization: Making
an animated 3-D production in a Reasonable Time
7. Lighting
and texturing:
8. DIRECTED
STUDY: A half-semester long investigation into a topic of your choice, where I
instruct you in the creation of 3-D art that fits into your larger goals as an
artist, or your experimental studies in class!
Keep these questions in mind:
-What
are you wanting to develop?
-How
is it made?
-How
will you create it?
-How
do you showcase your artwork in its appropriate environment?
Notes:
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.
•
Immediately submit an online tech
request to report any problems with a lab computer or printer.
-------Assignments and Requirements
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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 misses 6 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 30 minutes after class begins will be considered absent for the rest of
the day. 4 absences results in a loss of one letter grade. Three tardies equate
to one absence. If you miss, you must catch up on assignments via consulting
other students first, 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:
•
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!
•
$100 Deposit to check out audio
equipment. (Optional)
* Autodesk Software can be downloaded for free from their website.
•
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.
•
ADDITONAL:
◦
Lynda.com through the Memphis public
library: This is an amazing website with a myriad of materials for
learning the ins and outs of a number of software programs. I will also provide some extra resources later this semester! More details in time!
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.
*Your portfolio upkeep factors into your grades for each
major assignment handled out of class.*
Assignments are due at the beginning of class. 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
You must receive copyright permission for all non-public
domain media used in your film projects. 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.
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:
• 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.
EPA MANDATE:
Memphis College of Art students and faculty are required to follow
the standards detailed in the "OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health
Administration) Guidelines” materials located throughout the institution.
