Instructor: Greg Lemon
M-W 7:30 – 10:15
Prerequisite: none
3 Units
greg.lemon @ gmail.com
This is a 3d digital skills course designed to teach the fundamental aspects of modeling, shading, and animation through a series of creative projects in Autodesk: Maya. Students will explore Maya’s dynamic, node-based architecture, developing the technical skills and conceptual understanding needed to create a wide range of 3d digital artwork.
Learning outcomes:
This class will provide students with the technical skills needed to produce high-quality digital, three dimensional artwork, while maintaining an overarching focus on creativity, exploration and experimentation through a visual context.
Attendance policy:
Missing any more than four (4) classes will result in a failing (F) grade.
Late work policy:
1 class late – B grade maximum
2 classes late – C grade maximum
3 classes late – D grade maximum
4 classes late - F
Suggested resources:
www.cgtalk.com
www.awn.com
www.learning-maya.com
www.creativecrash.com
http://www.freemayavideotutorials.com/
http://motionographer.com/
Maya Basics
Required Materials:
Graph paper notebook and pen/pencil.
Projects and grade percentages:
Class Participation – ongoing, due : every class - 10%
- Be on time and prepared for class.
- Comment on and critique other people's work.
- Ask questions and be involved in discussions.
Project 1 – Primitive Composition - 1 week, due Wednesday 9/5 – 20 %
- Create sketches of what you want to create. Think landscape, portrait, or even abstract.
- Use primitive geometry and lights to create the needed shapes and color.
- Frame your composition and render three images.
- Fall 09 Project 1 Gallery
Project 2 – Still Life - 4.5 weeks, due Friday 10/5 – 20 %
- Choose an environment (inside or out) that you would like to create.
- Find reference images that support your idea.
- Use advanced modeling techniques to create detailed the needed organic and non-organic objects.
- Shade and texture your scene using lights, procedural shaders and texture maps.
- Fall 08 Project 2 Gallery
Project 3 – Animated Scene - 4.5 weeks, due Wednesday 11/7 - 20 %
- Think of a simple character/scene that you want to create and animate.
- Stuffed animals and toys work great – think simple!
- Think of the elements and actions you want to animate; walking, jumping, flying, twisting, opening, etc.
- Create storyboards to previsualize your actions and shots.
- Find reference footage of the types of movement and/or acting you want to create.
- Rig your character/environment for animation using joints, deformers, skinning, particle systems and cloth.
- Animate your scene and render it out as a quicktime movie.
- Should be 10-20 seconds in length.
Project 4 - Final project; 4.5 weeks, due Friday 12/7 – 30 %
- Still scene with complex models and textures.
- OR
- Moving scene with complex animation and FX.
A -
work demonstrates both creative and technical excellence in all regards. Most critiques are subjective and based more on artistic opinion rather than legitimate concerns of quality; effort is quite visible.
B-
work is free from jarring, unintentional artifacts and clearly demonstrates sufficient command of both the medium and creative ability.
C-
work shows decent effort and focus, and displays effort that balances apparent technical and creative errors/artifacts.
D-
work lacks effort, displays numerous poor creative and technical choices.
F-
work is not turned in.
