Assignment 3: Bouncing Ball

Bouncing Ball (Due 2/20)

Use a sphere in Maya to create a bouncing ball animation.  Include at least one obstacle that will change the speed and trajectory of the ball.  Render the animation as a video file and upload it onto your blog.

Please keep in mind gravity's effect on an object - how it will cause the ball to slow down as it nears the top of the arc, and then speed up as it descends.  Also, we don't want to just replicate reality, but exaggerate it.  Really try and show that impact of the ball striking the ground.  There is no set length - as long as the video is long enough to encompass the bouncing ball and its interaction with the obstacle, at 24 frames per second.

What I will be thinking about when grading:
     Animation:
              Timing and Spacing:  Does it slow down as it nears the top of the arc and speed up before impact?
              Arcs:  Does the ball movement naturalistic?
     Technical:  Does the ball's path become wobbly at any point?  Does the ball float through the ground?  Was the Graph Editor used to fine tune the animation?


Student Examples:

Assignment 2: Primitive Shapes

Due 2/11

Using only primitives in Maya, create a simple scene or creature.  You may distort, rotate and move the primitives as needed.  The purpose of this assignment is to get you comfortable with the interface.  When finished, move and position the camera then use it to render 3 images.

What I will be looking for when Grading:
     Creative use and placement of the primitives.
     Flattering use of the camera - taking images that show nice Composition and make your primitive models/scene look its best.
            - When taking pictures with the camera, you don't have to take a picture at every angle.  If the back of the scene looks wonky, keep your camera to the front, above or the side.
     Color can be added but it's not required.

Example:

Assignment 1: Create Blog and YouTube Account

Create a Blog for This Class (Due 1/28)

Create your own blog for this class, using Blogger.  You will be using the blog to upload all animations, along with concept art and Artist Statements.  Send me an email with your blog link.

The Blog will count towards participation., but it will be referenced while grading your future projects.  I will also need a copy of each of your assignments/projects on the student server, but the absence of each project on the blog will affect the grade of that assignment and project.

You are allowed to use Tumblr, or a different blog format if needed, but your class blog cannot be shared with another class or anything outside of the classroom.  It becomes awkward when grading, and I download the blogs at the end of the semester to submit your work to the University of Tampa.  With outside work attached, it becomes convoluted and confusing.

Feel free to have fun with the designs and layout, but just make sure that your blogs are easily accessible and easy to navigate.

Some of your video projects may be too large to fit on Blogger.  In those cases, you may use an alternate source - YouTube, Vimeo - and provide a link to those videos on your blog.  You can set your videos on YouTube to be private (meaning that they are not placed on a Public Directory and will only be accessible by those who know the link), but make sure that the link is accessible on your blog.



How to create a blog using Blogger:

1. Go to www.blogger.com

2. Create a New Account.

a. If you already have an account on there, then skip this step.

b. Blogger will provide instructions on how to make a new account.

3. Once your account is created, start a new blog. Give it any kind of fun title so long as it’s something that’s still obviously yours.

4. Make one post, saying who you are, what you do and what you expect to learn from this class. You’re welcome to just write it normally, or if you want to add silly answers or take a fun approach to it (treat it like an interview, talk in third person, etc.) you’re welcome to. 

5. You are welcome to use templates, or change the colors/layout of your blog to anything so long as it’s readable and I can see the posts.  

6. Submit the link to your blog to me via email, at dcorrigan@ut.edu.

You will be graded on these factors:

- You have a new blog specifically for this class (whether it’s under a new account or a pre-existing account)

- You have at least one post.

- Your post has some text on it that talks about you.

- You have at least one image on it.  It can be a picture of anything, so long as it's appropriate to the blog and the post.

- Aesthetics, such as using a template, adding pictures, finding an appropriate font and color scheme.  Any extra bells and whistles.

This blog will be treated as your own artistic journal. Make sure to post all future assignments and projects on the blog along with an artistic statement. Creating the blog is your first assignment, and maintenance of this blog will count towards 5% of your grade.  Also, if any projects are assignments are missing from the blog at the time they're grading, there will be a deduction to your overall project and assignment grades.

Welcome to 3D Animation

Hello everyone, and welcome to the class!  I hope you all had a fantastic, fun and restful winter break and are ready to jump back into academia.  This post is going to talk about the syllabus, this blog and introduce some key elements of the class.  We will be talking about all this in the classroom, but here's a quick guide on where you can find everything:

Syllabus
An electronic copy of the syllabus is posted on the right side column of this blog under the title "Syllabus", as well as on Blackboard and the student server.  If, for any reason, you have trouble accessing the syllabus, please see me immediately and I will get you a copy right away. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have a copy of your syllabus.

The Class Blog
This blog will be a place where you can find tutorials that I've found online, as well as link to your blogs.  You will be expected to keep a blog throughout the class, where you will be uploading web-friendly versions of your animation along with detailed artist statements.  You will also be uploading in-progress versions of your work, model sheets/sketches, ideas and basically use the blog as an online journal of your work.  The blog will count towards your Participation grade at the end of the semester.

Assignment and Project Submissions
There are two places to submit projects - your blogs and the student server.  What I will need are your movie files, but please be sure to keep a copy of all of your raw files.  It is highly advised to keep an extra copy of all of your work on an external medium of some kind - external hard drive, flash drive, etc. as well as on the student server.  On the student server, a folder will be made for each project.  Please make sure to post a rendered video of each project there, with a name that is easy to read.  For example:  DCorrigan_Project1.mov or DCorrigan_Dialogue.mov is preferred as opposed to ButterflyTalking.mov  If I cannot locate your file or can't find out who the file belongs to during grading, then you will receive a late penalty even if you did have the project finished on time.

Atomic Learning
The University of Tampa has a subscription to the Atomic Learning Tutorials website, which have some great lessons on the programs we'll be using this semester.  Feel free to access them at any time.  A link to the website is located along the right side column, beneath the syllabus, under "Atomic Learning."  The username is your UT email address, and your password is your UT password. The cost of Atomic Learning is covered in your tuition, so there is no extra fee to use it.

Lynda and HCPLC
If you have a library card with the Hillsborough County Public Library, you can have educational access to Lynda.com for free.  Lynda.com is an advanced online video tutorial service that has a wealth of information for an array of different software including the Adobe suite.  Between Lynda and Atomic Learning, you may not need any technical textbooks for any of the software (though I would still recommend The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams, as it's a fantastic guide for animation itself)


Absence Policy
This class has a strict absence policy.  Students have failed strictly on absences, regardless of the quality of their work.  This is an intensive class, and the critiques, workshops and discussions here cannot be mirrored outside of class.  The syllabus details the Absence policy, but here is an excerpt from it:

Any unexcused absence counts against your final grade, and will be subtracted from your final grade at the end of the semester.  All unexcused absences subtract one half-letter grade.  For example, if you were to get an A in the class but had three unexcused absences, that would result in a BC regardless of what the number grade would be.

Excused Absences
There are two categories of excused absences for which accommodations will be made: scheduled and unscheduled.

Scheduled absences involve time conflicts that are known in advance, for which students have notified their instructors. Acceptable reasons for scheduled absences include:
1.    Court-imposed legal obligations (e.g., jury duty and subpoenas)
2.    Medical procedure
3.    Required participation in University-sponsored events (e.g., performances, athletic events, academic research presentations)
4.    Observation of religious holy days
5.    Requirements of military service 
Unscheduled absences involve unforeseen emergencies such as illness, injury, hospitalization, deaths in the immediate family, consequences of severe weather and other crises. Students should contact the instructor as soon as possible in these cases. Instructors may require documentation or verification to excuse unscheduled absences.

Employment schedules, athletic conditioning and practice schedules and personal appointments are not valid reasons for scheduled absences.

Work Hard but Have Fun!
This is going to be an intensive class, especially if you're new to art and computers (and it's going to be intensive even if you are familiar with them).  You are not expected to know any of the programs or anything about art upon coming here, but you will be expected to work hard, both inside and outside of the classroom.  But try to have fun, as well!  The projects and assignments will be challenging, but will also give you some artistic freedom and the subjects may be fun or silly.  Feel free to be creative and share ideas with your classmates!  Should you pursue animation beyond this class, you'll be working in groups so it's good to get to know your peers in case you ever work with them in the future.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at dcorrigan@ut.edu

I look forward to meeting all of you and getting to know you throughout the semester!