SYLLABUS
ARCH 5420: COMPUTERANIMATIONANDSTORYTELLING
Fall 2023
FIRST DRAFT 1.0
Office Hours:
Instructor Earl Mark ejmark@virginia.edu
(Office Hours To Be Announced)
Description:
Arch
5420 is an in person workshop/seminar
that explores moviemaking through exercises in
computer animation. Approximately five independently developed short
animations constitute the work of the term culminating in a one to five
minute time-length final movie project. An
interdisciplinary group of students enrolled in the class bring
perspectives from across the arts and sciences, design and engineering. Movie projects may
range in creative subject areas. For example, built and landscape
architectural places may be experienced according to our own changing
eye point of view, the transformation of light and objects, as well as
the movement of other people. In addition, objects found in
architecture and nature reveal formal, tectonic and spatial orders that
can be understood through animated sequences that depict varying
intervals of time. Storytelling, whether focused on simple character
animation or more complex scene description, may be related to these
contextual aspects of either real or imagined environments. An in-depth
exploration of NURBS three-dimensional modeling and rendering will be
the basis for representing built and natural environments, sculpting
characters and creating complex geometrical forms. Subject areas for
individual projects may range widely according to the disciplinary perspective of the individual student, including visual narratives involving character animation, the
simulation of mico-scale physical environments or larger scale architectural and
landscape architectural settings.
Enrollment:
Registration
is by
instructor permission. Enrollment is open to all graduate students and to all undergraduate students (typically second year undergraduate students and above) with
some weight given to statements of interest on SIS and seniority. There are
otherwise no prerequisites. The instructor has a background in
moviemaking that includes film/video production and computer graphics
animation.
Technology:
The
primary software is Maya, a professionally used product in computer
animation and movie production. Other related products may be
introduced this term as time allows for animation, including special
software focused on sound editing and production, movie editing and advanced light energy modeling and rendering. Maya provides an advanced set of animation
techniques, such as instantiated motion, inverse kinematics,
compositing, fluid dynamics effects, hair and clothing simulation and
other special effects. Also used in the term will be software for
digital video editing, compositing, morphing, creating human figures, sound capture and
editing. Maya will be available on Apple and Windows computers
throughout the school. Free academic use copies of
Maya with full functionality are available for students who have access
to a personal computer on the Apple and Windows platforms.
The required class
text is also free and online to members of the UVA community (see below). We will use inertial
motion
capture equipment for full-body motion capture and work with motion capture data. The V-Ray 5.0 plugin to Maya, an academy award winning advanced global-illumination and light simulation program, is integrated into advanced rendering tutorials in the class. More information about personal copies under a program established with Chaos Group will be announced in class. The class will take advantage of higher performance Vritual Workstations with all the software included. On grounds computer resources for independent use are also available in Campbell 105 and other
locations to be announced.
Grading: Each of the first four
projects counts towards 10%
of the grade. The final project counts towards 50% of the grade. Class attendance and participation counts towards 10% of the grade. Due to the sequential
building block nature of the topics covered, full attendance is
expected but for standard excusable absences (e.g., illness).
Class Participation: This is an in-person course.Your presence and active participation is important to creating the most effective, step by step sequenced and coherent learning experience. Excusable absences are permitted under UVA policies and should be communicated to the course instructor and your SIA and also done in advance if possible.
The class uses a system of continous assesment throughout the semester that aims to not penalize lack of experience or lack of initial understanding but is focused more on cumulative results and growth
School of Architecture Academic Standards: See School of Architecture Associate Dean of Academics statement on grading, attendance and other academic standards.
Health and Well Being: Our personal and learning circumstances may be different than they were prior to the Covid-19 epidemic. While we face challenges as an educational community, the goal is to continue to learn and grow while adjusting for unexpected events. The class is committed to maintaining a healthy and equitable environment for all of us by respecting and making room for differences in how we approach learning. While these goals may seem hard to realize in a course not specifcally based on health and equity, one strategy is to encourage moviemaking projects that give more license to students. The objective is to be motivated by what interests you and from which we can all learn together.
Your health and well-being are also a priority. Please take the time to care for yourself. The university asks that if you are ill or expect that you have been exposed to COVID-19, please stay home, notify the primary course instructor, and contact the Student Health and Wellness Center (434-924-5362) so that you can receive appropriate care.
Individual Support: UVA is attempting to further expand its teaching to embrace the reality that students bring many diverse experiences to the classroom that contribute to the general education of all. Many factors such as social identities, visible and invisible disabilities, family circumstances, physical location, mental health and access to the internet, influence the experiences that you may have. One way to meet this challenge is to create an environment that supports each individual's learning needs and to encourage each individual to communicate and explore your ideas. For example, your projects need not be limited in terms of cultural or national contextor geographical setting. The course instructor, SIA and students as a whole willl all benefit from if your personal work is heightened by your less limited selection of a subject.
There are also newly recognized challenges to educators to more completely respond to the different personal histories students bring to the classroom. We recognize that there are many complex factors that include social identities, disabilities, family circumstances, physical location, mental health, and access to the Internet that influence performance. To support your learning, you are invited to help the SIA and the course instructor be more responsive to any unique situations you may be experiencing.
The University admits undocumented students, students from mixed-status families, and students with Temporary Protected Status. All students at UVA, including students of all immigration statuses, are welcomed in this class. If your personal situation is impacting your success in the course, please come see me to discuss your concerns so that I can accommodate you.
Technology Support: If you need assistance using any of the tools for our class, the SIA and I happy to work with you. You can also find resources for each below:
SCHEDULE
The schedule below is subject to modification.
August | |
TU 22 | Introduction to animation and course overview |
TH 24 | Interface, primitives (nurbs and polygon primitives), key-framed animation and movie output file creation with FCheck [Robinson: Browse Chapters 1 and 2, Read Chapters 3 and 4] |
- linked in training (formerly lynda.com tutorials are optional and available on grounds or through the UVA VPN system) |
|
TU 29 | Basic lighting and nurbs surfaces |
- linked in training Maya 2019 Essential Training 7. Nurbs Modeling Techniques, 8. Refining Nurbs Models | |
TH 31 | Polygon extrusion and editing |
- linked in training Maya 2019 Essential Training 3. Creating Polygonal Models, 4. Modeling Polygonal Meshes | |
September | |
TU 5 | Instantiation, grouping and parenting, selection modes and templates [Robinson: Read Chapters 5 and 6] |
TH 7 | Geometry Affine Transformation, FCheck and iMovie Assembly Editing |
TU 12 | Review exercise 1 |
TH 14
|
Sound and digital video editing with iMovie HD and composite video rendering. |
-linked in training iMovie HD 10.1.1 Essential Training | |
TU 19
|
Nurbs (continued) editing, sound syncronization [Robinson: Read Chapters 6 - 9] |
TH 21 |
Skeletons & IK Handles [Robinson: Read Chapters 10 - 12] |
TU 26 | Make Human Characters, Non-linear deformers [Robinson: Read Chapters 13 - 15] - linked in training 8. Refining Nurbs Models |
TH 28 | Camera control and rendering [Robinson: Read Chapter 16 and optionally Chapter 17] |
October | |
TU 3 | Reading Break |
TH 5 | Inertial body suit data capture and rigging. (Date to be confirmed). |
TU 10 | Review exercise 2 |
TH 12 | Dynamics/particles/colisions [Robinson: Read Chapter 18] |
TU 17
|
Shaders, materials, texture mapping, lighting continued |
- linked in training Maya 2019 Chapter 9. Creating Matarials, 10. Applying Textures, 11. Rendering in Maya 12. Rendering in Arnold | |
TU 19 | V-Ray Light Energy Modeling and Material Simulation |
TH 24
|
Graphical editor & path animation [Optional Palamar: Read Chapter 2] |
TU 26
|
Fluid dyamic effects, environmental sky |
|
- linked in training Quick Fluids Using nCloth in Maya |
TU 31 | Fluid dynamics continued Chaos Training Basic Example Using Chaos Phoenix |
Hinges,
springs, and hair Linked in training Creating Hair with Maya nHair |
|
November | |
TU 2 | Cloth
and constraints Review exercise 3 |
- linked in training Understanding Maya nCloth Maya 2012 | |
TU 7
|
Election Day _ No Class |
TH 9 | Advanced Rendering / Global Illumination Options |
TU 14 | Blend shapes and composite editing in iMovie HD, individual review workshop |
linked in training Creating single-mesh blend shapes Maya 2016 | |
TH 16 | MEL |
TU 21 | FX: mash, fluid dynamic clouds, paint effects Special topics , open workshop |
TH 23 | Thanksgiving Holiday |
TU 28 | V-Ray Atmosphere Simulation |
TU 30 | Final project preview exercise |
December | |
TH 5 | Course Summary |
TH 14 | Final project screening. |
Note: The required text/tutorial and addtional reading
as well as the linda.com tutorials are available on-line through the UVA Virgo System.
Required
Text:
Maya 8 for
Windows & Macintosh (Visual QuickStart Guide) by
Morgan
Robinson, and Nathaniel Stein, Peachpit Press,
2007 ± § -see
on-line version of this textbook
Recommended Readings:
Animation:
Introducing
Autodesk Maya 2016 by
Dariush
Derakhsshani, Autodesk Official Press, 2015° § - see
on-line version of this textbook
Mastering Autodesk Maya 2016 by John Palamar, Wiley Publishing, Inc.,
2016 A° § - see
on-line version of this textbook
Maya Visual Effects: The Innovators Guide by Eric Keller, Autodesk Official Press, 2013 +
§ - see
on-line version of this textbook
Creating Visual Effects in Maya: Fire, Water, Debris, Destruction by Lee Lanier, Focal Press, 2014 + § - see
on-line version of this textbook
MEL Scripting for Maya Animations, Second Edition, by Mark R.
Wilkins and Chris Kazmier,
Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2005 + § - see
on-line version of this textbook
Maya Programming with Python Cookbook by
Adrian Herbez, Packt Publishing, 2016 + § - see
on-line version of this textbook
Maya Secrets of the Pros 2nd ed. / John Kundert-Gibbs, Dariush
Derakhshani et. al. Sybex Inc., 2006. + § - see
on-line
version of this textbook
* linked in video tutorials (formerly linda.com) are available in internal to uva either on grounds or the VPN access. See specific links in schedule above. Use is optional.
Moviemaking:
Arnheim, Rudolf, Film as Art. Los Angeles: University of California
Press, 1957.*
Cocteau, Jean, Beauty and the Beast: Diary of a Film. New York: Dover
Publications, 1972.
Greene, Graham, The Third Man and The Fallen Idol, Penguin Books Ltd.,
1977.
Murch, Walter, In the Blink of An Eye, A Perspective on Film Editing,
Silman-James Press, 1995.
Philosophy and Perception:
Arnheim, Rudolf, Art and Visual Perception. Los Angeles: University of
California Press, 1974.
Goodman, Nelson, Languages of Art. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett
Publishing Company Inc., 1976.
Sacks, Oliver, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. New York: Harper
& Row Publishers, 1987.
Putnam, Hillary, Representation and Reality. Cambridge, MA: M.I.T.
Press, 1988.
Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte, Edited by Walter Kaufmann, The
World Publishing Company, 1956 (Rainer Maria Rilke, "The Notes of Malte
Laurids Brigge", 1910)
Notes:± This
is the primary text
with paced readings and straightforward tutorials tied to the syllabus
and a week to week developmental progression of the class. It is also
available online at no cost to members of the University of Virginia
community.
§ An online version of these books are
available to members of the University of Virginia community only. See
also Maya
on-line textbook links.
A° This
is a
more up-to-date introduction though less compact than the Robinson and
Stein text.
+ These texts include greater focus on more on specialized
topics. Mastering Autodesk Maya 2016 has
over 800
pages, covers significantly more features and special effects than the
primary text we will be using in the class.