ClassInfo

ANI 479 3D Compositing

Jason Hopkins

Winter 2013-2014
Class number: 20570
Section number: 801
W 6:00PM - 9:15PM
CDM 00532 Loop Campus

Summary

ANI 379/479 Advanced 3D Compositing

I. Instructor

Jason Hopkins
Phone: (312) 961-7551
E-mail: jhopki@artic.edu

II. Course Description and Expectations

This course is designed to allow digital animators and filmmakers to fully develop a two-minute piece which merges the 2D, 3D and/or live-action video worlds, drawing from a combination of techniques including: 1) hand-drawn frame-by-frame /3D animation, 2) digital cut-out animation, 3) rotoscoping, and/or 5) live-action compositing. The course will primarily rely on Maya and After Effects, particularly exploring its 2 D capabilities, as well as its power for green-screening and special effects. Photoshop, Final Cut and other programs may also be utilized as necessary. We will draw upon a canon of films to observe successful techniques that can be applied in our own computer work, and also to develop our sensitivity to the artistry of cinema.
Students will be evaluated on their creativity and diligence in applying the course tools to produce cogent and polished shorts. Our goals are to go beyond simply achieving technical proficiency, as we will also focus on learning principles of good digital filmmaking in preparation for both artistic and commercial endeavors.

III. Course Materials

I strongly recommend that you purchase an external hard drive. Students are responsible for having their work available for viewing in class during weekly class critiques. You do not need to submit your work to me on any kind of disk or storage device as long as I can view it in class. Note: hardware problems are no excuse for late or missing work. The hard drives of the computers are notoriously unreliable, and constantly get erased! Make backup copies and save your work on media besides the schools hard drives! Files can become corrupted. I dont recommend any particular textbook, but I would encourage you to check out a www.videocopilot.net tutorial everyday.

IV. Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. Three absences will result in a loss of credit for the course. Students arriving more than 15 minutes late to any class will be considered tardy. Four tardies are equivalent to one absence.

V. Assignments

1. Technical Exercises
Each week, students will be expected to demonstrate that they understand the techniques discussed the previous weeks class. How you do this is up to you. You can design a very short and specific piece that focuses on demonstrating technique. Or, you can show a part of your final project in progress that incorporates the technique. Be creative! All pieces should closely adhere to the principles of good animation that we discuss in class, as well as display the assigned technique.

Please have your piece pre-rendered in Quicktime format. I want to make sure that you understand how to render a piece and prepare it for easy display.

2. Final Project
The final project for this class must demonstrate an understanding of the concepts discussed in the course. The guidelines are extremely flexible: you should show that you understand the techniques and software discussed, that you can incorporate principles of good filmmaking, and that you have the creativity and dedication to produce a sophisticated piece. You will have ample class time both to work on the project itself, as well as to use me and your fellow students as resources. You neednt produce a catalog of every single concept we discussed in class. I am most concerned that you produce a thought-provoking and personal piece, one that you can really be proud of as an artist. The final result should be a piece that you would be proud to show at a film festival!

We will view and critique the final projects during Final Exam Week (TBA).

To receive credit for this course you have merely to complete the following simple tasks:

1) Drop off your rendered 720 x 480 QuickTime movie (properly compressed if its huge) in the designated folder of the instructors terminal of our classroom before the determined time. If I dont receive the .mov file on the computer before our critique credit will not be given!
2) It must be at least two-minutes in duration (no cutting corners with lengthy credits)
3) It must have sound. Perhaps dialog or sound effects. I do not want cheesy music slapped onto your piece in simple music video format. Im not kidding.
4) Your brilliance (and grade) will also be evaluated considering the following criteria: cogent story, visual splendor, technical complexity, and general appeal.

VI. Class Schedule and Assignments

Week 1: Intro to Programs and Criteria for Analysis
Syllabus
Introduction to Maya, After Effects, and Photoshop
Discussion: Principles of Good Animation and Compositing, Types, and Criteria for Analysis
Motion Parallax
After Effects: Transformations (Position Scale Rotation Opacity)
Technique Assignment: Begin modeling simple props

Week 2: Modeling
Rotoscoping Save as .flm!
Chroma Key Key light
Poly modeling greatest hits extrude, insert edge loop
Paint Effects
Technique Assignment: Model interior/exteriors include some paint effects

Week 3: UV Mapping, Materials/Textures
After Effects: Filters and Effects
Brightness/Contrast/Hue/Saturation
Particle Effects
UV Texture Editor, Hypershade

Technique Assignment: Keep modeling creatures/animals -- start to consider shading and texture, background shader with footage

Week 4: Character modeling and rigging
After Effects: Bouncing Ball
Parenting Hierarchies
Cut-out Animation
Technique Assignment: Model and rig up a character/creature

Week 5: Lighting and Rendering

After Effects: 2.5D Animation revisted
Setting Up an Environment
Camera Movement
Creating Lights
Three point lighting, spot lights, area lights, distance lights
Technique Assignment: Set up a simple 3D environment. Create an animated camera movement using lights and shadows.

Week 6:
FINAL PROJECT MIDTERM CHECKPOINT: Please be prepared to present your storyboard to the class!

Week7: Compositing Putting it all together
Render layers: Beauty, AO, Specular, Diffuse, Shadow passes
Maya Live Motion Tracking
Technique Assignment: Using lighting, texture and shadows, start to integrate posed elements into a still frame of footage.

Week 8: Animation, Sound, and Batch Rendering
3D ball, character synch
Technique Assignment: Sync a character up to sound. Display both body/sound sync and lip/dialogue synch creating a playblast. Bring all assets to class for pre-final crit.

Week 9: PRE-FINAL CRITIQUE!
Review

Week 10:
Presentation and Critique of Final Projects!



School policies:

Changes to Syllabus

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.

Online Course Evaluations

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.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

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.

Academic Policies

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 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 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