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|Class Info |VM363 Advanced Computer Animation |

|Fall Term 2016 | |

|Tuesdays and Thursdays | |

|2PM-3:45PM | |

| |Description: The second course in the two-course computer animation sequence, introducing |

|September 8- December 20 |students to advanced three-dimensional modeling and animation techniques and preparing them |

|4 Credits |for independent computer animation production work. Continues to develop skills acquired in |

| |computer animation, including modeling, texturing objects, composing and lighting scenes, |

|Instructor Info |animating, dynamics, rendering, and post-production compositing. |

|Jason Wiser, MFA | |

|JasonWiserArt@ |Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course students will gain an |

|Available daily by email. |understanding of how to design, model, texture, rig, and animate 3D characters for animation |

| |and games. Students will develop tools for solving visual story and production pipeline |

|Estimated Homework: |problems, and create a 3D film. The course will be delivered in the form of studio projects, |

|10+ Hours/week to pass, including weekly 3D art, research,|individual and class critiques, lectures, discussions, workshops and readings. |

|and writing. | |

These learning objectives will be accomplished by: Weekly pre-production and production assignments. In-class and at-home design, planning, production, reading, research, & writing, including individual and group work. Lecture & Laboratory. Teacher and peer critique.

REQUIRED TECHNOLOGY: Students will use in class every week: computer with 3D software (Autodesk Maya and Mudbox, free with .EDU email: students.), 2D painting software (Photoshop or other preferred tool), and a Digital Drawing Tablet (small Wacom), all of which will be taught in this course.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Notes/Drawing (pencils/sketchpad). Data Drive (at least 32 gigs).

RECOMMENDED TEXTS: Hand-outs supplied by teacher and the following books:

On Directing Film by David Mamet ISBN-10: 0140127224

Maya Visual Effects The Innovator's Guide 2nd Ed by Eric Keller ISBN-10: 1118441605

GRADING POLICY

20% Twice Weekly Class Participation and Attendance.

10% Three-week Production Practice Clip Project

10% Theme Paper (4 pages on chosen source material and developed themes in your film)

10% Maya or After Effects VFX Presentation

20% Film Pre-production: Storyboard, Character Designs, Shot List, Color Script.

30% Full 3D Film Production: Models, Textures, Rigs, Animation, and Post-Processing

WEEKLY BREAKDOWN

All homework to be submitted to Piazza by noon the day of class (JPG, MOV, or DOC). Please respond to 3 classmates every week.

WEEK 1: Intro to Course, Expectations, and Projects. Zero Drafting Models and Textures.

Thurs Sept 8: Review of animation and modeling tools. 

           HW 1: Choose a Practice Clip from the provided list and build primitive set in Maya.

Read Frost Essay & submit Original Film Concept Doc (pitch, story, sketches)

WEEK 2: Practice Clip Pipeline: Storyboarding and Animation.

     Tues Sept 13: Cinematography, Storyboarding and Shotlists. FK Character Proxies.

           HW 2: Practice Clip Storyboard and Shotlist

     Thurs Sept 15: Rough Animation: Camera and Character Blocking. Basic Lighting. 

           HW 3: Draft all Practice Clip animation. Submit Playblasts with Audio.

Original Story concepts are reviewed by teacher and peers on Piazza

WEEK 3: Rigging 2: Intro Character Rigging

     Tues Sept 20: Intro to Rigging: FK Rigs and Skinning, Character FK Set-up

           HW 4: Revise all Practice Clip character animation. Submit Playblasts with Audio.

     Thurs Sept 22: Character IK Set-up

           HW 5: Revised Original Film Stories and Draw Initial Storyboards: JPGs

Lowman Animation Practice: Emotional Walk Cycle 1

Practice Clips are reviewed by teacher and peers on Piazza

WEEK 4: Rigging 3: Advanced Character Rigging

     Tues Sept 27: Character Rig Controllers/ Set Driven Key

           HW 6: Draw Original Orthographic Character Diagrams

     Thurs Sept 29: Facial Animation with BlendShapes and Set Driven Key

           HW 7: Revise Original Orthographic Character Diagrams: 2048x2048,

proportional flat diagrams in T-pose (see provided example)

Lowman Animation Practice: Walk, Look, Lift, Walk

Storyboards are reviewed by teacher and peers on Piazza

WEEK 5: Character Modeling 1: Rough Volumes

     Tues Oct 4: Character Modeling 1a: Rough Body

           HW 8: Watch Character Video 1, first half: Model Original Character Body



     Thurs Oct 6: Character Modeling 1b: Rough Head

           HW 9: Watch Character Video 2, first half: Model Original Character Head

Revised Timed Original Film Storyboards: MOV



WEEK 6: Character Modeling 2: Cut and Extrude Details

     Tues Oct 11: (Tuesday Schedule for Columbus day) 

     Thurs Oct 13: Character Modeling 2: Body and Head Details

           HW 10: Watch Videos 1 and 2, revise Original Character clothing, face, and hair.

Lowman Animation Practice: Body Story Moment

Storyboards are reviewed by teacher and peers on Piazza

WEEK 7: Character Modeling #3: Unwrapping and Texturing

     Tues Oct 18:  Characters Review, Character Unwrapping 1

           HW 11: Revise Original Film Character

     Thurs Oct 20: Character Review, Unwrapping and Texturing

           HW 12: Watch Char Video 3, Unwrap Original Film Character

Lowman Animation Practice: Facial Story Moment

Outline your 4-page Theme Paper: Source material, imagery, developed themes

WEEK 8: Visual Effects 1: 

     Tues Oct 25: Overview of Maya Effects options

           HW 13: Choose a topic to present to the class.

Zero Draft Original Film: Setting and Camera blocking

     Thurs Oct 27: Maya VFX demos. Colored/high-contrast lighting

           HW 14: Prepare Maya FX Presentation

Zero Draft Original Film: Character Proxy and Object Animation,

Include Scratch sound track.

WEEK 9: Rigging Review

     Tues Nov 1: Review of final film Zero drafts and rigging topics

           HW 15: Original Character Initial Rig (inside Zero Draft film file)

     Thurs Nov 3: Review of final film Zero drafts and rigging topics

           HW 16: Revise Original Character Rig: FK, IK, Controllers.

WEEK 10: Visual Effects 2: Student FX Presentations

     Tues Nov 8: FX Presentations, Blendshapes Review

           HW 17: Original Character Blendshapes: Mm, Aa, Oo, Blink, 3 extremes

     Thurs Nov 10: Student FX Presentations

           HW 18: Original Character Walk Cycle

WEEK 11: Compositing 1: Layers for Color Correction and Blur

     Tues Nov 15: After Effects Topics 1

           HW 19: Original Film: Initial Character Animation 1/4, Submit Playblast

     Thurs Nov 17: After Effects Topics 2

           HW 20: Original Film: Initial Character Animation 2/4, Submit Playblast

WEEK 12: Compositing 2. Tracking and Integration

     Tues Nov 22: After Effects Topics 3

           No new homework. Catch up on work as needed.

[Thanksgiving Weekend Break]

WEEK 13: Labtime, Vehicle Rigging

     Tues Nov 29: Students provide feedback and work on final projects

           HW 21: Original Film: Initial Character Animation 3/4, Submit Playblast

     Thurs Dec 1: Students provide feedback and work on final projects

           HW 22: Original Film: Full draft of initial Character Animation, Submit Playblast

WEEK 14: Labtime, Game Character Integration (Unity)

     Tues Dec 6: Students provide feedback and work on final projects

           HW 23: Original Film: Revised character animation, lighting, and Cinematography

     Thurs Dec 8: Students provide feedback and work on final projects

           HW 24: Original Film: Revised character animation, lighting, and Cinematography

WEEK 15: Labtime, Mudbox Sculpting and Texturing

     Tues Dec 13: Final projects worktime

           HW 25: Original Film: Renders and Post processing

     Thurs Dec 15: Final projects worktime

           HW 26: Original Film: Submit Final Rendered Film, complete with post-production, soundtrack, title card and credits. Also, complete your 4-page Theme Paper

WEEK 16: FINAL PRESENTATIONS:

     Tuesday Dec 20: Review of Final Films

Schedule subject to change per class needs.

Please coordinate with classmates AND instructor if absent to confirm assignments.

Other Recommended Texts:

Digital Lighting and Rendering 3rd Ed by Jeremy Birn ISBN-10: 0321928989

Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right 3rd Ed by Jason Osipa ISBN-10: 0470609907

Rig it Right! Maya Animation Rigging Concepts by Tina O'Hailey ISBN-10: 0240820797

Timing for Animation 2nd Ed by John Halas, Harold Whitaker ISBN-10: 0240521609

The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams ISBN-10: 086547897X

COURSE PROJECTS:

[1]. PRODUCTION PIPELINE PRACTICE CLIP PROJECT: Weeks 1-3: Reproduce a 20-50 second 2D TV clip in Maya. Practice pre-production “Zero Draft” tools for quick scene building and animation, to fully visualize the sequence and test ideas without getting stuck in production details. You will use this same technique to start your final projects. See clip options provided by instructor. If you wish to choose a different clip, please share it with the teacher within 24 hours of the first class meeting for approval.

[2]. LOWMAN PRACTICE ANIMATION: Before your Original Film character is modeled and rigged, you will create 4 animations (walks, performance) on a provided industry rig: Lowman.

[3]. FINAL FILM THEME PAPER: Look outside of animation, towards the rest of your studies at Emerson, to inspire ideas for your Original Film. Choose one source from one of these courses that particularly inspired, intrigued, frightened or delighted you. Use this source as the seed of your film concept this term.

The theme of your film will be some small part of what it means to be human. You will develop this idea out of your chosen source material, and express it visually with dynamic, original imagery in your animation: the shapes created by modeling, poses, and lighting, the surface textures, and the motion.

Throughout the semester, you are expected to write a 4-page paper (double spaced, 12 point font) on the source material you chose, the imagery it inspired, and the theme or themes you developed in your film along the way. You may submit this essay at any time for feedback, as often as you make significant changes, but a first draft is expected by midterms and the final draft will be submitted with your final film in the final week.

[4]. ORIGINAL 3D ANIMATED FILM: 30-60 seconds recommended (you will decide the final length needed to tell your story). Single bipedal humanoid character, rigged for full-body and facial animation. Other characters may be implied with cinematography and silhouettes. Grade is for storytelling and creative uses of the technology, not polished models, so get models into your film quickly and animate!

Consider dynamic and expressive character, object and camera motion, original shapes and surfaces with your modeling, texturing, and lighting, and creative sense of atmosphere with your VFX and post-processing in After Effects. Render your final film using Mental Ray.

Audio must be included, and should be as original as your visuals.

[5]. VFX PRESENTATION: By Week 8: Choose a Maya or After Effects VFX topic you intend to use for your film. Research and practice the tools, and present to the class week 10: Reference the text, online tutorials, and the Maya manual. Practice in Maya to develop typed tutorial steps. Your presentation will be 10 minutes, including a short explanation of intended results (with finished example) and potential production uses, and then a demo of the steps.

(Make your animation a poem):

The Figure a Poem Makes 1939 by Robert Frost

Abstraction is an old story with the philosophers, but it has been like a new toy in the hands of the artists of our day. Why can't we have any one quality of poetry we choose by itself? We can have in thought. Then it will go hard if we can't in practice. Our lives for it.

Granted no one but a humanist much cares how sound a poem is if it is only a sound. The sound is the gold in the ore. Then we will have the sound out alone and dispense with the inessential. We do till we make the discovery that the object in writing poetry is to make all poems sound as different as possible from each other, and the resources for that of vowels, consonants, punctuation, syntax, words, sentences, metre are not enough. We need the help of context- meaning-subject matter. That is the greatest help towards variety. All that can be done with words is soon told. So also with metres-particularly in our language where there are virtually but two, strict iambic and loose iambic. The ancients with many were still poor if they depended on metres for all tune. It is painful to watch our sprung-rhythmists straining at the point of omitting one short from a foot for relief from monotony. The possibilities for tune from the dramatic tones of meaning struck across the rigidity of a limited metre are endless. And we are back in poetry as merely one more art of having something to say, sound or unsound. Probably better if sound, because deeper and from wider experience.

Then there is this wildness whereof it is spoken. Granted again that it has an equal claim with sound to being a poem's better half. If it is a wild tune, it is a Poem. Our problem then is, as modern abstractionists, to have the wildness pure; to be wild with nothing to be wild about. We bring up as aberrationists, giving way to undirected associations and kicking ourselves from one chance suggestion to another in all directions as of a hot afternoon in the life of a grasshopper. Theme alone can steady us down. just as the first mystery was how a poem could have a tune in such a straightness as metre, so the second mystery is how a poem can have wildness and at the same time a subject that shall be fulfilled.

It should be of the pleasure of a poem itself to tell how it can. The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom. The figure is the same as for love. No one can really hold that the ecstasy should be static and stand still in one place. It begins in delight, it inclines to the impulse, it assumes direction with the first line laid down, it runs a course of lucky events, and ends in a clarification of life-not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are founded on, but in a momentary stay against confusion. It has denouement. It has an outcome that though unforeseen was predestined from the first image of the original mood-and indeed from the very mood. It is but a trick poem and no poem at all if the best of it was thought of first and saved for the last. It finds its own name as it goes and discovers the best waiting for it in some final phrase at once wise and sad-the happy-sad blend of the drinking song.

No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader. For me the initial delight is in the surprise of remembering something I didn't know I knew. I am in a place, in a situation, as if I had materialized from cloud or risen out of the ground. There is a glad recognition of the long lost and the rest follows. Step by step the wonder of unexpected supply keeps growing. The impressions most useful to my purpose seem always those I was unaware of and so made no note of at the time when taken, and the conclusion is come to that like giants we are always hurling experience ahead of us to pave the future with against the day when we may Want to strike a line of purpose across it for somewhere. The line will have the more charm for not being mechanically straight. We enjoy the straight crookedness of a good walking stick. Modern instruments of precision are being used to make things crooked as if by eye and hand in the old days.

I tell how there may be a better wildness of logic than of inconsequence. But the logic is backward, in retrospect, after the act. It must be more felt than seen ahead like prophecy. It must be a revelation, or a series of revelations, as much for the poet as for the reader. For it to be that there must have been the greatest freedom of the material to move about in it and to establish relations in it regardless of time and space, previous relation, and everything but affinity. We prate of freedom. We call our schools free because we are not free to stay away from them till we are sixteen years of age. I have given up my democratic prejudices and now willingly set the lower classes free to be completely taken care of by the upper classes. Political freedom is nothing to me. I bestow it right and left. All I would keep for myself is the freedom of my material-the condition of body and mind now and then to summons aptly from the vast chaos of all I have lived through.

Scholars and artists thrown together are often annoyed at the puzzle of where they differ. Both work from knowledge; but I suspect they differ most importantly in the way their knowledge is come by. Scholars get theirs with conscientious thoroughness along projected lines of logic; poets theirs cavalierly and as it happens in and out of books. They stick to nothing deliberately, but let what will stick to them like burrs where they walk in the fields. No acquirement is on assignment, or even self-assignment. Knowledge of the second kind is much more available in the wild free ways of wit and art. A schoolboy may be defined as one who can tell you what he knows in the order in which he learned it. The artist must value himself as he snatches a thing from some previous order in time and space into a new order with not so much as a ligature clinging to it of the old place where it was organic. More than once I should have lost my soul to radicalism if it had been the originality it was mistaken for by its young converts. Originality and initiative are what I ask for my country. For myself the originality need be no more than the freshness of a poem run in the way I have described: from delight to wisdom. The figure is the same as for love. Like a piece of ice on a hot stove the poem must ride on its own melting. A poem may be worked over once it is in being, but may not be worried into being. Its most precious quality will remain its having run itself and carried away the poet with it. Read it a hundred times: it will forever keep its freshness as a petal keeps its fragrance. It can never lose its sense of a meaning that once unfolded by surprise as it went.

VM363 Advanced Computer Animation Initial Film Concept Document

Explanation: Due week #2 is your first idea for you Original Film in this course.

Read the enclosed Robert Frost essay “The Figure a Poem Makes.”

Consider the creative process it describes, of pulling from sources other than animation, and allowing meaning to emerge from the development journey.

Consider work from your other courses at Emerson: ideas from your Math, Science, English, History and any other subject that has intrigued you. Focus on a single idea you can expand and play within.

Consider very short stories: a single character enters a single space, finds something, and leaves. Consider action verbs in your film: dancing, fighting, falling, jumping, running rather than more passive verbs like sitting, sleeping, etc.

The final film will only be 30-60 seconds long. Start in the action. Take us someplace fast, show us something intriguing, and leave us breathless.

INCLUDE:

1) A 1-2 sentence PITCH: what is most exciting to you about your idea? What is the hook? Who is the character, and what do they want?

2) A 5-10 sentence summary of the entire initial STORY idea, including as much detail as you desire, but should clearly communicate the start, rising action, and ending. Move us from delight to at least a small bit of wisdom. Consider the short films “A single Life” and “Johnny Express,” and how their initial humor leaves us at the end with bite marks in our flesh.

3) DRAW. Character and setting sketches. Assume you only have time to create one complete 3D character (body and face rigging, full animation) and one place, but you can imply a lot more with textured or shadow-casting cut-outs.

This is just the initial idea. You will likely change this before final stories are due week 5.

So, have fun, and bring the wildness!

SOFTWARE: PHOTOSHOP KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Create a New file (sized to clipboard): [ Ctrl ]+[ n ] Open existing file: [ Ctrl ]+[ o ]

Save a file as a .PSD: [ Ctrl ]+[ s ] Save a file as another type: [ Ctrl ]+[ Shift ]+[ s ]

Select All: [ Ctrl ]+[ a ] Copy: [ Ctrl ]+[ c ] Paste: [ Ctrl ]+[ v ]

Duplicate Layer or selection: [Ctrl]+[ j ] Copy-Move: Marquee select, [ Alt ]+LeftClick/drag

Undo (step back multiple changes): [ Ctrl ] + [ z ] or [ Ctrl ]+[ Alt ]+[ z ]

Paint Brush: [ b ] Eraser: [ e ] Change Brush or Eraser size: [ [ ] or [ ] ]

In Brush or Paintbucket tools, hold [Alt] to color-pick from a palette.

Switch colors between background and foreground: [ x ]

Tool Opacity (increments of 10% opacity): top numbers between [ 1 ] - [ 0 ]

Free Transform (selection or layer): [ Ctrl ]+[ t ] Move tool: [ v ]

Marquee Selection tools: [ m ] Lasso Selection tools: [ l ] Magic Wand: [ w ]

Select the shape of layer content: [ Ctrl ]+LeftClick on a layer icon

Paint Bucket / Gradient tools: [ g ] Clone tool (hold [alt ] to choose target): [ s ]

Rotate the Screen: [r] Hide/Show Palettes: [ tab ]

Zoom tool: [ Z ] , click or [Alt]+click Hand tool (explore zoomed-area): [ h ]

Fit on Screen (show extents): [ Ctrl ]+[ 0 ] (zero)

View all keyboard command shortcuts: [ Ctrl ] + [ Alt ] + [ Shift ] + [ k ]

NOTE: Hover over any button in Photoshop to see the keyboard shortcut.

COLOR BASICS

• Hue = color. Increase saturation to make color richer, desaturate for duller results

• Value=shade: how much black (0) or white (255) is in the color.

• Use Adjustments (Hue/Saturation, Brightness/Contrast, Levels) to change selections.

• Use Blending Modes in Layers for Multiply (darker), Screen (brighter), Overlay (richer).

PHOTOSHOP PAINTING BASIC STEPS

1. Draw, scan, and bring into a new Photoshop file 12”x12”, 300ppi

2. Set line art layer to 40% opacity, blending mode= multiply.

3. Add 4 layers below: Palette, Shadows, Painting, and Basecolors.

4. Find a reference image for colors (photo, painting, frame of a movie or game), and color-pick 5-12 colors in various shades to paint swatches in the palette layer.

5. Basecolor Layer: With the Paintbucket, fill with a mid-value color.

6. Painting Layer: With a big brush, quickly paint the main colors to fill the areas of the line art. Use a solid brush, 100% opacity.

7. Shadows Layer: With a solid brush, 30% opacity, draw layers of shadows with dark colors. Consider primary and secondary light sources. Do the same for highlights using lighter colors. Use a 20% opacity eraser as much as the 30% brush, to paint and erase repeatedly

SOFTWARE: MAYA MODELING AND TEXTURING

Body Modeling: Head Modeling:

Unwrapping: Rigging:

MAYA INTERFACE AND MODELING:

SHELVES: Near top: Polygons to create primitive geo, Rendering for lights, Deformers for Bend, Twist, etc.

CHANNEL BOX: Right: set Transforms, Inputs, Name, Deformer values. Can switch to Attribute Editor.

LAYERS: Bottom of Channel Box, create new layers, RightClick to Add Selected Objects.

TRANSFORMS: Change objects or components: [Q] = select, [W] = move, [E] = rotate, [R] = scale

MODELING TOOLKIT: Alt right panel, includes primary modeling tools (MultiCut, Extrude, Bevel, Connect etc)

ATTRIBUTE EDITOR: Alt right panel, with Camera selected set Background=white for rendering.

SELECTION: [Shift] = hold to add to a selection, [Cmd] = hold to remove from a selection.

DISPLAY MODES: [4] = Wireframe, [5] = Surface, [6] = Textures, [7] = Lighting

COMPONENT MODES: RightClick selected object, choose Vertex, Face, or Edge. Exit component: RightClick/ Object Mode. DoubleClick an Edge to select its loop. Select face, [Shift]+DoubleClick neighbor to select face ring. [Shift]+[>] = grow component selection, [Shift]+[ ................
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