CDM 130 - Fundamentals of 3D Computer Graphics

Description

This course provides a thorough introduction to creating 3D computer graphics. Theory will be introduced and concepts practiced through a series of exercises using Maya. The focus of this course is on understanding the concepts and becoming comfortable working with complex 3D animation software. This lays the foundation for greater artistic expression later. Animation, rendering and modeling – the three main areas of computer graphics – will all be introduced in this course, but an emphasis will be placed on modeling to provide some depth within a one quarter course. There are frequent assignments so that you can apply concepts as you are introduced to them. Expect a lot of work, but also an introduction to a very exciting medium.

Required Supplies

Storage media for backing up work (flash drive, etc.). PLEASE BACKUP YOUR WORK OFTEN. SAVE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF YOUR WORK.

Reference Material

There is no required text for the course. I think the Autodesk book series provides a useful introduction, but they seem to have stopped publishing it. This is one of the last:

Introducing Autodesk Maya 2016 (Autodesk Official Training Guides)

http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Autodesk-Maya-2016-Official/dp/1119059631

Maya Help System. It’s good and can answer a lot of your questions.
Lecture notes will be placed online (this is true for slides, but not material presented on the whiteboard).
There are a number of online Maya tutorials (e.g. https://area.autodesk.com/learning/resource/maya/ , www.learning-maya.com)

Meeting Times

Class Sessions: Tues. and Thurs. 10:00 am – 12:50pm, CDM computer lab (Art Annex).

Office Hours: Tues. 2-3, Thurs. 3-4 or by appointment

Contact Information

Instructor:

Michael Neff

Kemper Hall 3031

mpneff AT ucdavis DOT edu (preferred)

530-754-9510

Teaching Assistant:

TBA

Advice

A few things to keep in mind that will help your work with Maya go smoothly:

Make multiple backups. “I lost my flash drive.” is not an acceptable excuse for not handing in your assignment! Keep a copy on your home computer, e-mail it to yourself, etc. Also version your files. Add an index number to the end of a file name that you increment when you make substantial changes. This will allow you to go back to an earlier version if/when you break something.
Understand a problem before you try to fix it. Randomly trying a bunch of things in Maya will often make the problem worse. Rather than experimenting on your main scene, create a simple test scene and try things out there. That way you can explore freely without worrying about destroying your work.
Get familiar with the Maya help system early. It can save you a lot of time.
When working in Maya, always set the project directory at the start of a session. This will help keep your files organized and make sure Maya can find the needed resources (e.g. texture files that you’ve created).
Please follow submission instructions carefully.
Assignments WILL take more time than you expect. Work on them early.

Schedule

Note: Subject to change as needed!

Week	Class	Topic	Deadline/Handout
1 Jan. 7	1	Introduction to CG, Class Overview, Intro Movies
Jan. 9	2	Intro to Maya; Introduction to keyframes, translation and rotation of rigid bodies; Studio tutorial
2 Jan. 14	3	Lecture on graphics pipeline, image formation, etc. Studio tutorial on the hypershade
Jan. 16	4	Work class
3 Jan. 21	5	Critique Lecture on camera models; Studio tutorial on camera animation	Assignment 1 due
Jan. 23	6	Lecture on Lighting Models, light types; Studio tutorial on lighting
4 Jan. 28	7	Lecture on polygons; Studio tutorial on extrusion modeling
Jan. 30	8	Critique Lecture and tutorial on subDs	Assignment 2 due
5 Feb. 4	9	Lecture and studio tutorial on skeletons and skinning
Feb. 6	10	Work class
6 Feb. 11	11	Midterm
Feb. 13	12	Work class
7 Feb. 18	13	Critique Lecture on splines; Studio tutorial	Assignment 3 due
Feb. 20	14	Work class
8 Feb. 25	15	Critique Lecture on texture maps and bump maps; studio tutorial on UV coordinates, model painting	Assignment 4 due
Feb. 27	16	Eyes and Eyelids, aim constraints
9 March 3	17	Advanced modeling
March 5	18	Critique Blend shapes	Assignment 5 due
10 March 10	19	Work class
March 12	20	Critique	Assignment 6 due

	Exam

Grading

This course will be letter graded. The distribution of marks will be as follows:

Course Component	Weight
A1	5%
A2	9%
A3	14%
A4	9%
A5	19%
A6	9%
Midterm	15%
Final	20%

Note: For the last five assignments, students are invited to submit a one page summary that describes what you were trying to achieve, how you went about it and possibly what you feel did or did not work. This will be considered when evaluating your piece.

Late Policy

Students are required to have material to present at all critiques. Not presenting work will earn an automatic 0 on the assignment. (Please contact me about medical issues or other extenuating circumstances.) Final versions of material may be submitted late at the penalty of 3% per day or part thereof. All material must be submitted by the end of term.

Grading Criteria

As this is a foundation course, technique and conceptual knowledge will be weighted heavily. The following criteria will be used when evaluating your work:

Meeting/exceeding project requirements

Demonstrated understanding of concepts

Creativity/originality

Impact/appeal

Technical mastery (including written and oral skills)

Clear communication/story telling

Peer comments

One page summary

Peer Evaluations/Critiques

Throughout the course, you will be given the opportunity to critique multiple projects of other students (and vice versa). These critiques will be considered in the evaluation. They will also be a source of valuable feedback on your work.

Assignments

Assignments give you a chance to practice the concepts we are covering in class. Each assignment is self-contained except Assignment 6, which optionally builds on Assignment 5. However, many assignments build on skills practiced in earlier assignments.

For every assignment, you should submit your entire Maya project folder to the classes folder mounted on the desktop of the lab computers. You should name your project folder eponymously (e.g. “A3_MichaelNeff”).

Assignment 1: Warm Up

Detailed instructions

Build a simple scene using at least five modeling primitives. Shade them and animate them.

Assignment 2: Lighting and Camera Movement

Detailed instructions

TBA

Assignment 3: Modeling and Rigging

Detailed instructions

Create a simple character consisting of a ball body with stick legs and feet. Build a skeleton rig with IK handles.

Assignment 4: Splines

Detailed instructions

You will model plants using splines.

Assignment 5: Putting it all together – Building and showing off a character model

Detailed instructions

Create a simple cartoon character model using the same technique of polygon extrusion you practiced in Assignment 3. Rig it and create a short animation showing its range of movement.

Assignment 6: Adding facial motion with blend shapes

Detailed instructions

Use blend shapes to set up some basic facial animation for your character. Model expressions for Ekman’s six fundamental emotions and create a short clip that shows transitions between each of them.