| BACK TO TEACHING HOMEPAGE | ||
MAA
4411: Animation Portfolio Production
|
 |
MA4411: Animation Portfolio Production
| Welcome to MA4411. The goal of this course is to provide you with the time and feedback needed to generate quality assets for your Demo Reel. General Course expectations------ -You will be expected to spend at least 20 hours per week working on assets (models, textures, animation clips, etc...) -There will be group check-ins at weeks 2, 5, 8, and 11 where grades will be assesed -You will be expected to work with and contact additional faculty to help mentor you as you tweak your projects. Their feedback will be instrumental to your success -You will be asked to find (by week 2 of the quarter) 2 demo reels from former students that you feel exemplify the quality you are after in your area of specialization -You will be asked to find 2 current entry-level job postings in your area of specialization. This will also be reported on by Week 2 of the quarter -You will be asked to create a detailed schedule of what you plan to accomplish during the quarter by the end of the day on class 1 Now for some specifics. You will be choosing one of the following tracks for your focus: Enviornment Modeling, Character Modeling, 3d Animation, 2d Animation, Riggers, Texturing, Lighting, Motion Graphics, and/or Visual Effects You will be provided in class with a detailed rubric (attached to your syllabus), indicating exactly how A,B,C,D, and F quality projects are designated. This will be your bible! In addtion to that, I have outlined some basic guides below, along with links to quality reels, exemplifying this. |
|
| Environment Modelers: | What is expected of you? -very nice, detailed, and complex props showing off your modeling skills -immersive enviornments with multiple layers of detail -quality UV layouts -organic and man-made elements -exteriors and interiors -textures and lighting -range of styles and themese (fantasy, victorian, ancient, modern, sci-fi, etc...) -AT LEAST 2 enviornments should be created during this quarter Example Demo Reels: -------------Denis Osmanbegovic -------------Matthew Jue |
| Character Modelers: | What is expected of you? -range and breadth of characters -examples of hard surfaces (clothing, armour, props) -complexity of design -quality UV layouts -rigged and posed characters -understanding of levels of detail -use of texture maps and lighting -AT LEAST 2 characters should be created during this quarter Example Demo Reels: -------------Alisha Rosen -------------Denis Korkh -------------Yinpeng Ma -------------Spencer Lee -------------Brandon Jones -------------Matt Highison -------------Ryan Dunne |
| 3d Animators: | What is expected of you? -2 to 3 scenes of 6-15 seconds in length -no simple assinments like "bouncing ball" or "mikey rig" -events showing physical movement -broad poses -entertaining elements -at least 1 dialgoue shot -acting and weight -1 to 2 cycles which convey personality in additon to cyclical movement Example Demo Reels: ------------Frank Abney ------------Kai Cabrera ------------Nat Lee |
| 2d Animators: | What is expected of you?
|
| Riggers: | What is expected of you? -3 good rigs should be made during this quarter -navigation should be easy to understand, simple to use, and unencumbering to the animator -complexity should be stressed, but again, the rig should be approachable -mel scripts and expressions are must haves -technical and procedural animation can add to your focus -be able to demonstrate rigs with screen capture software in a way that is understandable and informative to the audience. Example Demo Reels: -------------Zhuo Fan Huang |
| Lighting Artists: | What is expected of you? -Self-directed research into what makes a good lighter since our school doesn't offer enough lighting electives -ability to use maya native lights and shadows -abiltiy to composite render passes/layers -ability to control indirect light -knowledge of Image Based Lighting -understanding of ambient occlusion -understanding of lens shaders -focus on materials and shader networking -Mental Ray and Renderman experience -3 to 4 lighted enviornments should be presented -composited character/props/vehicles into photographic/video elements Example Demo Reels: -----------Monika Capehart -----------Jan Sichermann -----------Farhaan Noor |
| Motion Graphics: | What is expected of you? -ability to design your own graphics -dual focus with illustration often helps portfolio -sense of timing and editing -5 to 6 projects should be completed during the quarter -motion tracking and video composting is a plus -ability to create appealing designs Example Demo Reels: ---------Dris Danillo ---------Kevin Jaskela ---------Dan Stromberg |
| Visual Effects/ Compositing: |
What is expected of you? -ability to composite effects into 3d or video -match moving -explosions -fluid effects -cloth effects -soft body simulations -eye for color and lighting -3 to 4 multi-pass composite effects should be created during the quarter Example Demo Reels: -----------Evrim Akyilmaz -----------Jan Sichermann |
| Textures Artists: | What is expected of you? |