Monday, November 18, 2013

WEEK 12: Asset Development 1 DESN1083: Assignment 3 Due today

Assignment 4 -
NEW BERETTA 3D Model: 15 Marks
DUE DATE: WEEK 15 December 12th
@ BEGINNING OF CLASS on Blackboard
* Late submissions will receive ZERO marks.
Assignment 4 is to set up the model on a turntable for presentation.
Animate the gun in a 360 degree rotation and apply a lighting solution (ie, 3 point light set-up)
Once the model is lit and animated, render out as an AVI or an MOV.

Recommended settings:
Quicktime (MOV)

Compression H.264
1280 x 720
3 x 360 degree rotations - about 8 seconds
check your frame rate matches your output (24fps or 30 fps)

FILENAME:
ASSIGN4_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_YOURNAME.AVI (or MOV)
ASSIGN4_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_YOURNAME.MAX

ex -
ASSIGN4_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_TARADONOVAN.MOV
ASSIGN4_NEWBERETTA_MODEL_TARADONOVAN.MAX

Here are some examples of turntables: 
Blaster Gun Game Model Turntable
Gun - Peacemaker 3D Turntable
Weapon Model Turntable


I added another Digital Tutors course for you in Modeling Basics called  Introduction to Camera Animation in 3ds Max. There is a specific unit called Creating Turntable Animation that you might find especially useful.


WEEK 12: Game Project Development DESN 3010: Milestone 4 posing due today!

Looking forward to seeing your rough posing today!
Due next week:
10% WEEK 13: final animation (polished, fluid, full animation)

This week is the 85th anniversary of one of the most pivotal milestones in animation history: Walt Disney's 1st Mickey Mouse cartoon and one of the earliest cartoons with sound. 1928's "Steamboat Willie" helped make Walt Disney a household name and boosted the career of pioneering animator Ub Iwerks.

What's remarkable to note is that this cartoon predates "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" by just 9 years! A lot can happen in a decade.

WEEK 12: Motion Studies DESN1136 Assignment 7: Run Cycles: Due next week!

This week: run cycles.

There are so many kinds of running -- sprinting and long-distance running, jogging, barefoot running, and all sorts of speeds (spm) and styles, including cartoony. We'll look at some video analysis of running and talk about the major keys.

We'll start dealing with blending cycles together so you can practice in preparation for the last assignment. Think about how you'd go from walking to running. Slap on those runners, hit some pavement or a treadmill and feel the difference between the two gaits. Make sure it's obvious in your animation that you understand a new action requires an anticipation.  Does your COG drop a bit lower before it springs higher? Do you need to lean forward? Do you take one big walking step before your first running step? Exaggerating things like this to make the audience appreciate your analysis.

Read up on runs:
Richard Williams' "Animator's Survival Kit" pgs 176 - 200

Please do NOT use bad reference from the Internet such as Preston Blair or AngryAnimator or Anime. Only source information from battle-tested, quality animators with high-end experience. 90% of the information online on animation is not usable at this level.

Digital Tutors has a great tutorial on runs but I will caution you it veers into territory you do not want to focus on for this cycle such as character sets, scripting for mirroring poses, and editing rotation order. You can learn these if you want but I want you to focus on just animating great poses with great timing using great reference.
http://www.digitaltutors.com/lesson/25052-Introduction-and-project-overview

Assignment 7: Run Cycle
Playblast and Maya file
% of final grade: 10% 
Assigned: Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013
Due: WEEK 13, Nov 26th at the end of class
*Late assignments are worth 0


Quicktimes only, 560 pixels by 316 pixels, H.264 codec, max 10MB.
Animate your character running on the spot in a treadmill cycle. It should be a loop about 1-2 seconds long. Animation should show all 12 principles of animation, especially strong posing, weight, and overlapping action. The character should have believable weight, a clear personality, and move with fluidity and clarity. 

Please REFERENCE your rig into your shot (do not open the rig and start animating or import him.)

Filenames:
1136_a7_donovant_run_001.ma
1136_a7_donovant_run_001.mov


The run should clearly show the personality and attitude of the character. The timing (both frames per step and timing of secondary actions such as arm swings and head drag) should support the attitude and personality. The character should have a believable weight. Steps should be symmetrical (apparently if not mathematically) and the motion should be fluid and smooth without obvious pops or bumps. Body parts should be offset from one another a bit so every part of the action doesn't occur on the same frame.