DRAFT
INSTRUCTOR
Earl Mark emark@uoregon.edu
DESCRIPTION
Computer Animation: Design in Motion is a hands-on subject in moviemaking through techniques in three-dimensional computer animation, composite video editing, as well as sound editing and capture. The class will periodically screen short and feature length animations as well as ongoing student work. Discussion of these works will be an integral part of the subject. There will also be a few readings in film theory and cognitive science. The links between perception, representation, storytelling and digital animation will be examined within both a historical and a contemporary critical framework. Tutorials include methods of constructing computer models of the built and natural environment, the dynamic simulation of light, air, wind, water, fabric, hair, springs, hinges and other physical phenomenon. They include character rigging and animation as well as related inverse kinematics techniques for controlling movement. An inertial motion capture body suit will be used to enhance the simulation and exploration of character movement. Scripting in a java-like language to animate and generate forms will be incorporated into some exercises.
Four animation assignments accumulate towards the production of a short (from 1 to 5 minutes) movie/animation by the end of the class. The project themes may vary according to individual student interest. These may include character based visual narratives, explicit reconstructions of buildings and landscapes, or more abstract compositions exploring materiality, light, three-dimensional forms and spatial geometry, or physical processes.
It is anticipated that an interdisciplinary group of students admitted to the course will bring perspectives from across the arts and sciences, including such diverse fields as fine arts, bio-mechanical engineering, design, computer music, computer science, drama, media studies, systems engineering, educational instructional technology or other subjects where computer animation or simulation is of interest.
RESOURCES
The primary technology will be Autodesk Maya*, Autodesk MotionBuilder, Apple Quicktime Pro, iMovieHD, and MakeHuman. There are no purchasing requirements. Autodesk software is free to the educational community for academic use (see autodesk.com for details). MakeHuman is public domain and available at no cost or a voluntary donation. The primary workshop venue will be Campbell Room 105, a computer equipped facility with all relevant software licenses provided. Additional facilities in the School of Architecture are available for working in the course after hours. Human movement recording with an inertial motion capture body suit will be done at the UVA Scholar’s Lab.
* We will work with the most recent version of the sofware installed in our computing classrooms.
GRADING
Each of the first four projects count towards 15% of the grade. The final project counts towards 30% of the grade and class attendance and general participation count towards 10% of the grade. Due to the sequential building block nature of the topics covered, full attendance is expected.
SCHEDULE
The order of the topics below may be slightly adjusted.
| Week 1: April 1 – 7 | |
| Exercise 1 Introduction to animation techniques and concepts/course oveview The interface and graphics primitives [Derakhshani: Lightly Browse Chapters 1 and 2, Chapter p. 54 – 62] Simple Key-framed Animation Photoshop Assembly Editing Select Modes and Templates [Robinson: Read Chapters 5 and 6] Grouping and Parenting- Quicktime docs: Import Image Sequence (p. 28) Exporting Movie (p. 43 – 45), Exporting to Mpeg 4 (p. 48)]: and Adding an Audio Track to a Quicktime Movie (p. 34)]:- lynda.com* Maya 1016 Essential Training by George Mastri, Overview, 1. The Maya Interface. 2. Selecting and Manipulating Objects, 3. Organizing Maya Scenes (optional) |
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| Week 2: April 8 – 14 | |
| Selection Modes and Templates Instantiation [Derakhshani: Browse Chapter 3,] Grouping and Parenting Polygons and Nurbs Modeling In Detail [Derakhshani: Read Chapters 4 and 5] Skeletons Skins and Inverse Kinematics [Derakhshani: Browse Chapter 8, Read Chapter 9] |
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| Week 3: April 15 – 21 | |
| Review Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Graphical Editor and Path Animation Deformers Lighting, Shaders and Rendering [Derakhshani: Read Chapters 7 – 8, Browse Chapter 10] Camera Control and Environmental Effects [Optional, Robinson: Read Chapter 16 and Chapter 17] iMovie HD Editing – lynda.com Maya Essential Training 3. Creating Polygonal Models, 4.Modeling Polygonal Meshes, 8. Nurbs Modeling Techniques, 9. Refining Nurbs Models (optional) |
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| Week 4: April 22 – 28 | |
| Inertial Motion Capture Body Suit System Shaders, Material Palettes and Rendering Continued |
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| Week 5: April 29 – May 5 | |
| Review Exercise 2 Exercise 3 MASH Audio Generated Animation Sound Editing and Capture, MEL (Maya’s Embedded Programming Language) Dynamics/Particles and Collisions [Derakhshani: Read Chapter 12, p. 896 – 908] |
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| Week 6: May 6 – 12 | |
| Rigid and Soft Bodies with Constraints [Derakhshani: Read Chapter 12, p. 913 – 926] Fluid Dynamics – lynda.com Maya Essential Training 10. Creating Matarials, 11. Applying Materials andTextures, 12. Rendering in Maya(optional) |
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| Week 7: May 13 – 19 | |
| Review Exercise 3 Exercise 4 Final Exercise Blend Shapes Connection Editor |
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| Week 8: May 20 – May 26 | |
| Cloth [Derakhshani: Read Chapter 12, p. 946 – 953] Hair |
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| Week 9: May 27 – June 2 | |
| Composite Editing Special Effects [Derakhshani: Read Chapter 12, p. 941 – 945] |
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| Week 10: June 3 – June 6 | |
| Review Exercise 4 Course Summary |
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| Final Exercise Review (DATE/TIME: TBA) | |
Note: Required readings are available on-line through the University of Oregon Electronic Library. Details will be explained in class.
REFERENCES
Online Highly Recommended Reading
Introducing Maya 2016 by Dariush Derakhshani, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2015 ± § –see on-line version of this book
Recommended Reading
Animation:
Mastering Autodesk Maya 2016 by John Palamar, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2016 A° § see on-line version of this textbook
Maya Visual Effects: The Innovators Guide by Eric Keller, Autodesk Official Press, 2013 + §– see on-line version of this textbook
MEL Scripting for Maya Animations, Second Edition, by Mark R. Wilkins and Chris Kazmier, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2005 + §
Maya Secrets of the Pros 2nd ed. / John Kundert-Gibbs, Dariush Derakhshani et. al. Sybex Inc., 2006. + § – see on-line version of this textbook
Maya 8 for WIndows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide) by Morgan Robinson, and Nathaniel Stein, Peachpit Press, 2007 ± §
* lynda.com tutorials are available this link through independent subscription . See links in schedule above. Use is optional.
Moviemaking:
Arnheim, Rudolf, Film as Art. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1957.*
Cocteau, Jean, Beauty and the Beast: Diary of a Film. New York: Dover Publications, 1972.
Greene, Graham, The Third Man and The Fallen Idol, Penguin Books Ltd., 1977.
Murch, Walter, In the Blink of An Eye, A Perspective on Film Editing, Silman-James Press, 1995.
Philosophy and Perception:
Arnheim, Rudolf, Art and Visual Perception. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1974.
Goodman, Nelson, Languages of Art. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company Inc., 1976.
Sacks, Oliver, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1987.
Putnam, Hillary, Representation and Reality. Cambridge, MA: M.I.T. Press, 1988.
Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte, Edited by Walter Kaufmann, The World Publishing Company, 1956 (Rainer Maria Rilke, “The Notes of Malte Laurids Brigge”, 1910)
Notes:
± This is the primary text with paced readings and straightforward tutorials tied to the syllabus and week to week developmental progression of the class. It is also available online at no cost to members of the University of Oregon community eLibrary.
§ An online version of these books are available to members of the University of Oregon community only eLibrary..
A° This is a more comprehensive introduction though less concise than the Derakhshani text.
+ These texts include greater focus on more on specialized topics. Mastering Autodesk Maya 2016 has over 800 pages, covers significantly more features and special effects than the primary text we will be using in the class.