Art Department - Spring 2025 - Digital Art - Ronaldo Kiel

ARTD 2821 3D Modeling & Animation

Section TQ8 - code 3421 - T 08:55-12:15PM 5102 BH - Jan 28 to May 20, 2025

Course Description Class Projects Schedule Important Dates Contact

Index

We will work on 3 animation projects in only 14 classes.

All projects have videos online: https://www.illumira.net/showcollection.php?pid=njcore:184111

Class 1

Introduction: Syllabus/Black Board

• Computer Animation and Visual Effects - Brief History of Computer Animation
• Catmull&Parke Video 1972
• Technical Aspects Computer Animation
• Overview: Modeling, Materials and Textures, Lights, Animation, Rendering

Demonstration: MAYA Interface

• Maya modules: Modeling, Rigging, Animation, FX, Rendering
• Starting a project
• 3D Space
• Mouse movement and picking

Assignment: Look at the Autodesk site. The on-line tutorials will help you to understand the software functionality.

Choose an image to create your still life. (A simple still life painting is a good start)

Class 2

Discussion: Maya Workflow

• Working in 3D (The use of 2D Images to generate 3D shapes)
• The modeling process

Demonstration: Maya Modeling Techniques

Assignment: Work on Project #1 (Still Life). Sketch a top and side view of the image you are using as a reference to create your still Life. The frontal view should be the painting itself.

Class 3

Discussion: The illusion of movement. Frame rate. Time your movement. Story boards.

Demonstration: Lights, Materials, Textures, Animation&Rendering

• Lights: previewing your work-Arnold viewer/IPR
  
• Hypeshade: materials and textures
• Textures in Photoshop
• Key frames for the camera

Demonstration: Using After Affects to compile your frames. Video online

Assignment: Create single frame renderings of Project #1 (Still Life).

Class 4

Discussion: 3D Art Production - Architecture/Game design

Demonstration: The Greek Columns

Low Poly example (project2)

• Topological levels of Polygons
• Extrusions
• Duplicate special
• Derivative objects - Booleans

Assignment: Render of Project #1 (Still Life).
Please start to watch Project 2 - Low Poly Videos 1 to 3

Class 5

Discussion: 3D Space and UV Space

Demonstration: Working in the UV Editor - Cereal Box

• UV mapping
• The use of the UV tools
• Snapshots - resolution - importance of storyboards
• Photoshop work - Substance Painter (future work-flows)
• Materials and Surfaces - Hypershade: Making Connections
• Standard Surface - Color, Specular, Transmission and Geometry
• Bump Mapping
• Displacement mapping
  

Assignment:Start working on Project #2: (Virtual Space) Look for reference images and or blueprint.

Final versions of all Projects are due the day scheduled for the final exam of the class.

Project 2 - Low Poly Videos 4 to 7

individual review of still life projects

Class 6

Discussion: Modeling

Demonstration: 2D vector drawing and Polygonal Modeling

Assignment: individual review of project 2 reference (blue print, sketches, photos)

Project 2 - Low Poly Videos 1 to 3

Class 7

Discussion: Project 2 Low Poly Project: Modeling/UV mapping

Demonstration: Working in the UV Editor

Assignment:

Class 8

Discussion: Project 2 - School House Project

Demonstration: Poly Modeling

• The "create poly tool" - how to create complex polygons
• Object generation methods
• Moving, rotating, sizing, and mirroring
• Derivative objects - Booleans
• UV Mapping - Planning and Production

Assignment: Project 2 - School House Videos 1 to 4 Photoshop Work: Create textures

Class 9

Discussion: Lights/Materials and Textures /Animation&Rendering - Arnold viewer

Demonstration: Material Properties and the interaction with lights

• Hypershade: Making Connections
• Standard Surface - presets
• Bump Mapping

Demonstration: Animation

• Project windows and key frames
• Setting key frames
• Previewing - Play Blast
• Render Set Up

Assignment: Project 2 - School House
Videos 5 to 8
Photoshop Work - Create textures

Class 10

Work Day

Individual reviews of project 2

Class 11

Discussion: Outdoors Lights - HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging)

https://blog.gregzaal.com/2016/03/16/make-your-own-hdri/#more-1603

https://dmswart.com/2016/06/28/drawing-a-panorama/

https://polyhaven.com/

Demonstration:

• Sky Dome HDRI lights
• Creating lights
• Light types
• Light Properties
• Sky Dome Light - The use of HDRI
• Physical Sky

Assignment: Render all projects and upload.

Class 12

Discussion: Project 3 Landscape - Hight Maps on TanGram

Demonstration: Displacement Work-flow

• Shader Group
• Displacement Material
• Shape Node
• Arnold - Subdivision and Displacement
• Texture Maps and projections (Ramps)

Assignment:

• Videos Project 3
• Choose you Hight Map

Class 13

Work Day

Q&A about all projects

Class 14

Demonstration: Rendering

• Setting up the animation camera
• Time Line (Speed of the camera)
• Rendering

Assignment: Render all projects and upload. Final rendering of all your projects.

Your 3 rendered projects should be uploaded by May 19th to Black Board