Art Department - WINTER 2026 - Digital Art - Ronaldo Kiel

ARTD 2821 3D Modeling & Animation

Section JAN code 50723- MTWTHF 6:05 - 9:20 Jan 02 to Jan 22, 2026

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
• Software: Autodesk software access for students and educators
• Adobe Cuny software
  
  
• 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.

Markus Etter and AI storyboarding link:

https://www.story-boards.ai/content-hub/blog/the-only-guide-you-need-to-learn-storyboarding

When planning animation, it's crucial to understand the fundamentals such as the illusion of movement, frame rate, and timing your movements effectively.

The Illusion of Movement: Animation relies on displaying a sequence of images in rapid succession, creating the perception of motion. This phenomenon, known as persistence of vision, tricks the human eye into seeing continuous movement.

Frame Rate: This refers to the number of frames displayed per second (fps). Common frame rates include 24 fps for traditional film and varying rates for digital media. A higher frame rate results in smoother motion, while a lower frame rate can appear choppier.

Timing Your Movement: Timing involves determining how long an action takes and the spacing of frames to convey weight, speed, and emotion. Mastering timing can make movements feel natural and engaging. By carefully planning these elements, animators can create compelling and realistic animations.

Demonstration: Lights, Materials, Textures, Animation&Rendering

• Lights: previewing your work-Arnold viewer
  
• 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). Since we’ll only animate the camera, creating a few stills will help us plan our animation. If you’d like to add motion to the elements of your still life, feel free to do so. For instance, one of the apples in Chardin’s still life could roll off the table.

Class 4

Discussion: 3D Art Production - Architecture/Game design

Demonstration:

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: Project 2 Low Poly 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 - Poly Modeling

Demonstration: Working in the UV Editor

Assignment: Create a Cereal Box - UV Layout (video)

Class 8

Discussion: Project 2 - Virtual Space

Demonstration: Low Poly Project: Modeling/UV mapping

• 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

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

Project 2 School House Project: Material Properties

Discussion: Displacement maps

Demonstration: The Greek Columns

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

Individual reviews of project 2

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

Demonstration: Camera on a path and Rendering

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

Assignment: Render and upload all projects.

Class 14

Review of work

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

Your 3 rendered projects should be uploaded by Jan 22th to Bright Space