Syllabus YCMOU B.Sc. (Media Graphics and Animation)

Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University

School of Continuing Education

YCMOU B.Sc. (Media Graphics and Animation)

Syllabi for Third Year

BMG 301: Animation Principles

1. What is an animator’s job?

(The passion and love of animation, your own studio, selling your talent, job of animator – small shop/midsize subcontractor/major studio, The workflow- pitching project/ contracts/ storyboard/ objects/ scene/ character/ motions/ testing/ rendering/ billing, issue of schooling, employability in animation)

2. The tasks of animation

(Conceptualization – storyboard/client presentation/ timing the board/ breakdown the board/ time allowance for rendering/ rendering farm, Execution – dividing the work/ script writing and approval/ element breakdown/ milestones/ design exterior scenes/ design interior. Design characters/ aquiring music sound effects voice talents/ choreography/ building render farm/ lip-sync/ test pass rendering/ recording and mixing the track,/ HD conformation to D-5, recording the results/ intermet distribution)

3. What equipments will be necessary?

(Equipment obsolence, Cost and ROI,  burn rate, basic animation computer, choosing a computer, chosing hardware, audio creation, cabling, role of video in animation studio)

4. How do leading animation programs like Maya and 3ds Max work?

(Common elements: views, navigation, layers and histories, timeline, 3ds max: description, program and view navigation/ object manipulation/ object creation and editing/ obj editing/ layers/ trackbar, Maya: description, program and view navigation/ object creation and editing/ obj editing/ layers/ timeslider)

BMG 302: Introduction to Maya

1. User interface

(Title bar, menu bar, status line the shelf, Toolbox, Workspace, Channel Box, Layer editor, time slider, range slider, command line, script editor button, Help line, Toolbox, Navigating a scene, setting up a project, Camera, Creating and placing a geometry, Focus and shade in view editor, transforming objects, Creating hierarchy, animating objects, shading an object, adding light, rendering animation)

2. Polygonal Modeling

(Polygon anatomy, selecting and editing polygon component, advantages in polygon modeling Heads up display, custom polygon display, Tutorial for building a polygon model)

3. Organic Modeling

(Creating a custom shelf for polygon model, assigning hotkey, using polygonal marking menu, model structure, planning topology, Tutorial of modeling human head or equivalent structure, subdivision proxy, hierarchical subdivision surfaces, subdividing at render time, converting model to a subdivision proxy sculpt the geometry tool, finalize the geometry)

4. Basic NURB Modeling

(Components of NURB curves, component of NURB surface, surface or curve degree, curve direction, parameterization of curve and surface, surface direction, advantage and disadvantage of NURB modeling, Level of continuity, tools for achieving continuity, creating curves using curve tools, curves on surfaces, attaching and detaching curves, cutting and filleting curves, Tutorial for modeling with NURB, Revolving/extruding/ lofting/ birailing surfaces)

5. Advanced NURB Modeling

(Modeling with trimmed surface, Tutorial, modeling NURB patches, Tutorial)

6. Preparing Models for Animation

(Generating poly surfaces from NURB curves, Converting NURB surfaces to poly, hierarchical subdivision surfaces, Tutorial on modeling with subdivision surfaces)

7. Deformers

(Non linear deformers, applying and Using nonlinear deformers, Lattice deformers, cluster deformer, wire deformer, soft modification tool, blend shape deformer, wrap deformer)

8. Joints and Skeletons

(Creating skeletons, selecting and inserting joints, Joint tool options, orienting joints, world object and local transformation, Tutorial of creating biped skeleton)

BMG 303: Character Set up and Animation in Maya

1. Skinning and Advanced Deformers

(Rigid bind process, edit membership, fexors, smooth bind process, weight normalization, Tutorial on smooth skinning a character)

2. Connecting attributes

(Direct connections, expressions, keyed relationships, types of constraints, using constraints)

3. Character Controls

(Forward kinematics, Inverse Kinematics, Tutorial on building a control rig)

4. Animation Basics

(Keyframe animation, in between and interpolation, setting keys, viewing and editing keyfrmaes, playback controls, Tutorial on keyframe animation, basic animation principles: squash and stretch, anticipation follow through, secondary action, case studies)

5. Character Animation

(Tutorial like walking and pushing a box)

6. Animation Tools

(File referencing; Creating references, managing references, Tutorial on creating non-linear animation, creat character set, use trax editor, retargeting workflow, Tutorial on retargeting, object interaction, constraints, using parent constraints)

BMG 304: Advanced Maya

1. Texture Basics

(Hypershade selections, working with hypershades, using attribute editors for editing materials, rendering nodes and their attributes, material nodes, texture nodes, placement nodes)

2. Texturing in Practice

(Tutorial on building shading networks, texture the stone wall material, create bronze material, create specular, diffuse and reflectivity maps, create a reflection map, use IPR to fine tune material attributes, Tutorial on UV texture mapping, creating UVs, edit UVs in the UV texture editor)

3. Lights and Camera

Light Nodes, types of lights, light attributes, spot light attributes, light effects shadows, Camera nodes, Tutorial on indoor lighting, Tutorial on outdoor environment lighting, setting scene, creating dome light)

4. Rendering

(Rendering preparation, render stetting window, select a render engine, anti-aliasing quality setting, anti-aliasing in material ray, How ray tracing works, Tutorial using ray tracing, Tutorial on using masks, Motion blur, environment fog, mental ray, Tutorial on rendering with global illumination, Tutorial on rendering caustics, Tutorial on final gather, HDR image with final gather, rendering with displacement maps, displacement shading network, the approximation editor)

5. Particles and Fields

(Creating particles, particle tool, emitter, particle attributes, lifespan, render attributes, per particle attributes, Applying fields, types of fields, common field attributes, Tutorial on particles and fields)

6. Maya Hair

(Using hair, Maya hair presets, Tutorial on creating hair from scratch)

7. Maya Cloth

(Loading Maya cloth, important concepts on cloth, Tutorial on making a dress)

8. Rendering for post production

(Camera mapping, Tutorial on camera mapping, creating a reflection map, environment ball, Tutorial on rendering, Render layer, Hard color pass, ambient color pass, soft reflection pass, soft reflection pass, hard specular pass, soft specular pass,  case studies on each of these passes)

9. Compositing for post production

(Setting up after effects, compositing diffuse surface, compositing reflections. Compositing specular highlights, create Thruster effects, masking the edge, case studies covering all of these effects, make an initial color contrast adjustment, add a shadow, create heat ripples, create pools of light, feather the edges, color corrections, case studies on each of these)

BMG 305 Introduction to 3DS max

 1 Introduction

The Views

The Tools

Manipulating Views

            Tutorial: Manipulating the Views

The Main Toolbar

The Command Panel

Quad Menus

Rollouts; Inputs, Spiners, and Flyout Menus

Rollouts

Inputs

Spiners

Flyout Menus

Summary

 2 The 3ds Max Production Pipeline

Project Planning

Assessing the Problem

Bidding and Billing

            Bidding Fixed Price

            Time and Materials

Determining the Billing Process

Signing Copyright, Non-Disclosure, and Non-Compete Agreements

Getting Approvals

Creating Storyboards

            Model Sheets

Creating Mock-ups and Animatics

            Animatics

Starting Full-Scale Production

Delivering Preliminary Contents

Delivering Final Content

Billing the Client

Ending the Contract

Giving Recognition

The Production Pipeline

Summary

 3 Starting Simple; Creating Shapes and Primitives

Creating Shapes

            Tutorial: Creating Basic Shapes

            Building a Line

Tutorial: Building a Line

            Creating Primitives

Tutorial: Creating a Sphere

Tutorial Review

Tutorial: Creating a Box

Tutorial Review

Building Cylinders, Cones and Tubes

Tutorial: Creating a Cylinder, Cone and Tube

Segments and Sides

Tutorial: Editing the Segments and Size Parameters

Editing Primitives and Shapes Parameters

            The Modify Panel

Summary

 4 Managing and Manipulating 3 d Space

Transform Axis

Transformation Tools

            The Pivot Point

Transform Gizmos

Positional Transforms

Tutorial: Transforming with the Select and Move Tool

Transform Type-In Dialog Box

Tutorial: Using the Transform Type-In Dialog Box

Using the Quad Menu

Tutorial: Using the Transform Type-In Dialog Box

Rotational Transforms

Using the Rotate Transform Gizmo

Scale Transforms

Coordinate Systems Overview

Summary

 5 Building with Sub-Objects

Sub-Objects

Tutorial: Adding an EditMesh Modifier

Tutorial: Transforming Sub-Objects

Building the Mailbox Body

Tutorial: Building the Mailbox Body

Tutorial: Creating the Door Using an Editable Poly Object

Summary

  6 Building the Water Tower

Tutorial: Building the Tower Cap

Tutorial: Building the Tower Body

Tutorial: Creating the Cross Beams

Tutorial: Creating the Vertical Support Beams

Tutorial: Creating the Tank Floor

Building Bottom Cross Beams

Accessories

Summary

 7 Building the Elastic-Powered Atmospheric Transporter

Overview

Tutorial: Building the Fuselage

Tutorial: Building the Wing

Tutorial: Creating the Stabilizer

Tutorial: Creating the Rudder

Tutorial: Creating the Propeller

Tutorial: The Linkage and Power Band

Summary

 8 Complex Modeling: Creating a Skull

Get to Know Your Subject

Where to Start

Tutorial: The Virtual Studio

Applying a Material

Tutorial: Modeling within the Virtual Studio

Tutorial: Refining the Skull

            Tutorial: Refining the Nasal Cavity

            Tutorial: Creating More Skull Detail

            Tutorial: Creating an Eye Socket

            Tutorial: Adding the Nasal Bridge

Further Refinement

            Tutorial: Refining the Eye Socket

            Tutorial: Building the Horn

            Tutorial: The Final Revision …Almost

Summary

BMG 306 Advanced 3ds max

1 Building a Character

Building from a Box- Again

            Tutorial: Creating the Side of the Fish

Tutorial: Building the Fish Head

Tutorial: Adding the Tail

Tutorial: Adding the Cheeks and Nose

Tutorial: Creating the Eye Socket

Tutorial: Adding Fins

Tutorial: Creating a Pectoral Fin

Tutorial: Building the Mouth

Summary

 2 Basic Hierarchies and parametric Animation

Basic Animation

            Creating Key Frames

Auto Key versus Set Key Mode

Tutorial: Animating Parameters

Tutorial: Wiring Parameters

Creating a Hierarchy

Tutorial: Using a Dummy Object

Summary

 3 Rigging and Animating

Setting up the Character for Animating

Tutorial: Creating the Eyes and Eyelids

Creating the Eyelids

Tutorial: Finishing the Eyelids

Tutorial: Controlling the Eyes with LookAt

Tutorial: Rigging the Body

Tutorial: Creating a Hierarchy

Tutorial: Creating a Working Tail

Tutorial: Skinning a Fish

Tutorial: Animating the Rig

Summary

 4 Material Basics

The Material Editor-the Key to Creation

            Material Editor Overview

Tutorial: Selecting a Shader

Specular Controls

Maps

Mapping

Mapping Problems and Solutions

Bump Maps and Other Material Attributes

General Map Options

Summary

 5 Materials Unwrapped

Tutorial: Creating and Applying the Materials for the Mailbox

Tutorial: Mapping with unwrap UVW

Tutorial: Aging the Mailbox

Tutorial: Aging the Flag

Summary

 6 Lighting and Atmospherics

Before the Lighting Begins

Interior Lighting (Inside the Puddle)

            Tutorial: Adding Lights to a Scene

            Tutorial: Customized Lighting

Projection Maps and Advanced Effects

Tutorial: Additional Light Sources

Tutorial: Adding Depth to Water

Tutorial: Creating Streaks of Light Through the Water

Summary

 7 Rendering- Getting to Pixels

 What is Rendering?

            Tutorial: Creating a Camera

Tutorial: Rendering Output to Frames

Tutorial: Setting Up a Render Farm

Tutorial: Using Network Rendering

The Queue Monitor

Editing Job Output

Controlling Rendering Servers

The Split Scanline Option

Summary

 8 Particle Flow For Modeling And Effects

What is Particle Flow?

            Tutorial: The PF Source

            Tutorial: Applying Materials to Particles

            Tutorial:  Events, Tests, and Branching

Summary

BMG 307 Character Animations

1. Basics

(Workflow in 3d animation, principles of animation related to action/overall animation, human anatomy, 3ds max features including bones constraints, modifiers, expression controllers, maxscript, IK solver)

2. Character Modeling

(Modeling methods, Creating torso, arms, legs, neck, body, face)

3. Preparation for modeling

(Creating skeleton with two/four legs, skinning a model, assigning weights to vertices, skinning two legged model)

4. Animation of biped (two legs) character

(Two leg walk, animating two leg walk- various poses/cycles)

5. Animation of quadruped (four legged) character

(Four leg walk, animation of walk- toot node/ legs/ spine/ tail/ ears, Complete walk cycle)

6. Animation of expressions

(Body/face expressions, morphing face expressions, animating eyes, lip sync)

7. Preparing biped with character studio

(Character Studio basics, creating biped, skinning – assigning Physique modifier/editing envelop/ creating bulges, applying tendons, using Physique files)

8. Animating using character studio

(Methods of animating a Biped, animating a Biped, libraries of biped animation)

BMG 308 CG Film making

1. STORY IDEAS

(Two types of Story Concepts: Type 1: Your Stories/ Type 2: Someone Else’s Stories; Filtering:   Is the Idea Ripe to Be Animated? Why Are You Making This Film? Avoiding Pitfalls and Perils: Clichés / Not Having a Story / Gratuitous Photo realism/ Biting Off More Than You Can Chew , Feasibility: Your Experience Level / Time Resources / Scope / Two Final Filters , The Example Film’s Story)

2. PRODUCTION: 3DS MAX AND THE ANIMATION PIPELINE

(Wearing the Producer’s Hat, Preparing to Prepare, Scope of Work, R&D and Learning     Feasibility Revisited , Planning, Defining the Max Animation Pipeline, Identifying granular Tasks, Organizational Methods, Scheduling: Putting a Gun to the Head of invention, Production Documents, Factors That Affect Scheduling, Planning the Example Film, Top-level Considerations, Scope of Work, Example Film’s Toolset, Feasibility,      What Got Cut, Key Methodology Decisions)

3. SCRIPTWRITING: STORY AND CHARACTER THROUGH DIALOGUE

(Studying a Little Eugene O’Neill, Preparation, Background Reference, Outlining the plot, Creating a Back Story, Knowing What Your Character Would Do, Sample biography, Scriptwriting: What Does a Given Phrase Make You Animate?, Character Acting Starts With the Script, Writing Dialogue, Internal Dialogue:   Writing Action, Revisions, Writing the Example Film’s Script, Fine-Tuning the Dialogue)

4. ART DIRECTION: DESIGNING THE ANIMATION

(Art Direction: Establishing and Aesthetic, Reference Creating Concept Art:      Approach: Communicating an Idea. Character Design.  Facial Design, Male Facial design      Female Body/Costume Design, Male Body/Costume Design, Character’s Design drawings, Set Design, Tying Your Aesthetic Elements Together, The Visual Identity)

5. STORYBOARDING: CINEMATIC PLANNING

(The Cinematographer’s job    Storyboarding:    Blocking and Story Progression     Character Choreography and Placement   Action    Dram and Expressions    Camera composition and Camera Moves    Animators Edit at the Beginning    Storyboards Are the Ultimate Planning Tool     Drawing the Storyboards Previsualization: Beyond storyboards    Animatic     Color Script    Previsualization Animations Balancing Good planning Without Sacrificing Serendipity     Example Storyboards)

6. SOUND: YOUR FILM’S SONIC IDENTITY

(General Notes on Sound:    Sound as a Storytelling Tool    General Equipment and process Audio Advice From Industry Expert Alan Stuart Character Dialogue:    Voice Casting     Directing a Dialogue-Recording Session    Characters’ Recording Session

Alan Stuart on Dialogue Recording, Sound Effects:    Basic Sound Effect Techniques    Sound Effects for “The Game to Save the World” Music:    Working with a Composer or Songwriter,    Setting the Tone. Alan Stuart on Sound Effects:     Using Existing Music    Audio Workflow for Your Animation)

7. LAYOUT: PREPARING THE SCENE

(Back to the Producer’s Job:    Scene Breakdown and File Creation    Organizing with selection Sets and Filters    Blocking Movement     Previsualization Revisited)

8. FACIAL ANIMATION: KEYFRAMING EXPRESSIONS

(Rigging the Face with Morph Targets:     Defining a Set of Morph Targets     Modeling     Setting Up the Morpher Modifier    Facial Animation:     Animating the Eyes     Animating Facial Expressions     Lip-synching  Another Approach to Morphing: Muscles)

9. BRINGING THE BACKGROUND TO LIFE

(Secondary animation: 3-D Effects Animation Scatter Compound Objects, Orbiting particle Systems     Secondary Animation with the Flex Modifier     Final Linking, aming, and Merging   Effect: Orbiting Light Trails:     Creating Random Oscillations     The Appearance of Light    Effect: A Flame Made of Bubbling Glass)

10. LIGHTING AND RENDERING: CRAFTING AN ATMOSPHERE

(Choosing a Renderer . The Importance of Lighting in CG:     Character Lighting: Three-Point Setup.   Character Lighting Within a Scene:     Integrating Character and environmental Lighting.     Adding Global Illumination and High Dynamic Range Images. How the HDRI Image for Cloud 10 Was Created, Rendering:  Environment and Video effects.      Effects in the Example Film.     Final Rendering Letting Your Computer Work for You.)

11. COMPOSITING AND VIDEO EDITING:  FINISHING TOUCHES

(Compositing with Combustion 3:     Creating a Videogame Interface Video Editing:     simple Editing with Adobe Premiere Video Compression Codecs Getting Your Films Out to the World)

BMG 308 Project

Show reels

Presentation

Project report