SYLLABUS
ARCH 5422: COMPUTERANIMATION:DESIGNINMOTION
Summer 2021

INSTRUCTOR: Earl Mark ejmark@virginia.edu
Office: 322 Campbell Hall

DRAFT 1.0

Description: Computer Animation: Design in Motion is a hands-on subject in moviemaking through techniques in three-dimensional computer animation, composite video editing, as well as sound editing and capture. The class will periodically screen short and feature length animations as well as ongoing student work. Discussion of these works will be an integral part of the subject. There will also be a few readings in film theory and cognitive science. The links between perception, representation, storytelling and digital animation will be examined within both a historical and a contemporary critical framework. Tutorials include methods of constructing computer models of the built and natural environment, the dynamic simulation of light, air, wind, water, fabric, hair, springs, hinges and other physical phenomenon. They include character rigging and animation as well as related inverse kinematics techniques for controlling movement. Due to distance education requirements, an inertial motion capture body suit will not be used to create human data in summer 2020. However, we will explore a range of data sets based upon motion capture to enhance the simulation and exploration of character movement. Scripting in a java-like language to animate and generate forms will be incorporated into a number of exercises.

Four animation assignments accumulate towards the production of a short (from 1 to 5 minutes) movie/animation by the end of the class. The project themes may vary according to individual student interest. These may include character based visual narratives, explicit reconstructions of buildings and landscapes, or more abstract compositions exploring materiality, light, three-dimensional forms and spatial geometry, or physical processes.

It is anticipated that an interdisciplinary group of students admitted to the course will bring perspectives from across the arts and sciences, including such diverse fields as fine arts, bio-mechanical engineering, design, computer music, computer science, drama, media studies, systems engineering, educational instructional technology or other subjects where computer animation or simulation is of interest.

The class will be taught through distance learning techniques facilitated by Zoom with additional online virtual computers directly used for 3D animation provided for students enrolled in the class.

Resources: The primary technology will be Autodesk Maya*, Autodesk MotionBuilder, andM akeHuman. We will also look at different video editing and compiling softare, such as Apple Quicktime Pro, iMovieHD as well as equivlent Windows software available at no cost. There are no purchasing requirements. Autodesk's Maya software is free to the educational community for academic use (see autodesk.com for details as will be explained in greater detail in class). MakeHuman is public domain and available at no cost or a voluntary donation. The primary workshop venue will be a virtual computing platform, a computer equipped online facility with all relevant software licenses provided, and students are able to take advantage of the same sofware provided at no cost through an education program in which the class participates.

* We will work with the most recent version of the sofware installed in our virtual computing classrooms and tha also can be downloaded at no cost.

Grading: Each of the first three projects counts towards 15% of the grade. The final project counts towards 45% of the grade and class attendance counts towards 10% of the grade. Due to the sequential building block nature of the topics covered, full attendance is expected.

Participation: This is an online synchronous course on Zoom (Collab “Online Meetings”). You are not expected to be on Grounds for any assignments or meetings. Virtual attendance is required. Excusable absences are permitted under uva policies and should be communicated to the course instructors and SIA and also done in advance if possible.

In 2021 our personal and learning circumstances may be different than they were prior to the Covid-19 epidemic. 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. Accordingly the class encourages animation topics that give more license to students to be motivated by what interests them, their physical location, recourse access limitations, and from which everyone has a chance to see the work done and can learn together.  Your health and well-being are the highest priority. Monitor your health daily in the HOOS Health Check app. The university asks that if 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.

SCHEDULE

The order of topics below may be adjusted from day to day.

Note: As will be further explained in class, the required text/tutorial reading is 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 Texts

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
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
Practical Maya Programming with Python by Galanakis, Robert, Packt Publishing, 2014 + § - see on-line version of this textbook
Complete Maya Programming [electronic resource]: An Extensive Guide to MEL and the C++ API, Gould, David, San Diego, CA : Academic Press, 2002. - 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 training tutorials are available this this link on netbadge . See links in schedule above. Use is optional.

See also online additional links internally availble to UVA Community..

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 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.