Topics
IDS 252: 3D Computer Animation

  1. Introduction to Maya
  2. Overview of Animation Process
  3. Visual Story Telling and the Principles of Traditional Animation
  4. Graphics Fundamentals:
    1. 2D vs 3D graphics
    2. coordinate systems
    3. projections
    4. transformation and viewing
    5. components of a graphics system
  5. Modeling Basics:
    1. polygons
    2. NURBS
    3. subdivision surfaces
    4. Revolving, Extruding, Lofting, etc
  6. Overview of Color:
    1. additive vs subtractive
    2. color models
    3. color in Maya
  7. Design and composition
  8. Animation Basics:
    1. keyframing
    2. examples: bouncing ball, simple walk cycle
  9. 12 Principles of Animation
  10. The Mechanics of Animation in Maya:
    1. timing and setting keyframes
    2. working with the graph editor
  11. Maya:
    1. path animation
    2. deformers and constraints
    3. animating rigged models
  12. Acting, conveying emotion through movement
  13. Cinematography and Camera techniques.
    1. color, contrast
    2. depth of field: deep focus, shallow, rack
    3. lenses: normal, telephoto, zoom, wide angle, fisheye, vertigo effect
    4. shot types:, establishing shot, wide, long, medium, close-up, crane, pan, tracking
    5. camera angles: point of view, low, high, dutch/tilt
    6. speed, blur
    7. framing and composition – mood, tone, atmosphere, balance, symmetry.
  14. Lighting:
    1. types of lights
    2. three-point lighting: key, fill, back
    3. shadows and shadow maps
  15. Materials:
    1. shading models
    2. textures
    3. projections and mapping
    4. bump mapping
  16. Rendering Methods:
    1. scanline
    2. ray tracing
    3. radiosity
  17. Rendering Issues
    1. Anti-aliasing
    2. Using the Renderfarm
  18. Story Development
    1. conflict and tension
    2. genre
    3. visual elements
    4. audience
    5. look and feel
  19. Animation and Music Collaboration
  20. Animation Production Process (also See Lab 8 for details)
    1. Story Development
    2. Story Boards
    3. Story Reels
    4. Concept and Reference – Establishing Place and Style
    5. Character Modeling, Movement, and Expression
    6. Scene and Prop Modeling
    7. Animatics
    8. Animation
    9. Editing and Post-production
  21. Organization and Gantt charts