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For on-line syllabus go to http://JohnCraigFreeman.net and follow
the Courses link.
Still from Thomas Wilhelm. PROFESSOR: John
(Craig) Freeman EMAIL: john_craig_freeman@emerson.edu PHONE: (617)
824-8862 OFFICE HOURS: 180 Tremont Street, room 1111, MTW
11:00-11:50 a.m. or by appointment CLASS MEETS: Mondays and Wednesdays: 12:00 - 1:45
p.m. at Ansin Building 112 http://www.emerson.edu/labs/info/3DL.cfm
PREREQUISITE: Undergraduate level VM 101 Minimum Grade
of D or Undergraduate level MA 101 Minimum Grade of D) and (Undergraduate
level VM 120 Minimum Grade of D or Undergraduate level MA 202 Minimum Grade
of D DESCRIPTION: The first course of a
two-course sequence, introducing students to the fundamentals of
three-dimensional modeling and animation, and preparing them for the second
course, VM 363 Advanced Computer Animation. Students learn to model, texture
objects, compose and light scenes, animate, and add dynamics, as well as to
render their animations into movies and to composite movies, audio, titles,
and credits in post-production. Class
time is spent either in intensive instructional sessions, where we move
through concepts as a group using hands-on examples; in discussion and
critique; or in open lab production. Meanwhile,
students complete a series of online software training exercises and reading
assignments outside of class as homework. Students
will complete two minor projects based on instruction, reading and software
training exercises. After mid-semester, students propose a final project. The
proposals are presented to the class where we discuss them and make
recommendations. Once the proposal has been approved, students will spend the
remaining duration of the semester working on their final projects. The
course culminates in the presentation and critique of all final projects.
Students complete the course with an original portfolio-ready animation. OBJECTIVES: ¥ To develop
students' skills in three-dimensional modeling and animation ¥
To introduce students to artists that shaped and continue to shape animation
history ¥
To assist students in further developing their visual literacy, critical
thinking and communication skills ¥
To guide students towards discovering fundamental pictorial and animation
principles through a series of specific exercises ¥
To apply these newly developed skills to express themselves creatively and
critically. REQUIREMENTS: ¥ Attend every class meeting ¥
Come to class prepared to work ¥
Complete all required reading ¥
Complete required online software training ¥
Complete and presentation two minor project. ¥
Propose, develop, and produce an original project ¥
Present final project during scheduled exam READING: Students
are required to read the first half of the Art of Maya book during Computer
Animation 1 and will be required to complete the book during Computer
Animation 2. Please see the calendar below for the specific reading schedule. ¥
The Art of Maya: An Introduction to 3D Computer Graphics; 4th edition, by
AutoDesk Learning Tools, ISBN 1-8971-7747-1. SOFTWARE TRAINING: Students are required to complete Lynda.com Maya Essential Training during this course and
will be required to complete Maya Character Rigging during Computer Animation
2. There are several other titles included in the online training package,
but these are recommended rather than required. Please see the calendar below
for the specific software training schedule. ¥
Brows to http://lynda.com/edu-media/studentlogin.asp.
¥
Enter Class Code: 09022009C10339 ¥
Enter your Emerson College email address. ASSIGNMENTS:
Project One: Create a short animated movie based on instruction, the
reading and the software training from lesson 1 thru 7. Build a 3D scene made
up of objects using primitive geometry and basic polygonal and NURBS modeling
techniques. The objects in the scene must come from direct experience, your
memory and/or your dreams. You should be able to articulate the stories
surrounding the object you choose to model. Render and compress a short
camera flythrough of the scene. Your understanding of concepts covered in
class must be evident in the work. Project Two: Create a short animated movie based on instruction, the
reading and the software training from lesson 8 thru 10. Expand and animate
the your scene from Project One. Add audio, titles and credits in postproduction.
Your understanding of concepts covered in class must be evident in the work. Students
will present their projects during a prescheduled time. The
presentations must include a Maya project directory and a movie file. ¥
The Maya project directory must be optimized and include nothing but
the necessary files and folders. ¥
The movie must be saved as a self contained QuickTime file titled lastname_firstname.mov set at: Video: H.264 Decoder, 640 x 360, Millions Audio: AAC, Stereo (L R), 44.100 kHz FPS: 24 Data Rate: 5,000 kbits/s The
work must be turned in at the pages.emerson.edu/Courses/semesterYear/ courseNumber/Assignments_In folder prior to the critique. Projects that do not conform to these specifications or
that are turned in late will result in a lower grade. Final Project Each student will present a proposal for a final project
to class. We will discuss the proposal and either approve the project or
recommend changes. Students will be evaluated on the quality of the proposal
and the presentation. Test your work and equipment ahead of time. The Proposals
must include a concept narrative, and a storyboard. ¥
The Concept Narrative should be concise and to the
point and should be around 750 words. The content will make up the oral part
of the presentation to the class. ¥
The storyboard should include high
quality digital color illustrations at a 1280 x 720, 72 dpi. Presentations
are formal and should be prepared in a presentation format. Leafing through
individual files in production applications is unacceptable. Specific file
formats for proposals may include .ppt, .pdf, .doc, .html, .jpg, .swf or
.mov. The
proposal must be turned in at the pages.emerson.edu/Courses/semesterYear/ courseNumber/Assignments_In folder
prior to the critique. Files must be saved in a folder titled lastname_firstname. Proposals
that do not conform to these specifications or that are turned in late will
result in a lower grade. Each student will present the finished project
during the scheduled final exam time. Movies
must be saved as a self contained QuickTime file titled lastname_firstname.mov set at: Video: H.264 Decoder, 1280 x 720, Millions Audio: AAC, Stereo (L R), 44.100 kHz FPS: 24 Data Rate: 5,000 kbits/s All
movies must include audio, titles and credits. The
work must be turned in at the pages.emerson.edu/Courses/semesterYear/ courseNumber/Assignments_In folder prior to the critique. Projects
that do not conform to these specifications will result in a lower grade. Late
final projects will not be accepted. SUPPLIES: ¥
Mobile FireWire or Hi-Speed USB 2.0 removable hard drive. I recommend LaCie.
Minimum requirement is 40GB of storage space. 7200 (RPM) speed is preferable.
Thumb/flash drives are not recommended for this course. Options can be found
at: http://www.lacie.com/ ¥
CD-R or DVD-Rs as needed. GRADING: The
final grade will be determined according to the following criteria based on
the corresponding percentages. ¥
Project One: 20% ¥
Project Two: 20% ¥
Software Training: 10%. ¥
Participation and Attendance: 10%. ¥
Final Project: 40% I
will meet with each student individually at mid-semester to evaluate
performance up to that point. An Incomplete will only be issued if there are
extenuating circumstances related to illness or critical personal emergency
and only after administrative notice has been received. POLICIES: Attendance
and punctuality is required at all class meetings and will be reflected in
the final grade. According to College policy, unexcused absences beyond five
will result in a failing grade. Everyone must come to class prepared and
engaged and everyone must participate in discussions and critiques. Your undivided attention is required during all discussions
and critiques. No email, web browsing or other computer work will be allowed
during these times. Students
should be aware of the College policies regarding creative and academic
dishonesty and the penalties for plagiarism and software piracy. While it is
accepted that there may be occasion for stylistic or historical inspiration,
influence and reference, the student will be asked to produce original work
from ones own study and investigation. If
you have a disability that warrants accommodations in this course, please
register with the Disability Service Coordinator at 216 Tremont Street, 5th
Floor, (617) 824-8415. |
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COURSE CALENDAR: Subject to
changes as necessary. Mon. 09/14/09 Introductions Syllabus Assignment: Get book and supplies,
register for software training Reading: The Art of Maya, 3D Computer
Graphics, 3D Computer Animation, Technical Creativity, The Animation
Pipeline. pp. 15-23 Lab Operations: Lab policies Wed. 09/16/09 Software Training Assignment: Project One Demo Files Lesson
01: 3D Space Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: 1. Interface Essentials Reading: The Art of Maya Time and
Space, 3D Space, Time, Bitmap Space, Color Space. pp. 25-33 Mon. 09/21/09 Lesson
02: File Management Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: 2. Manipulating Objects Reading: The Art of Maya, Exploring
Maya, The Workspace, File Management, Viewing 3D Scenes. pp. 35-41 Wed. 09/23/09 Lesson
03: Objects and Components Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: 3. Polygonal Modeling Reading: The Art of Maya, Objects and
Components, Dependency Graph. pp. 42-45 Mon. 09/28/09 Lesson
04: Modeling Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: 4. NURBS Modeling Reading: The Art of Maya,
Transformations, Duplication. pp. 46-49 Wed. 09/30/09 Lesson
05: Shading Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: 5. Advanced Modeling Reading: The Art of Maya Snapping,
Artisan, Scripting in Maya. pp. 50-55 Mon. 10/05/09 Lesson
06: Cameras and Lighting Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: 6. Applying Textures Reading: The Art of Maya, Animation
Techniques, Setting Keys. pp. 57-61. Wed. 10/07/09 Lesson
07: Rendering and Movies Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: 7. Rendering in Maya Reading: The Art of Maya, Animation
Curves, Hierarchical Animation. pp.62-65 Mon. 10/12/09 Columbus Day
observed (no classes). Wed. 10/14/09 Due: Project One Critique: Project One Assignment:
Project Two Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: 8. Rendering with Mental Ray Reading: The Art of Maya, Motion Path
Animation, Non-linear Animation. pp. 64-69 Mon. 10/19/09 Critique: Project One Software Training: 9. Maya 2008
Essential Training: Paint Effects Reading: The Art of Maya, Reactive
Animation, Rigid Body Dynamics. pp. 70-73 Wed. 10/21/09 Lesson
08: Keyframing,
Graphing, Path, Set Driven Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: 10. Animating in Maya Reading: The Art of Maya, Modeling,
Geometry Modeling Techniques. pp. 75-79 Mon. 10/26/09 Lesson
09: Expressions,
Nonlinear, Dynamics Software Training: Maya 2008
Essential Training: Conclusion Reading: The Art of Maya, Working With Curves, NURBS Surfaces.
pp. 80-83 Wed. 10/28/09 Lesson
10: Sound Sync, Order of Operation, Global TRS Reading: The Art of Maya, Trims and
Booleans, Joining Surfaces. pp. 84-87 Mon. 11/02/09 Mid-semester Evaluations: Individual
Meetings Open Lab: Work on Project Reading: The Art of Maya, Patch Surfaces, Polygon Modeling. pp.
88-91 Wed. 11/04/09
Lesson
11: Post-production Studio:
Work on projects Reading: The Art of Maya, Subdivision Proxy Modeling,
Construction History, Modeling for Animation. pp. 92-97 Mon. 11/09/09 Due: Project Two Assignment
Final: Final Project Proposals Studio: Work on final projects Reading: The Art of Maya, Deformations, Deforming Objects,
Non-linear Deformers. pp. 99-103 Tue. 11/10/09 Due: Project Two Critique: Project Two Reading: The Art of Maya, Deformers, Simulated Deformations. pp.
104-107 Wed. 11/11/09 Veterans Day
observed (no classes). Mon. 11/16/09 Due: Final Project Proposals Proposal
Presentations Reading: The Art of Maya, pp. 104-107 Wed. 11/18/09 Proposal
Presentations Studio: Work on final projects Mon. 11/23/09 Lab Operations: Render Server Wed. 11/25/09 Thanksgiving observed (no classes). Mon. 11/30/09 Studio: Work on final projects Wed. 12/02/09 Studio: Work on final projects Mon. 12/07/09 Studio:
Work on final projects. Wed. 12/09/09 Studio:
Work on final projects. Mon. 12/14/09 Studio:
Work on final projects. Wed. 12/16/09 Studio: Work on final projects. Due: All late work must be turned in
or it will not count on final grades FINAL
Sat. 12/19/09, 12:00 – 1:45 Due: Final Projects |