AD 455

3D Space II: Animation

SCHEDULE

IN CLASS WORK        

HOMEWORK

WEEK 1

nCloth Basics

Jan 10

• Overview of syllabus and course structure
• Intro to nCloth

• Homework Tutorials to watch: View Digital Tutors nCloth dvd in tutorials/maya-tutorials/dynamics/ncloth/
  dt_maya_ncloth_ed_cd2/media
  **Start on video chapters 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 33**

• Continuation of nCloth, Caching
• In Class: work on Cellular Mitosis: Eric Keller pdf pp 1-7, Creating an nCloth Cell
  
  
• Further demos on nCloth
  bubble_level_with_ncloth
  confetti
  paper airplanes
  

• Start: Tutorial on Cellular Mitosis: Eric Keller pdf pgs 17 - 21 (start at 'nCloth Cell Division' and stop at 'Coat the Geometry with Particles') - hand this in on Thurs, Week 2

WEEK 2

nCloth  & Rigid Body Dynamics

Jan 17

• Continuation of nCloth - Tearing, other constraints
• Work on tutorials:
  zipper
  chain
  
  

• Finish: Mitosis tutorial
  
• Watch: UV mapping and nCloth
  

Jan 19

• painting Glue Weight
• Intro to Rigid body dynamics: Active and passive surfaces.
• Rigid Body Constraints
• Baking animation
• Start basic nParticles: emitters and types of nParticles.
• Fields: (Turbulence, Gravity, etc.)

• Begin Homework 1: Create a 30 second playblast using nCloth - suggestion - a mousetrap?(DUE Thurs Jan 26)
  
  
• Homework Tutorials to watch: (in week_2, day_2 Folder)
  013StandIN.mov 019constraintOverview.mov, 020Thrower.mov, 021Wrecking.mov, 018BakingKeys.mov, 022UnderWater.mov, 023CannonBall.mov
  
  
• more vids can be found in tutorials/maya-tutorials/dynamics/Rigid_Bodies

WEEK 3

Constrains, Linear Animation

• Simplifiying curves
• Rigid Body Constraints
• Graph editor for ease in/ ease out
  
• Shatter
• BlastCode link
  
  
• Work in Class time

• Homework 1 (DUE Thurs Jan 26)
  
  
• Read this tutorial and this tutorial on working with keys in the graph editor

Jan 26

• Group Review Homework 1
  
  
• Mel Scripting start
• Per particle attributes - finishing the mitosis tutorial
• Look at Molecular Challenges
• In Class: Complete this Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) Tutorial

• Begin work on Assignment 1
• Watch: Gnomon Workshop Photo realistic Eye tutorial here: tutorials/maya-tutorials/texturing/gw_photorealistic_eye
  
  

WEEK 4

Particles + Fields, Constraints

• no class

• Assignment 1 due - In Motion - due Feb 7

Feb 2

• Wire Deformer + Soft Sculpt
• Parenting, orient constraints and basic fk animation based on hierarchy
• Blend Shapes (basic)

• Work on Assignment 1
• Finsh Watching: Gnomon Workshop Photo realistic Eye tutorial here: tutorials/maya-tutorials/texturing/gw_photorealistic_eye
  

WEEK 5

Particles and Z-Brush

• Assignment 1 due: In Motion - quick critique
  
  
• Continue w/ nParticles
• Instancers
• Per particle attributes / expressions
• Particle Collision Event editor
  

• Watch: Blobbies video in tutorials/maya-tutorials/texturing/blobby_textures.mov
• Write 1/2 page description of what you would like to do for your final project + Refer to the homework page as to what needs to be included.
• Email your description to me by the start of class on Thurs, Feb 9

• Individual Project Meetings
• Work time

• Watch: DT, nParticles CD2 (inside of the Dynamics->Particles folder in the Maya tutorials folder)
• Homework 2: Create: five polished sketches for your final project -
• Post your final project descriptions + sketches to the google+ and the homwork folder before class begins Tues

WEEK 6

 Particles

• Homework 2: Sketches Due
• Particle Goals
• Blobby water
  
• Particle rendering
  
  
  

• Start work on Assignment 2: Particle Motion
• tutorial due: Complete the Capillary, DNA or Aomeba tutorial handed out in class, customize it, and hand it in on Thurs
• Finish up to page 26 in the Slag tutorial

• Hair
• Continue working on Slag Tutorial
  
  

• Continue work on Assignment 2: Particle Motion
• Hand in the finished Slag tutorial
  
  
• Find 3 texture files for your final project and upload them to the share folder
  

WEEK 7

Editing and Rendering

• Set Driven Keys
• Worktime

• Work on Assignment 2: Particle Motion
  
  

• Trax and Character Sets

• Assignment 2 DUE: Particle Motion

WEEK 8

• Assignment 2 due: Particle Motion - in class critique
  
  
• Trax: continued
  
  

• Review: maya-tutorials/rendering/render_layers+passes/
  digital tutors - render passes in maya 2009
  
  
• Update your google+ project entry. Add 2 new renders and sample images of the textures chosen
  
  
• Watch Vids: Trax videos: tutorials/maya-tutorials/animation/dt_maya_trax
  

• Review Rendering in Layers and Passes, Contribution Maps
• Rendering Passes Example
  

• Work on: final projects
  

WEEK 9

Rigging Skinning and Constraints + Skeletons and Kinematics

• Intro to Rigging structures for motion with skeleton systems
  
  
• Inverse and forward kinematics. How to use IK handles
  
  
• Examples of bind poses:
  
  • 3ds max axyz characters human
  • old beggar 3d model
  • 3d axyz metropoly rigged
  • 3d human warrior
  • 3d 3ds dark space trooper
  • 3D 3ds Jack Skellington Nightmare
  • 3d model ready female vampire assassin
  • 3d model dragon polys games
    
    

• Watch the Lynda.com on rigging Chapts 4 - in somework folder (day_9)
  
  
• Rig + IK handle the character/ structure from the animation you are building for your final.

• Building controls for models. Connecting models to rigging systems.
• Binding and editing deformer sets

• Continue Watching: the Lynda.com tutorials on rigging and binding
  
  
• Homework Due: Complete the Tentacle Rigging tutorial

WEEK 10

Fluids / Volumes

• Homework Due: Tentacle Rigging
  
  
• Work in Class
  

• Complete 24 storyboard renders:
  Composite the 24 fully rendered frames to storyboard page(s) layouts.
• Include comments per frame describing the scene / shot contents / and camera movement.
• Save this as a tif or a pdf (roughly 12" x 11" @ 180 dpi).
• This storyboard should be the complete illustration of your camera blocking. It should also indicate your lighting and texturing scheme.
• This is due March 27.

• Intro to Fluids

• Watch Vids: on fluid explosions, interactions with rigid bodies, creating a cloud system, and fluids as textures

Break

• spring break - no class

WEEK 11

Advanced rendering issues

• Continued Fluids
• DUE: StoryBoards

• work on final

• Group Crit - Storyboards
• Linear workflow

• work on final

WEEK 12

Advanced Texturing

• Work in Class
  

• work on final

• Work in Class

• work on final
• RENDERING!

WEEK 13

Work Period

• work in class on final
  
  
• Graduate presentation: Joe: Blobby's + Particle Goals

• work on final
• RENDERING!

• work in class on final
  
  
• Graduate presentation: Kristina: Blendshapes and Mudbox

• work on final
• RENDERING!

WEEK 14

Final Editing

• work in class on final
  
  
• Graduate presentation: April: Toons Shader

• work on final
• Upload: 5 finished stills to Google+
• EDITING/ Compositing!

• work in class on final
  
  
• Graduate presentation: Lauren: zBrush <--> Maya workflow

• Re-Upload: refined project statement to Google+
• work on final
• EDITING/ Compositing!

WEEK 15

Final Projects Presentation

• work in class on final

• Upload: link to compressed version of your animation to Google+
• work on final
• EDITING/ Compositing!

Apr 26

• Final Presentations

• Enjoy your summer!