ANI 230 3D Design and Modeling
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Summary
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ANI 230
ThreeDee
Modeling
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Autumn 2013
Instructor: Joel D
Benjamin
Jbenjam@cdm.depaul.edu (or
joeldbenjamin@gmail.com)
Office hours:
Monday/Wednesday/Thursday 4:20-5:40 (room TBD)
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This
course covers introductory 3d modeling and design techniques required
to construct 3D objects and scenes to be used for animation and
gaming. Topics to be covered include: clean low polygon modeling; 3D
object design; and brief introduction to texturing, cameras, lighting
and rendering.
Objectives
After
completing this course, students will have:
1.
Gained basic concepts and understanding of tools related to 3D
production.
2.
Become comfortable with basics of modeling, lighting, texturing and
rendering.
3.
Understand the fundamentals of strong 3D design.
Things
to know:
All
things animation are WORK! It takes time ? significant amounts
of time. You can think of it the same way as learning an instrument ?
the more you put into it and the more you practice the better you
will get. If 3D modeling and design/animation is what you want to do,
expect to spend hours upon hours sitting in front of the computer
(this is in addition to outside research, inspiration, LOOKING at the
world and design and sleeping).
If you
don't want to spend 4-5 hours assignment, this class is not for you.
Especially because we only have 10 classes, we will be covering a lot
of ground in a short period of time.
We are
working with computers. Computers suck. They crash, they fail, they
eat your work and generally hate the user. Expect to lose progress at
some point!
How to deal with this:
?
Unfortunately, the instructor cannot go back and save your work for
you.
?
Save. Save often. Save constantly. If you make a change, save your
file!
?
Save incrementally. Meaning ?
save your files in versions, like BenjaminJoel_project1.mb,
BenjaminJoel_project2.mb, BenjaminJoel_project3.mb, etc etc.
Back
up your files onto a flash drive at the end of each work session.
Buy a couple of em, they're cheap. Do NOT expect your work to be
saved onto the school's computers ? it's possible the files
won't be there later.
HOWEVER
? NEVER work directly off of a flash drive! They
are cheap and die and are slow. They should ONLY be used to back up
and transport information, never as the sole means of storage.
1)
Copy your files from the flash drive to the computer.
2)
Remove the flash drive.
3)
Work work work animate work.
4)
Then when you're done, put the flash drive back in, copy the files
back over to the flash drive. NEVER
work directly off of those USB drives!
Want
to get a good grade?
Your
grade will depend on the following criteria:
Meeting Project Deadlines:
It is important to
have your work available for critique- work unavailable for critique
will be lowered one full grade (10%). Not turning in assignments
will SIGNIFICANTLY
hurt your final grade!
Creativity
and personal input into execution of project
Coming
prepared to class, including any assigned reading and assignments
Effective
visually aesthetic solutions to all problems assigned
Taking
initiative to work outside of class and research.
Attend
class! If you miss, you will be counted as absent, and you will miss
out! We cover a lot of technical stuff and you may fall behind if
you miss a lecture.
Hard
work and sweat! Assignments WILL take ON AVERAGE around 4-5 hours
to complete. Some will take less, but some will require MORE!!
Participation
in critiques and discussions is essential. If you sit quietly every
class, you will not only be unhelpful to your classmates, but you
will also miss out on your participation grade, which counts for 10%
of your final grade. Many teachers say this matters and ignore it in
the end ? I
do NOT ignore whether or not you participate.
Everyone is expected to speak up in class ? when discussing
films and animations we watch as well as giving comments (critical
and praising) on your classmates' work.
If
there is assigned reading, do it! It's not for the instructor's
benefit that reading is assigned, it's for yours. If you want to
improve and do well in 3D in or out of this class, you must do the
work for YOURSELF!
Materials:
1)
No specific book will be required ? HOWEVER, you WILL benefit
from a Maya book. Emailing the instructor with questions will usually
result in an answer, but a book on your desk is MUCH faster and
easier! Plus you will often find new tricks/tips by accident while
browsing through a book.
Get
one of the ?Introducing
Maya 20xx? books.
Any version after 2012 will be perfectly fine ? few of the
changes in recent versions will affect our class.
This
is a design class. We will be learning lots of technical stuff, but
we won't be doing it without purpose. Technically successful 3D is
easy to come by. (Look at Shrek, or Ice Age, or Land Before Time
23-405)... Technically successful animation that's also excellently
designed is what our class will aspire to.
2) A
flash drive or three, or a larger (and probably faster) firewire
drive. 2-4 GB should suffice for our projects but something larger
isn?t terribly more expensive.
3)
Dropbox.com account. This is a free account to upload / store / share
large files. This will likely be necessary for some assignment
submissions.
Schedule
*This
schedule is subject to change at any point throughout the quarter
without notice.
? Week 1 ? Intro to 3D modeling/design, Maya
Week
2-3 ? Modeling simple Objects and Basics of 3D Design.
Week
4-6 ? Architecture, modeling and design, lighting &
texturing.
Week
7-10 ? Character design and modeling ? human and
otherwise
If the
instructor feels that a certain area needs more or less attention,
the plan will change according to students' needs!
Some
people will find the pace too fast, some too slow. If you're
struggling with something in particular, let the instructor know!
Regular feedback is a good thing.
Attendance
Student
absences are not expected to exceed more than 10% of the number of
the classes scheduled for the quarter. Each absence after that will
subtract 10% from your final grade! If you are tardy (arriving after
teacher has taken attendance), this counts as half an absence! DO NOT
BE TARDY.
The student is responsible for any lectures or
assignments missed. If an assignment is due a week that you are
absent, it is your
responsibility to make sure it still arrives on time. This is for
your benefit. A good portion of our class time will be spent doing
hands on tutorials, screening films, and critiquing work. Lecture
notes will not make up for these missed learning experiences.
READ
THIS:
You
may not miss the final class date.
Doing so will automatically forfeit a grade for your final project.
If for some reason you cannot make one of these days you must contact
your instructor BEFORE the class that you must miss. Excuses given
after the fact will not be accepted. There
is no final exam but we will have final critique on the set-aside
time. Check the school's calendar for final exam dates.
Incompletes
No
incompletes will be given without documented proof of circumstances
beyond your control. An
incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a
death in the family, a serious illness, etc at the end of the quarter
where a student has been otherwise doing well. It
does NOT mean that a student has been slacking or missing class and
then suddenly wants to catch up at the end!
Any
incomplete request must be made at least two weeks before the final,
and approved by the Dean of the College of Computing and Digital
Media. Any consequences resulting from a poor grade for the course
will not be considered as valid reasons for such a request.
Assignments
This
class is project-based and work-intensive. 90% of your grade will be
based on projects. Do work, have fun. Work more. Get tired.
All
assignments and grades will be listed on our Course Online site:
https://col.cdm.depaul.edu
NOTE:
COL only allows file submissions up to 20mb (sometimes). If the file
is larger, you must upload it to Dropbox.com and submit a link on COL
in the comments section to the dropbox file.
They
must be handed in on time. On
time is submitted through
COLweb by the specified time on the due date. Students
who use class time to finish assignments the day they are due will
forfeit the right to hand in that assignment.
Class time is for working with the material at hand, not finishing
late assignments.
If an assignment is turned in late, there
will be a 10% reduction in grade for each date late (the counter
starts after the due time). If
the assignment goes past the next class meeting, it will not be able
to be turned in for a grade.
Name
your files using this format. If you continuously do NOT do so, the
?Following instructions? part of your grade will be
reduced for each project you do not name the files correctly.
LastnameFirstname_projectnameNumber.extension
example:
BenjaminJoel_TreeProject01.mb
The
reason this is important ? if you name your file
?myFinalBird.mb? I will not know it is yours. Sometimes I
need to download the files individually from COL and it doesn't put
your name on the file if I have to do it this way.
* Special
Accommodations: If you
have any special considerations please see the instructor.
Grading
10%
Participation in class (critiques, screenings, discussions, etc)
90%
Projects
Letter grades are assigned by the following
point values:
A = 100-93, A- = 92-90, B+ = 89-88, B = 87-83, B- =
82-80, C+ = 79-78, C = 77-73, C- = 72-70, D+ = 69-68, D = 67-63, D- =
62-60, F = 59-0.
Students
do NOT receive an ?A? by default.
? An
?A? indicates total excellence. Not only were directions
for assignments followed successfully but the student went above and
beyond to create something truly fantastic.
? A ?B?
grade indicates good work, but could use some improvement in some
area or another.
? ?C? indicates average,
uninspired work. If the directions were followed and the assignment
was completed successfully,
no extra effort or love was applied to raise the grade above
Average.
? D
work is unsatisfactory,
? F is really, really bad.
Other
important technical/legal stuff:
If
you need to get in touch with the instructor, emailing is the best
way.
Academic
Integrity Policy:
This
course will be subject to the academic integrity policy passed by
faculty. More information can be found at
http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/
Plagiarism
The
university and school policy on plagiarism can be summarized as
follows: Students in this course should be aware of the strong
sanctions that can be imposed against someone guilty of plagiarism.
If proven, a charge of plagiarism could result in an automatic F in
the course and possible expulsion. The strongest of sanctions will be
imposed on anyone who submits as his/her own work any assignment
which has been prepared by someone else. If you have any questions or
doubts about what plagiarism entails or how to properly acknowledge
source materials be sure to consult the instructor.
Resources
for Students with Disabilities
Students who feel they may need an
accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the
instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions
will remain confidential.
To
ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on
your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the
quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure
that you have contacted either:
PLuS
Program (for LD, AD/HD) at 773-325-4239 in SAC 220
The
Office for Students with Disabilities (for all other disabilities)
at 773-325-7290 Student Center 307
This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course
content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The
evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely
separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation.
Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.
This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you
have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.
All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.
All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that
you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296