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For on-line syllabus go to http://JohnCraigFreeman.net and follow
the Courses link.
Still from Yu Ching Li. 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: 4:00 - 5:45 p.m. at
180 Tremont Street, 3D Lab, room T112. http://www.emerson.edu/labs/info/3DL.cfm
PREREQUISITE: May
not have taken MA625 DESCRIPTION: This
is the first course in the two-course computer animation sequence,
introducing students to the fundamentals of three-dimensional modeling and
animation and preparing them for the second course, Computer Animation 2.
Students learn to develop concepts, produce storyboards, model, texture
objects, compose and light scenes, animate, and add dynamics. Finally, they
learn to render their animations into movies and to composite movies, audio,
titles, and credits in postproduction. In addition to these production
skills, students will develop their conceptual understanding as well as their
critical and creative thinking about the practice of computer animation. 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, collectives and businesses 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: 1132009C4193 ¥
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. WEEK
#1
Wed. 01/21/09 Introductions Syllabus Assignments ¥ Book and Supplies: 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 WEEK
#2
Mon. 01/26/09 Lesson
01 Demo
Files Assignments ¥ Project One: (see above) ¥ 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 Jorge
Luis Borges, On Exactitude in Science Jean
Baudrillard Simulacra and Simulations Be prepared to give an example
of simulacrum. What relationship does simulacrum have to computer animation? ¥ Research: Collect images and/or make drawings of object
to be modeled. Consider the signifier (the object), the signified (what the
objects represents), and the contexts (in this case the set). What is the
connotative meaning? What is the denotative meaning? Wed. 01/28/09 Due ¥ Image research Image
Research Discussion Assignments ¥ 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 WEEK
#3
Mon. 02/02/09 Lesson
03 Objects
and Components Assignments ¥ Software Training: Maya 2008 Essential Training: 3.
Polygonal Modeling ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Objects and Components,
Dependency Graph. pp. 42-45 Wed. 02/04/09 Lesson
04 Modeling Assignments ¥ Software Training: Maya 2008 Essential Training: 4.
NURBS Modeling ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Transformations, Duplication.
pp. 46-49 WEEK
#4
Mon. 02/09/09 Lesson
05 Shading Assignments ¥ Software Training: Maya 2008 Essential Training: 5.
Advanced Modeling ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya Snapping, Artisan, Scripting
in Maya. pp. 50-55 Wed. 02/11/09 Lesson
06 Cameras Lighting Assignments ¥ Software Training: Maya 2008 Essential Training: 6.
Applying Textures ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Animation Techniques, Setting
Keys. pp. 57-61. WEEK
#5
Mon. 02/16/09 President's Day observed (no classes). Tue. 02/17/09 Lesson
07 Rendering Movies Assignments ¥ Software Training: Maya 2008 Essential Training: 7.
Rendering in Maya ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Animation Curves,
Hierarchical Animation. pp.62-65 Wed. 02/18/09 Due ¥ Project One Critique
Project One Assignments ¥ 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 WEEK
#6
Mon. 02/23/09 Critique
Project One Assignments ¥ Software Training: 9. Maya 2008 Essential Training:
Paint Effects ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Reactive Animation, Rigid
Body Dynamics. pp. 70-73 Wed. 02/25/09 Lesson
08 Keyframing Graphing Path Set
Driven Assignments ¥ Software Training: Maya 2008 Essential Training: 10.
Animating in Maya ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Modeling, Geometry Modeling
Techniques. pp. 75-79 WEEK
#7
Mon. 03/02/09 Lesson
09 Expressions Nonlinear Dynamics Assignments ¥ Software Training: Maya 2008 Essential Training:
Conclusion ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Working With Curves, NURBS
Surfaces. pp. 80-83 Wed. 03/04/09 Spring
Break
Mon. 03/09/09 Spring Break (no classes) Wed. 03/11/09 Spring Break (no classes) WEEK #8
Mon. 03/16/09 Mid-semester
Evaluations: Individual Meetings Open
Lab: Work on Project Assignments ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Trims and Booleans, Joining
Surfaces. pp. 84-87 Wed. 03/18/09 Lesson
10: Sound Sync, Order of Operation,
Global TRS ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Patch Surfaces, Polygon
Modeling. pp. 88-91 WEEK #9
Mon. 03/23/09
Lesson
11: Post-production Studio:
Work on projects Assignments ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Subdivision Proxy Modeling,
Construction History, Modeling for Animation. pp. 92-97 Wed. 03/25/09 Due: Project Two Assignment
Final: Final Project Proposals Studio:
Work on final projects Assignments ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Deformations,
Deforming Objects, Non-linear Deformers. pp. 99-103 WEEK
#10
Mon. 03/30/09 Critique:
Project Two Assignments ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, Deformers, Simulated
Deformations. pp. 104-107 Wed. 04/01/09 Due: Final
Project Proposals Studio:
Work on final projects Assignments ¥ Reading: The Art of Maya, pp. 104-107 WEEK
#11
Mon. 04/06/09 Proposal
Presentations Wed. 04/08/09 Lab Operations: Render
Server WEEK
#12
Mon. 04/13/09 Studio:
Work on final projects Wed. 04/15/09 Studio:
Work on final projects WEEK #13
Mon. 04/20/09 Patriot's Day (no classes). Wed. 04/22/09 Studio: Work on final projects. WEEK
#14
Mon. 04/27/09 Studio: Work on final projects. Wed. 04/29/09 Studio: Work on final projects. Due: All late work must be turned in or it will not count on
final grades FINAL
Monday 05/04/09 6:00
p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Due: Final Projects |