WEEK 1: Game Dev 2 DESN2017 Assignment 1: Run Cycle Due Week 3

Welcome to Game Dev 2!
Please remember to sign in at each class.
This is a portfolio-building class in which you create a series of increasingly complex models. Use your time productively so you don't fall behind or distract students around you. You will not be permitted to use this lab for gaming or web surfing except at designated breaks.

Your grade will be the cumulative total of 5 assignments DUE IN CLASS.
These assignments are due:
WEEK 3, 6, 9, 12, 15

Assignment 1:  Run Cycle
Value: 20%
DUE DATE: WEEK 3 Jan 24th  @ BEGINNING OF CLASS on BLACKBOARD

* Late submissions will receive ZERO marks. 

BRIEF:

Create a looping run cycle. 

Using the Eleven rig, create a run cycle animation for a bi-ped. The character should run with urgency as if being pursued or conversely being chased. Secondary animations a broad range of movements and timing are encouraged to add life to the character.

SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING:

A) Thumbnails of key poses – minimum 6 key poses
B) Video file of 3D run cycle
C) Character Bio – A written summary of your character. Consider his/her backstory, motivation,
abilities, appearance etc.

REQUIREMENTS:

Filename: 

DESN2017_A1_YOURNAME_thumbnails (.jpg file) 

DESN2017_A1_YOURNAME_runcycle (.mov file)
DESN2017_A1_YOURNAME_bio (.doc or .pdf file)

EX -
DESN2017_A1_BIEBERJUSTIN_thumbnails.jpg  (last name first, please!)

DUE DATE

SUBMIT TO BLACKBOARD WEEK 3 IN CLASS

Please compress all images and videos to keep them small using the following guidelines:

Videos:
Quicktimes, 560 pixels by 316 pixels, H.264 codec, max 10MB. You can use a variety of tools such as Handbrake, Adobe Media Encoder, Quicktime Pro and more to format your videos. I use the 11-second club guidelines for all submissions:
http://www.11secondclub.com/helpful_hints/encoding

Images:
JPGs between 500-1200 pixels along longest edge, 72-300 dpi/ppi, max 5MB. You can use a variety of tools such as Photoshop, Gimp, and online programs to compress files.

Text:
.Doc or .Pdf

Sample Rubric for all assignments:

WEEK 1: Asset Dev 2 DESN1086 Milestone 1: Character Concept Due Week 4

Welcome to Asset Dev 2!
Please remember to sign in at each class.
This is a portfolio-building class in which you create your own character design and animate it in 2D! Also you will be building a simple 3D prop model for your character. Use your time productively so you don't fall behind or distract students around you. You will not be permitted to use this lab for gaming or web surfing except at designated breaks.

Your grade will be the cumulative total of 5 assignments DUE IN CLASS, each worth 20%.
These assignments are due:
WEEK 4, 7, 10, 13, and 15

All the assignments are your own choice but must be approved by me to receive a grade.

Assignment 1:  Character Concept. Value: 20%
DUE DATE: WEEK 4 Jan 30th @ BEGINNING OF CLASS on BLACKBOARD

* Late submissions will receive ZERO marks.

CLICK HERE for the PDF for this assignment
CLICK HERE for the PSD template

This is a 5-part assignment:

SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

A) Thumbnails – minimum 6 thumbnail sketches

B) Revised Thumbnails – minimum 3 revised thumbnail sketches

C) Revised Sketch – minimum 1 refined sketch

D) Final Concept – final render

E) Character Bio – A written summary of your character. Consider his/her backstory, motivation,

abilities, appearance etc.

FILE NAMING:

1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_thumbs.jpg

1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_revthumbs.jpg

1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_revsketch.jpg

1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_final.jpg

1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_bio.doc or .PDF

Ex - 1086_A1_BEIBER-JUSTIN_thumbs.jpg

Format:

Traditional (ie pen & ink, markers, paints etc)

Digital 2D art (Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter etc)

150 dpi, 800 pixels x 1200 pixels, .jpg

Landscape orientation

Character bio submitted as MS Word document or PDF.

When working digitally, work in a minimum resolution of 300dpi. Use of references such as

photographs and 3D models are encouraged but final art must be your own and must deviate

substantially from the references used to be considered original content.

Use the character template provided to present your artwork and include the following information:

Project Title

Artist: your name

Character’s name

Date: month, day, year of submission

WEEK 1: Game Project Dev 4 DESN3012 Milestone 1 due Week 3

Welcome to Game Project Dev 4!
Please remember to sign in at each class.
This is a portfolio-building class that will give you time to complete your own pieces and to get feedback from industry pros. You could find yourself working on a game here at school or in the industry.
This class is strictly a work period and no lectures or formal instruction will be given aside from one-on-one critiques. Use your time productively so you don't fall behind or distract students around you. You will not be permitted to use this lab for gaming or web surfing except at designated breaks.

Your grade will be the cumulative total of 5 assignments DUE IN CLASS, each worth 20%.
These assignments are due:
WEEK 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15

All the assignments are your own choice but must be approved by me to receive a grade.

Milestone 1:  ex 5-10 second piece of animation. Value: 20%
DUE DATE: WEEK 3 Jan 23rd @ BEGINNING OF CLASS on BLACKBOARD

* Late submissions will receive ZERO marks.
It is recommended that you show work in progress next week so you can spend the following week on revisions and polish. Playbasts are fine. No rendering required.

FILE NAMING:

3012_ m1_lastnamefirstinitial_001.mov 
ex: 3012_m1_donovant.mov

Please read my post about file sizes, aspect ratios and codecs. We will go over this in class.

What types of pieces should you create? Well, SHORT ONES. Keep it simple. You should animate 20-30 short pieces over the year or two if you can for practice and expand on the ones you like best. By the end of term you should have 5 pieces of 5-10 second of animation or concept work.

some great ideas to get you started. 

Think ahead to what you would like to put on your demo reel. What makes a good demo reel?
2 big things: brevity & quality.
Avoid obvious n00b mistakes like having obnoxious content or a style so niche that would only appeal to one tiny studio. The rest is common sense -
-keep it short 30-90 seconds MAX - <2 min if you're a professional.
-only show your best work - be ruthless and cut everything that doesn't quite work
-make each character unique in their movements and personality
-try to find new rigs
-show your range

More advice here:
http://www.animation-addicts.com/2012/12/17/the-perfect-reel/

Welcome back! Game Dev 4 3012, Asset Dev 2 1086, and Game Project Dev 2017

Welcome back!! 

Think of all the great 70's TV you millennials missed. 

I have 4 courses this term - all on Thursdays in 503 or 503 and one on Friday in 603 from 12-3. If you need to ask me a question, feel free to drop by.

My email is tdonovan@georgebrown.ca

Please include your email in the text of the message as I will only see your name and there may be a delay while I look up your address.

Please sign in at each class with your working email address. I track attendance and look forward to reading any comments you may have throughout the course.

All the outlines are linked off the Outlines tab.

The Help form is for urgent questions. These get forwarded to my email directly. 

Please familiarize yourself with all the hand-in parameters including file naming conventions, formats, and size limits. I am pretty strict on these things. All projects will be handed in to Blackboard this term. No late projects will be accepted without prior approval. Always ask BEFORE the deadline if you expect your project to be late due to serious unforeseen circumstances.  

Looking forward to our term! 

WEEK 15: All assignments due in class this week

Motion Studies - your blended cycles are due

Asset Dev - your turntables are due  http://blog.digitaltutors.com/modeling-quads-triangles-use/

Game Dev - your final animation is due

Hooray, you're done! 

Happy holidays to all my students! This is one of the funniest Christmas toons from one of my favorite studios: BirdBox. Their stuff is the epitome of simple, snappy timing and loads of appeal. 

WEEK 14: Asset Development 1 DESN1083: Assignment 4 due next week!

One week left to go!
Please let me know if you have any questions about your marks for your last assignment.

By now many of you have figured out how to animate a basic turntable in 3dsMax. I'm sure you know where to get great tutorials to help with lighting and rendering as well. In case you're still not sure, here are a few that might help:

http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/539-Beginners-Guide-to-3ds-Max
http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/858-Introduction-to-Lighting-in-3ds-Max
http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/348-Introduction-to-Rendering-in-3ds-Max

Models by Don Toledo, Silicon Knights

WEEK 14: Game Project Development DESN 3010: Milestone 5 roughs due today!

One week left to go!

I look forward to seeing your planning material for your last project which is due next week.

Here's some great advice from a Sony Imageworks animator, Matt Munn, on bridging the gap between being a student and being a professional.  Here are some of his key points:

• remember you're not alone :)
• get feedback - many senior people are willing to share their expertise with you
• collaborate - work with your fellow team members to get the best performances
• stay passionate about your work!

Here's a sampler of Matt's animation from Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 

WEEK 14: Motion Studies DESN1136 Assignment 9: Blending: Due next week!

We're going to 'blend' our cycles together using the simplest tools in Maya. Blending between different actions may involve adding extra details between cycles. For example, a walk to a run requires a tricky middle action where the character gathers energy to move more quickly.
Assignment 9: Blending the Cycles

Playblast and Maya file

% of final grade: 10% 
Assigned: Tuesday, Dec 3rd, 2013

Due: WEEK 15, Dec 10th at the end of class
*Late assignments are worth 0

Quicktimes only, 560 pixels by 316 pixels, H.264 codec, max 10MB.
Blend together your cycles - idle to walk, walk to run, run to jump.
If you like you can try blending back to the run.

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

Filenames:

1136_a9_donovant_blend_001.ma
1136_a9_donovant_blend_001.mov

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. 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.

We're also going to continue with our topic of the most subtle of the animation principles -- overlapping action, which is paramount to creating weight. We'll take lots of cues from the Pixar of Game Animation, Blur Studio in California.

WEEK 13: Asset Development 1 DESN1083: Assignment 4 due in 2 weeks

Last week a few of you mentioned you may not really know much about lighting. Fortunately, a little on info real-world lighting techniques can take you quite far. There are great tutorials out there but one of the best ones I've seen is from Marmoset Toolbag. Marmoset is a set of tools to create amazing lighting effects very quickly and easily. I don't suggest you skip learning lighting in 3dsMax but I do recommend you check out Marmoset's stunning results and their very thorough tutorials.

Their Character Lighting Tutorial contains a lot of the basic terminology and concepts you will need to light your gun or anything, really. Key, Fill, and Rim lights are standard terms you should know as well as some ideas about how to place them properly. There is also a list of links to inspiring photography portfolios that show what a difference great lighting makes. http://www.marmoset.co/toolbag/learn/character-lighting

I would seriously recommend you steer clear of Photometric lights in 3dsMax and stick with the Standard lights. 

There's another awesome site you should know about: James Gurney's blog "Gurney Jouney" and his book, "Color and Light" will teach you everything you need to know about colour, light and shadow.
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.ca/2010/02/light-and-form-part-1_15.html

If you need help setting up your lighting or your animation just let me know!

WEEK 13: Game Project Development DESN 3010: Milestone 4 final animation due today!

Milestone 4 is due today!

Please also let me know what your plans are for your final assignment. You only have 2 weeks for this one so I want to make sure everyone's on the right track.

Milestone 5:  ex 5-10 second piece of animation.
Value: Total 20%. See breakdown below.
* Late submissions will receive ZERO marks.

The following are due in class:
5% WEEK 14: planning & rough posing

15% WEEK 15 final animation

FILE NAMING:

3010_ m5_lastnamefirstinitial_001
ex:
3010_m5_donovant_001.mov
3010_m5_donovant_001.jpg

Images: JPGS only, 72 dpi, 1200px along longest edge,
Videos: Quicktimes only, 560 pixels by 316 pixels, H.264 codec, max 10MB

Playbasts only, please. Do not render these assignments. You do not have time.

Your final animation should have a different number than the rough posing but otherwise please follow the identical naming convention.

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Re: Planning animation - 

A few of you still seem a bit unclear about what is meant by rough animation. Here's a podcast you can listen to from one of the all-time greats - another animator to get to know: James Baxter. Does his name sound familiar? Then you must be a fan of Adventure Time where he helped create a horse character who neighs his own name! Hilarious as it is, don't get too sidetracked by this recent silly turn because James Baxter is a well-known animation heavyweight with some of the biggest blockbuster feature credits you can imagine - Beauty and the Beast and the Lion King to name just 2. 

Here he is speaking about animation planning. If you're super keen check out the episodes before and after it: http://animationpodcast.com/archives/2008/03/02/james-baxter-part-two/

James Baxter's masterful drawings of Rafiki's hands from the Lion King