3D Computer Animation

Overview

The study of digital tools to represent moving objects in 3D space. Learn the basics of 3D computer animation. This is the most widely used technique for special effects in movies and computer games. The course covers leading 3D graphics software, with plenty of hands-on use of the computer to build a demo reel and acquire the experience levels demanded by employers and clients.

Two hours lecture and three hours lab per week. May be taken twice for credit.

First Semester Topics

1. Technical orientation.
   1. System software user interface.
   2. Recommended workflow practices.
   3. Computational loads and display requirements of 3D animation.
2. Digital 3D animation orientation.
   1. Basic factors affecting the illusion of motion.
   2. 3D shape recognition from sequential 2D images on the screen.
   3. Professional 3D animation practices and job descriptions.
   4. History and future trends of 3D animation applications in the visual arts.
3. 3D animation application software interface.
   1. Default settings and user preferences.
   2. Document setup. Import and export formats.
   3. Document window features. Interpreting timeline notation.
   4. Tools and commands palettes.
   5. Object-selection tools and techniques
   6. Object-management features.
4. 3D animation frame-sequencing features.
   1. Straight-ahead animation.
   2. Key frames animation.
   3. Motion paths.
   4. Inbetweening options.
   5. Features specific to the program in use.
5. 3D animation of rigid objects.
   1. Time/space and acceleration curves.
   2. Applying geometric transformations over time.
   3. Looping and palindrome motion.
   4. Rigid animation effects (extensions, plug-ins).
   5. Features specific to the program in use.
6. Object-appearance animation.
   1. Digital video-based materials.
   2. Animation of procedural materials.
   3. Animation of texture mapping.
   4. Appearance animation effects (extensions, plug-ins).
   5. Features specific to the program in use.
7. 3D animation rendering features.
   1. Lighting type, placement, and attributes.
   2. Camera placement, orientation, field-of-view.
   3. Atmosphere settings.
   4. Renderer trade-offs and settings.
   5. Rendered image formats.
   6. Features specific to the program in use.
8. 3D motion picture design.
   1. Varying viewpoint and perspective forcing to alter visual hierarchies.
   2. Influence of motion rendering on figure-ground relationship.
   3. Shaping space with animated light and color.
   4. Visual resources research.
   5. Application area case studies.

Second Semester Topics

1. Advanced 3D software administration.
   1. System software compatibility issues.
   2. Application software installation and testing.
   3. Performance tuning. Network rendering.
2. Digital 3D animation professional orientation.
   1. Artifacts disrupting the illusion of motion: strobing.
   2. Temporal anti-aliasing with motion blur.
   3. Professional 3D demo reel compilation and presentation.
   4. Societies and events relevant to 3D animators.
3. 3D animation application specialized features.
   1. Workspace customizing.
   2. Conversion to and from different geometry data.
   3. Level-of-detail optimization.
   4. Real-time rendering application features.
   5. Advanced timeline, tool and command options.
4. 3D animation of articulated objects.
   1. Forward kinematics.
   2. Inverse kinematics.
   3. Typology of linkages.
   4. Limiting motion range.
   5. Features specific to the program in use.
5. 3D animation of morphing objects.
   1. Principles of metamorphosis planning.
   2. Creating/converting compatible geometry data.
   3. Setting up morph targets.
   4. Morphing effects (extensions, plug-ins).
   5. Features specific to the program in use.
6. 3D animation with dynamics.
   1. The physics of animated objects.
   2. Object mass and velocity settings.
   3. Forces and force fields.
   4. Dynamics effects (extensions, plug-ins).
   5. Features specific to the program in use.
7. Compositing 3D motions, appearances and renderings.
   1. Nested frames of reference.
   2. Object hierarchies.
   3. Using digital video for backgrounds and textures.
   4. Embedding billboarded renderings in 3D scenes.
   5. Virtual reality panorama and object formats.
   6. Features specific to the program in use.
8. 3D motion pictures for visual communications.
   1. Spatialized sound and its use to enhance sound/image relationship.
   2. Exaggerated action to enhance the perception of space and object mass.
   3. Constructing meaning in narrative and documentary 3D animations.
   4. Shot, scene, and sequence assembly to enhance depth perception.
   5. Application area advanced case studies.

Outcomes

Students successful in this class will:

• Complete assigned projects, creating animated representations of moving objects in space.
• Analyze visual and verbal scene and shot descriptions, arriving at an understanding of spatial relationships, and the actions taking place within the model.
• Fulfill shot requirements by devising appropriate combinations of object choreography, effects timing, and camera motion.
• Discriminate between spatial and motion representations suited to different expressive goals.
• Produce animation segments for a variety of applications, evaluating the benefits and challenges of using 3D computer animation techniques as artistic devices.
• Schedule their work to fit time and equipment constraints, establishing an effective workflow.
• Appraise the visual effects of each software feature, devising ways to incorporate them into a personal stylistic repertoire.
• Evaluate hardware and software suitable for creating and displaying 3D animations--identifying trends in the market and in the development of standards.

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Created: 2005-03-06. Last Updated: 2005-04-03. This document originally at <http://www.sanedraw.com/ED/CURRICLM/ACG150.HTM> Copyright 2005 by | Sandro Corsi |