This course extends and expands the skills learned in IDS252. The primary focus will be on human character animation. Students will become proficient using Maya tools including key framing, the graph editor and IK/FK rig controls. Students also will apply the principles of animation together with body dynamics and gesture to express emotion and personality. Assignments begin simply and grow in complexity over the semester. They will include animating bouncing balls, walk and run cycles, stopping and starting, jumping, pushing, pulling, as well as interaction with objects and other characters. The final assignment will be a capstone project which draws on all of the work done previously in the course.
There will be some collaboration with music - details TBA.
This semester, the course will be co-taught with Marty Havran
Prerequisite: IDS252
Lectures: TuTh 9:40-11:10am in Ford 202
Lab: M & Tu 4-5p, W 11:30a-12:30p
Students will primarily be using the 3D rendering and animation software Autodesk Maya 2015. Maya is installed in a number of labs on campus, including Ford 202. Students who have a good computer can download a full version for free from here.
Other software you will be using includes:
In lieu of a text, students will be asked to purchase a minumum of a 2 month subscription at a cost of ($58) to Digital Tutors.
Many other reference materials will be supplied by the instructors.
Assignment instructions and deadlines are identified on the course schedule. It is important that students complete work on time because all assignments build on the previous assignments. Unexcused late assignments will be penalized: 1 class day (10%), more than 1 class day (50%). Exceptions due to unexpected circumstances can be made but they must be discussed with the instructor before the assignment is due.
Willamette's Credit Hour Policy holds that for every hour of class time there is an expectation of 2-3 hours work outside of class.
Each unexcused absence beyond 5 will result in one letter grade reduction (e.g. an "A" becomes a "A-", an "A-" becomes a "B+", etc).
There are no written exams in this course. Evaluation will be based on the following:
At the end of the semester, the percentage of points a student has earned relative to the maximum amount possible will be computed. The grade will then be based on the grading percentages below. The grading percentage will be reduced if there are more than 5 unexcused absences (see attendance policy above).
Grading percentages
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It is critical that you backup your work after every work session. Keep extra copies in multiple places e.g., on your H drive, your home computer, a thumb drive, and/or a CD/DVD. When copying to a backup device, make sure your copied Maya files are still readable. If you have not organized your files well it is possible that misc files will be stored in distant locations.
Losing a file will rarely be an acceptable excuse for incomplete work. Work lost due to your failure to back up files will have to be redone if credit is to be received.
In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access to this class, please contact me at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required. Students must verify their eligibility though the University in order to receive accommodations. The university policies on disability accommodation may be found here.
If you do a search on the web, you will find a significant amount of material on Maya, including already created models and scenes. You are not to use this material without authorization from the instructor. The purpose of this class is to create your own work.
In the context of this class, plagiarism is defined as representing someone else's work as your own. Cheating is defined as violating stated rules for an exam or an assignment. Plagiarized work will receive a grade of 0 as will any assignment in which cheating occurred. See the webpage Willamette Plagiarism and Cheating Policy for more specific details.
At times, you will be encouraged to cooperate on lab assignments for this class. The rules and limitations of this cooperation will be defined in class. If you are not clear on the rules, it is your responsibility to ask the instructor.
