Assignment 1 - Modeling, Surfacing & Lighting Refresher

Decide how deep the box is. Is it covered or lined with anything - wallpaper, newspaper? Are there labels? What kind of condition are they in - new or heavily used? In short, establish the object's size and all surfacing characteristics.

Save this object as: YOURNODE:YourLASTname/Assignment1/Objects/box.lwo.

2. Model and surface two other objects that will appear to be placed inside the "box" you create. Select objects to create that would be considered unexpected or unusual to find in the type of box that you have already created.

Model and surface these objects appropriate to what you imagine their form and use would/should be. If an object is supposed to be made of glass - surface it as believable glass.

Save these objects as:
YOURNODE:YourLASTname/Assignment1/Objects/ob1.lwo
YOURNODE:YourLASTname/Assignment1/Objects/ob2.lwo

3. You MUST gather reference examples or photographs for all objects and textures and WORK from them always. Bring these to class every day.

4. Make sure all objects are rational objects - no crossing or floating polys.

5. Utilize multiple layers of textures to be convincing texturally - bump, diffuse, color, specularity, etc. Your goal is to surface these objects as richly as possible. You will be graded on the convincing quality of surfacing and modeling represented.

6. Use lighting to create a specific mood or tone. Emphasize on the quality of light and individual style of lighting. Your image will also be graded upon its effectiveness to convey the mood or tone that you intend.

7. Render an image of the 2 objects inside the box you created.

Save this image as: YOURNODE:YourLASTname/Assignment1/PICs/refresher.jpg.

8. Submit the image to the web server - filing it in the appropriate directory. The image should be 480x360-72dpi.

Assignment 2 - Abstract Expression in Animation

Due Date: Wednesday September 17 6:30PM

Wednesday, September 17
Artist Work: Upload to the web server;
Storyboard: In class discussion with the instructor; upload to the web server;
Intent & Narration: Email to the instructor;


Animation: In class critiques; upload to the web server.


Objectives:

To explore abstract expression in animation utilizing form, color, light, time, and motion.

To introduce keyframes and basic movement techniques. To introduce spline control. To demonstrate endomorph and morph mixer techniques learned thus far.

Guidelines:
Abstract Expressionism is defined as "a type of art in which the artist expresses himself purely through the use of form and color. It is non-representational, or non-objective, art, which means that there are no actual objects represented." (artcyclopedia.com) The goal of this project is to study abstract expression in the context of animation.

Choose one artist from the list below, study and analyze the artist's work to find out the essential characteristics of the work, then develop and create a short animation of 30 - 45 seconds to depict those characteristics. Your animation should not be a direct presentation or imitation of the artist's work, but rather your own interpretation/impression of the work. Pay special attention to the use of rhythm, motion, as well as to the use of form and color.

Mark Rothko
Jackson Pollock
Wassily Kandinsky
Georges Braque
Claude Monet
Marc Chagall
Chuck Close
Paul Cezanne
Marcel Duchamp
Paul Klee
Eva Hesse
Louise Nevelson
Francis Bacon
Ben Shahn

Artist Work:
-- Submit two pieces of work of the artist of your choice, resize each of them to approximate 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high (or similar size for image whose aspect ratio is not 4:3) and save them as art1.jpg, art2.jpg (JPEG format) within the Assign2 directory.
-- Upload the two images to your Assignment 2 directory on the web server

Storyboard:
Your storyboard should represent the key moments of your animation, and should make your idea accessible to others.

1. Click here to download the storyboard template.
2. When you've completed your storyboarding, follow the Storyboard Guidelines to scan your storyboard and save them as JPEG format within the created folder titled Assign2 on your hard drive node.
3. Assemble scanned pages of your storyboard into one file storyboard.pdf for uploading to the web server.
4. Follow the steps of Sending Image Files & Storyboards to the Web Server.
   Copy storyboard.pdf to your Assign2 directory on the web server(SmartFTP Favorites: ART430), as directed in class.


Your storyboard must be uploaded AND functioning by the storyboard due date.

Assignment 3 - Character Development

Due Date: Monday, October 13, 6:30PM


-- In class critiques, animation must be uploaded to web.

Objectives:
To further the user's understanding of the basic use of bones and bone control's, including: Weight Maps, FK/IK and Skelegons. Also to begin to develop a sense of character within an animation.

Guidelines:
Create an animation (within 1000 frames) that uses bones, weight maps and either FK, IK, (or both) that showcases a single character performing a series of 10 complete motions.

The goal here is to not just create a simple walk cycle, but to begin acting through a "character". The entity must evoke, through its movements, some form of human emotion. The easiest place to start this undertaking is to decide who and what your entity is about. Is it a he or a she? Old, young? Dumb, smart, foolish, or arrogant? Is your "character" joyful, depressed, or maybe enraged? The more of these questions you ask yourself, the more you know about how your "character" should act, and the more believable your animation will be. Establish an imaginary background and biography for your entity, not only is it fun, but It really helps you to become vested in your "actors" performance.

Actions to be performed can include but are not limited to:

Walk, Run, Jump, Fall, Trip, Skip, Dance, Attack and so on.

Your character should perform all acitons with the same style. That is, if your charactr is old, they should appear old by their actions.

Requirements:

Animation:
-- 320x240;
-- Render you animation as QuickTime movie with the standard trial settings.
-- Follow the steps of Preparing Movie Files for the Web to compress your animation. It should be named Assignment_3.mov
-- Follow the steps of Sending Movie Files to the Quicktime Movie Drop.
Copy your movie to the a430f08 folder on the AnimationDrop


         Your animation must be uploaded AND functioning by the beginning of the class period on the due date.

Assignment 4 - Imaginative Reality

Due Date: Wednesday, November 5, 6:30PM

-- In class critiques, assignment must be uploaded to web.

Objectives:
To introduce LightWave dynamics and basic compositing; To explore "visual credibility".


Guidelines:
Create an animation (within 1000 frames) that seamlessly blends the LW dynamics with real photographs and/or video footage over time.

The animation should contain at least two of the three types of LW dynamics covered in class: particle dynamics, cloth dynamics, and SasLight.

Adjust the quality and details of the visual materials in PhotoShop or After Effects if necessary. Be careful in choosing your materials, a good selection will make a more believable composite.

Adding other 3D object/animation to the scene(s) is optional but encouraged.

Fill in what you think is missing from the scene. Make the scene more dramatic, compelling, exciting, or glamorous. The goal is to overlay your imagination on top of the "reality" and create an illusion over the original visuals.


Requirements:

Animation:
-- 320x240;
-- Render you animation as QuickTime movie with the standard trial settings.
-- Follow the steps of Preparing Movie Files for the Web to compress your animation. It should be named Assignment_4.mov
-- Follow the steps of Sending Movie Files to the Quicktime Movie Drop.
Copy your movie to the a430f08 folder on the AnimationDrop


         Your animation must be uploaded AND functioning by the beginning of the class period on the due date.

Assignment 5 / Final Project

Due Dates:

Storyboards due [Thumbnails]
- Monday, November 17

Test renders due
- Wednesday, November 19
- 240 x 160 for web page

Storyboards due [Large Boards]
- Monday, November 24

Storyline/Intent & Narration due
- Monday, November 24
- email to the instructor

Rough animations due
- Monday, December 1
- 180x120 for web page

Final animation due
- Wednesday, December 10
- 360x240 for web page

Objectives:
To demonstrate principles taught thus far and develop personal ideas within computer animation.

Guidelines:
Create an animation no longer than 3000 frames that incorporates the following:

a. meaningful camera point of view

b. attention to the persona of the camera

c. appropriate camera editing

d. subject matter that is meaningful to you


Requirements:
Missing Storyboard or Intent & Narration or Test Pics or Rough animations will result in the lowering of the student's grade by a half letter.

Storyboard:
Your storyboard should represent the key moments of your animation, and should make your idea accessible to others.

1. Click here to download the storyboard template.
2. When you've completed your storyboarding, follow the Storyboard Guidelines to scan your storyboard and save them as JPEG format within the created folder titled Assign5/storyboard on your hard drive node.
3. Assemble scanned pages of your storyboard into one file storyboard.pdf for uploading to the web server.
4. Follow the steps of Sending Image Files & Storyboards to the Web Server.
   Copy storyboard.pdf to your Final directory on the web server(SmartFTP Favorites: ART430), as directed in class.


Your storyboard must be uploaded AND functioning by the beginning of the class period on the animation due date.

Storyline/Intent & Narration:
-- What is the thesis statement of this animation?
-- Write in detail about the subject matter and its development over the course of your proposed animation.
-- Write about the intended tone and how the object elements, the lighting, the camera point-of-view reinforce the tone.
-- What should the persona of the camera convey?

         Email your storyline/intent & narration to the instructor by the storyline due date.

Test Pics:
-- Test pics should represent the key settings of the animation. Modeling, surfacing and lighting should be mostly(90%) completed.
-- 240 x 160.
-- Save test pics as a5tp1.jpg, a5tp2.jpg, a5tp3.jpg, a5tp4.jpg within the Assign5 directory.
-- Upload test pics to your Final directory on the web server(SmartFTP Favorites: ART430)

         Your test pics must be uploaded AND functioning by the beginning of the class period on the test pics due date.

Rough Animation:
-- Rough animations should represent the key moments of the animation. Modeling, surfacing and lighting should be mostly(90%) completed.
-- 180x120.
-- Follow the steps of Preparing Movie Files for the Web to compress your rough animations. Save them as YourLastName_a5ra1.mov, YourLastName_a5ra2.mov, YourLastName_a5ra3.mov, YourLastName_a5ra4.mov.
-- Follow the steps of Sending Movie Files to the Quicktime Movie Drop.
Copy your movie to the a430f08 folder on the AnimationDrop

         Your rough animations must be uploaded AND functioning by the beginning of the class period on the rough animations due date.

Final Animation:
For final CD/DVD submission (will be submitted with other assignments together, instructor will send out an email with the detailed requirements in the near future):
-- 720x480, 30 fps, QuickTime format, MPEG-4 Video Compressor at 100%(Best) quality.

For web submission:
--360x240, QuickTime format.
-- Follow the steps of Preparing Movie Files for the Web to compress your animation. It should be named YourLastName_5.mov .
-- Follow the steps of Sending Movie Files to the Quicktime Movie Drop.
Copy your movie to the a430f08 folder on the AnimationDrop


         Your animation must be uploaded AND functioning by the beginning of the class period on the due date.

Extra Assignments

Exercize A: Tutorial

Develop a tutorial [either text-based or video based] that describes the steps to producing a desired effect in Lightwave. Final format should be in HTML, PDF, or SWF format.

Exercise B: Article Review

Read and write a review for a magazine article that deals with the topic of CG or Animation. Include in your report the following:

• The original article [weblink or magazine title/publication date/page number/article title]
• Synopsis of the article
• Assessment of what you learned from the article
• Explanation of how this information can impact your work

Exercise C: Software Trial

Download and explore a trial version of a piece of software [other than LW, AE, or PS]. Include in your report the following:

• The software and version chosen
• Why you chose this software
• Overview of primary capabilities of the software
• Cost of the software
• Assessment of how this software can impact your work

Exercise D: Online Portfolio

Post a collection of your work online in a public forum or personal website. Public forums can include communites such as cgportfolio and deviantart. Posting work on a personal website is encouranged but not required. Include stills, video and concept work as you are able.

Exercise E: Studio Profile

Research and report on a professional studio that deals with animation such as CG3D, Classical, and Web based techniques. Include in your report the following:

• Studio Name
• Studio Location[s]
• Studio Employee Size
• Primary Services Offered
• Primary Jobs Offered to Entry Level Emploees