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DePaul
CIM
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3D
Character Animation
Spring 2013
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T 6:00 - 9:15 |
LPC Student Center 364
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Instructor:
Josh Jones
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Office: CST 517
Email: jjones@cim.depaul.edu
(best way to reach me)
Phone:
(312)362-5876
Office hours :
Tu: 10:00-11:00am, 9:15-10:15pm
Th: 10:00-11:00am
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ANI
300/430
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Course Description
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In this course, students will
be introduced to the art of animating in 3D through the use of traditional
animation principles. Topics will include: principles of animation,
storyboarding, transformations and deformations of 3D objects, rigging,
camera and light animation. Emphasis will be placed on using the computer as
a tool to create animation for cinema and game applications, as well as an instrument of
experimentation. PREREQUISITE(S): ANI
231 or
GPH 338
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Course
Objectives
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After completing this course, students will
have:
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1.
An extensive knowledge of Maya?s animation tools.
2.
A broad understanding of all animation styles and techniques, and how they
apply to and can
aid animation in 3D.
3.
A solid base in animation fundamentals.
4. Professional
demo reel quality work.
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Texts
and Materials
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REQUIRED TEXTS:
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?The
Animators Survival Kit?
Richard Williams, Publisher: Faber and
Faber Inc. 2001, Cost $30.00.
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http://cdmflash.cdm.depaul.edu/coltube/movie
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RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
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?Stop
Staring?
By
Jason Osipa
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Reference
Websites
www.autodesk.com
www.creativecrash.com
www.awn.com
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Attendance
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Students are expected to attend every
class. We cover an enormous amount of
material in every class, and missing even one can be a huge setback. Two absences
will result in the lowering of your final grade one full letter. Any student
missing 3 classes will be given a grade of ?F? for the semester.
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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.
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You may
not miss the midterm or final class date.
Doing so will equal an automatic two letter grade reduction of your
final grade. If for some reason you
cannot make one of these dates you must contact your instructor BEFORE the
class that you must miss. Excuses
given after the fact will not be accepted.
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No incompletes will
be given without documented proof of circumstances beyond your control.
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Participation
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One
of the best ways to learn in a classroom environment is through active
participation in discussions and critiques.
In general, we will be following a pattern of creating animation and
then discussing it in critique in the following week. When I open up the floor for you to speak,
please make the effort to voice your honest and constructive opinion. This more than anything will help you learn
from your mistakes and progress in your animation skills.
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Class
Work
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Assignments
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* Special Accommodations: If you have any special considerations
please see the instructor.
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* BACK UP YOUR
WORK: Failure of computer software and or Hardware will not be accepted
as an extenuating circumstance for late projects or incomplete grades so back
up your work daily.
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Critiques
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Unless I
tell you otherwise, assigned work must be completed and submitted through
COLweb one hour BEFORE class starts.
This will keep us from wasting valuable class time. In most cases (I?ll let you know the
exceptions) I request that you use QuickTime
format unless discussed with me previously.
AVI?s are difficult to watch frame by frame (something we will be
doing a lot of). Handing in something unfinished is always better than nothing at
all. Due to the large size of our
class, and the limited class time, not everyone?s work will get a full review
during class. If you?d like more
feedback, arrange to discuss your work with me during my office hours. We will view and discuss everyone?s final
project during the last class.
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Grading
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Assignments 75%
of grade
Final Project 25% of grade
Total
100%
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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
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Your grade will depend on the
following criteria:
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Meeting
Project Deadlines: It is vital to have your work
available for critique. Work
unavailable for critique will be considered late and will not be accepted
unless you are using your one ?freebie.?
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Creativity and personal input into
execution of project
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Coming prepared to class, including
assigned reading and assignments
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Showing in-progress work, which can
benefit from suggestions, rather than presenting entirely new work at
critiques
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Effective visually aesthetic
solutions to all problems assigned
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Taking initiative to work outside of
class and research
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Hard work and sweat
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Participation in critiques and
discussions
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Cell
Phones
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Use
of cell phones in the class and the lab is prohibited. Please turn your phone off before entering
class. Mistakes will happen (to me
too), but repeated failure to turn your phone off will result in a lowered
grade for the class. All phone
conversations should be conducted outside the class ? don?t disturb those
working in the lab and put others in an uncomfortable situation.
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Headphones
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Whether
working with sound in your project, or simply listening to music while
working, you need to be considerate of others and wear headphones. Be aware that if the volume is high enough,
others can still hear what you?re listening to despite the headphones. Inconsiderate behavior will result in a
lowered grade.
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Academic
Integrity
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Work
done for this course must adhere to the DePaul University Academic Integrity
Policy, which you can review in the Student
Handbook or by visiting http://www.depaul.edu/university-catalog/academic-handbooks/Pages/default.aspx.
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Plagiarism
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The university and school policy on
plagiarism can be summarized as follows: Students in this course, as well as
all other courses in which independent research or writing play a vital part
in the course requirements, 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 a report, examination paper, computer file,
lab report, or other 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.
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Materials and
Supplies
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All
assignments in this class will be either transmitted digitally online or via
CDROM or DVD. Instructor will notify
preferred method of submission for each assignment.
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Any
assignment handed in late or when not present in class may be put on a CDROM
or DVD and sent to my mailbox on the 4th floor of CTI.
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All
CDROM?s and DVD?s must be labeled clearly with the following information:
-Your name
-The class number and name you are
submitting the assignment for
-The term (ex. Fall 2006)
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Schedule
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This schedule is
subject to change throughout the semester, and will be adapted to fit the
needs of the students.
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Unless
otherwise noted, all assignments will be submitted in digital format online 1
hour prior to class. Assignments may
be submitted earlier.
Lecture Assignment
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Week 1
April 2
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Lecture:
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?Character Bones?
The aesthetics of a
good pose
Working effectively
with a rig
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Assignments: Character observation and Rendered Emotion
Poses
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Week 2
April 9
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Review Poses
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Lecture: Review of pose-to-pose and straight ahead
animation styles.
The 3D animation
process.
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The Body as a Unit
Moving Line of
Action
Soft and Hard
accents.
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Inverse Kinematics
vs. forward Kinematics.
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For Next Class: Big Step Exercise
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Read
ASK ?Spacing? pg. 84-99. Read ASK
?Anticipation? pg. 273-284 and ?Reaction? pg. 294-296.
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Week 3
April 16
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Critique Keys and
Extremes
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Lecture: The art of Inbetweening.
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Spacing, slow
in/slow out, breakdown poses, moving on arcs, overlapping action.
A
to X to B
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For next class: Do breakdowns and inbetween Big Step
animation from last week.
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Read
ASK ?flexibility? pg. 227-245 and ?overlapping action? pg.
249-251.
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Week 4
April 23
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Lecture:
Blocking
out a complex shot
Physics
study vs. Character study
Animation
Observation
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For
next week: Pro Blocking
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Week 5
April 30
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Critique
Pro Blocking
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Lecture:
The walk cycle.
Giving walks character!
Establishing weight.
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For
next class: Complete two character walk cycles.
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Read
ASK ?The Walk Cycle? pg. 102-124.
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Week 6
May 7
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Lecture:
Character
expression. Eyes, eyebrows, and
blinks. Changing expression
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Creating character
through expression
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For
next week: Find headshot dialogue and thumbnail out
storyboard of thought progression.
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Read
ASK ?Dialogue? pg. 304-313.
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Week 7
May 14
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Lecture:
Continue
with expression.
Quick
n? Dirty lip sync.
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Introduce
Final Project
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Due
next week: Head shot animation. Must be lit and rendered as a quicktime
movie for next week.
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Also?find
a sound clip from www.moviesounds.com (or similar
website) that you want to use for your final piece. Thumbnail out a storyboard including all
key poses for the action.
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Week 8
May 21
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Critique head shot animations.
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Lecture:?Giving
your characters business- context, subtext and layered performance
Performance in animation: Realism,
exaggeration, over-acting
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For next
class: Lay out key poses
and extremes for your shot. Submit
animation as a playblast with sound.
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Week 9
May 28
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Review
animation pop-throughs
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Lecture:
Bringing
more life into characters.
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For next
class: Add breakdowns and
begin inbetweening on your shot
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Read
ASK pg. 217-227
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Week 10
June 4
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Individual and peer
critiques on final progress
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?High brow? lip sync.
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For next class:
Final
animation is due
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Week 11
June
11
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Animation Final
Tuesday June 11th,
6:00-9:15 pm
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ATTENDANCE
MANDATORY
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Due: Final Project. Rendered and lit.
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