Schedule of Classes and Assignments Spring 2009

We'll try to stick to this schedule but there's always the possibility that something might change. Stay tuned to the announcements on the main class page for updates.

Syllabus

Week of Monday Wednesday Friday
January 12
Week 1 		Introduction and Syllabus
Animations from classes in previous years
Animations:
  • Oral Fixations
Assignments of Technical Demos
Break
Maya Demonstrations
  • desktop
  • polygonal modeling
  • basic mapping
  • lighting
Storyboard clips from Monsters
Animations:
  • The Dog Who Was A Cat Inside - Passion Pictures (Issue 144, SIGGRAPH '03)
  • It's not the end of the world - Super Furry Animal - Duran Duboi (Issue 141, SIGGRAPH '02)
  • Ann Lislegaard "Bellona" excerpt
  • When the Day Breaks -- Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis
Maya Demonstrations
  • deformers + blendshapes
  • keyframing
  • camera
  • rendering
  • keyframing
  • layering
  • demo of setting up AFS space (Eric)
Reading:
  • pages 2-55 in Inspired 3D Short Film Production

Assignment 1 out

----
January 19
Week 2 		no class -- MLK Demo of Posey
Animations:
  • Bunny - Blue Sky
  • The Street (Hollywood Salutes Canadian Animation)
  • Discord Metal and Meat (Northern Michigan University, SIGGRAPH Video Review Issue 153)
  • Cubic Tragedy (National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, SIGGRAPH Video Review Issue 150)
Work time

Assignment 1 due (Sunday midnight)

January 26
Week 3 		Critique Assignment 1 (graded)
  • Group 1: 1:30
    • REUTER, ALYSSA areuter
    • HIRUNCHAROENVATE, CHAYA chirunch
    • KAMATH, CHAITHANYA ckamath
    • PORTNOY, DMITRY dportnoy
    • SANDBOTHE, ERICA efs
    • MCCARTY, ERIN emccarty
    • KAPUR, ISHITA ikapur
    • AYLMER, JUSTINE jaylmer
    • CISCON, JONATHAN jciscon
    • FENG, JERRY jerryf
    • PANZA, JEFFREY jpanza
    • LIN, JY-HUEY jyhueyl
    • SIU, KRISTIN kasiu
    • LI, ZEYANG zeyangl
  • Group 2: 2:45
    • KOUSHIK, MADHURI mkoushik
    • SHARMA, NISHEETH nisheeth
    • PATEL, NIRAV nrp
    • DORRETT, RACHEL rdorrett
    • WANG, RICHARD rpw
    • SCULLY, REBECCA rscully
    • SHAH, ROHANA rshah
    • GRAY, ROBYN rtgray
    • LIN, SUSAN susanlin
    • JIANG, XIAOYUAN xiaoyuan
    • SHAN, YANG yshan
Readings:

Storyboard due as a powerpoint file (firstnamelastname.ppt)(Tuesday noon)

Pitch storyboards (5 minutes/each)
----
February 2
Week 4 		Pitch remaining storyboards
Vote for 7 storyboards
Form 2-3 person teams to refine storyboards (via email)
ETC out

Assignment 2 out

Animation:
  • War animations
Maya Demonstrations:
  • mapping (Lauren Hecht)
  • rigging (Julia Kennedy)
  • basic skinning weights (Julia Kennedy)
Field trip for Mocap Lab Demo
Work time otherwise
ETC out
Duesing out
jkh out
----
February 9
Week 5 		Animations:
  • Raymon (SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater 2007, #156)
  • The Itch (SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater 2007, #156)

Maya Demonstrations
  • C++ programming demo files for demo (Eric Foote)
  • MEL demo (Eric Foote) powerpoint for demo
  • Strokes (Madeleine Pitsch)
  • Particle systems (Elizabeth Liu)
  • Dynamic simulation (Elizabeth Liu)
Work time

Animations:
  • Oh Hisse (Tohoku University of Art and Design, SIGGRAPH Video Review 154, 2006)
  • Kein Platz fur Gerald (Ars Electronica 2006)
Maya Demonstrations
  • Importing mocap data (Eric) file to download
  • Locators: eye, etc. (Sara Lim)
  • Referencing (Sara Lim)
Work time

Revised storyboards due Sunday at noon

February 16
Week 6 		Pitch revised storyboards
  • Alien
    • ANGELA WANG, angelaw
    • AYLMER, JUSTINE jaylmer
  • Artbot
    • JAMES CHAN, jamescha
    • ISHITA KAPUR, ikapur
  • Blue Bird and Squirrel
    • REBECCA SCULLY, rscully
    • DMITRY PORTNOY, dportnoy
  • A Curious Subject
    • SIU, KRISTIN kasiu
    • RICHARD WANG, rpw
  • Don't Drink and Blood Drive
    • PATEL, NIRAV nrp
    • JY-HUEY (Grace) LIN, jyhueyl
    • ALYSSA REUTER, areuter
  • Giant
    • ERIN MCCARTY, emccarty
    • ZEYANG (Linus) LI zeyangl
  • Life Cycle
    • JEFFREY PANZA, jpanza
    • JULIA KENNEDY, jkkenned
    • MADELEINE PITSCH, mpitsch
  • The Matchstick
    • HIRUNCHAROENVATE, CHAYA chirunch
    • RACHEL DORRETT, rdorrett
    • MADHURI KOUSHIK, mkoushik
  • Mr. Mummy
    • JIANG, XIAOYUAN xiaoyuan
    • SARAH LIM, seungyol
    • NISHEETH SHARMA, nisheeth
  • Rock Paper Scissors
    • ERICA SANDBOTHE, efs
    • JONATHAN CISCON, jciscon
  • Taken by Surprise
    • ROHANA SHAH, rshah
    • GRAY, ROBYN rtgray
  • Taro,
    • JERRY FENG, jerryf
    • LAUREN HECHT, lhecht
    • SHAN, YANG yshan
  • Underwater
    • ELIZABETH LIU, esliu
    • JANET LEE, janetlee
  • Vita
    • SIMRAN KOONJUL, gskoonju
    • SUSAN LIN, susanlin
    • KAMATH, CHAITHANYA ckamath (CK)
Voting for storyboards
Form teams (email)
Readings:
  • Chapter 12 Model in Inspired 3D Short Film Production
  • Chapter 19 Visual Effects in Inspired 3D Short Film Production
Work time
Animation
  • East End Zombies (SIGGRAPH 2005 Electronic Theater Issue 150)
Maya Demonstrations
  • fluids (Madeleine Pitsch)
  • hair and fur (Eric Foote)
  • cloth and cloth colliding with cloth (Angela Wang)
  • Controllers, set-driven keys (Simran Koonjul)
  • Trax editor (Simran Koonjul)

Assignment 2 due Sunday at noon

February 23
Week 7 		Critique Assignment 2 (graded)
  • Group 1: 1:30
    • JUSTINE AYLMER, jaylmer
    • ISHITA KAPUR, ikapur
    • YANG SHAN, yshan
    • ERIN MCCARTY, emccarty
    • JEFFREY PANZA, jpanza
    • ROBYN GRAY, rtgray
    • CHAYA HIRUNCHAROENVATE, chirunch
    • ROHANA SHAH, rshah
    • JERRY FENG, jerryf
    • MADHURI KOUSHIK, mkoushik
    • XIAOYUAN JIANG, xiaoyuan
    • NIRAV PATEL, nrp
    • RICHARD WANG, rpw
  • Group 2: 3:00
    • JONATHAN CISCON, jciscon
    • CHAITHANYA KAMATH, ckamath
    • JY-HUEY LIN, jyhueyl
    • ERICA SANDBOTHE, efs
    • RACHEL DORRETT, rdorrett
    • DMITRY PORTNOY, dportnoy
    • ALYSSA REUTER, areuter
    • ZEYANG LI, zeyangl
    • SUSAN LIN, susanlin
    • KRISTIN SIU, kasiu
    • REBECCA SCULLY, rscully
    First group meetings otherwise
    Start webpages for animations
    Readings:
    • Chapters 10 and 11 in Inspired 3D Short Film Production
    Work time

    Assignment 3 out

Discussion of animatics
  • Antz
Possible Technical projects
Individual meetings on storyboards
  • 2:30 Matchstick
  • 3:00 Rock Paper Scissors
Work time otherwise
----
March 2
Week 8 		Animations
  • Luxo Jr. (Pixar)
  • Geri's Game (Pixar)
  • For the Birds (Pixar)
  • Lifted (Pixar)
Demonstration:
  • Video Editing Demo (Amanda Long)
Work time otherwise
Duesing out
Animations:
  • Chainsmoker (SIGGRAPH 2003 Electronic Theater, Issue 144)
  • The Fall (SIGGRAPH 2004 Animation Theater)
  • Tim Tom (Issue 144, SIGGRAPH 2003 ET)
Maya Demonstration:
  • Setting up project spaces in Maya and referencing(Jim)
  • Sculpting tool (Jim)
  • Edit skin weights window (Jim)
  • Clothing in Maya (Moshe Mahler)
  • Shaders and MentalRay (James Chan)
  • Lighting, soft shadows (Janet Lee)
  • Layers (rendering efficently) (Janet Lee)
Work time
----
March 9
spring break
midterm grades due 		spring break ----
March 16
Week 9

Animations:

  • The Nose (Alwxeieff/Parker DVD)
  • 458NM (SIGGRAPH 2006 Electronic Theater)
  • The Building (SIGGRAPH 2006 Electronic Theater)
Work time
ETC out

Animatic due (Tuesday midnight)

Group critiques of animatics (whole class) (graded)
Composers in class
ETC out
Reading:
  • Chapter 16 Animation in Inspired 3D Short Film Production

Assignment 3 due (midnight Sunday)

March 23
Week 10 		Critique Assignment 3 (graded)
Whole class
Critique of rest of Assignment 3 (graded)
Reading:
  • Chapter 18 Lighting and Rendering in Inspired 3D Short Film Production
Work time
March 30
Week 11 		Animations:
  • Fog (SIGGRAPH 2006 Animation Theater)
  • Nature is Ancient (Issue 144, SIGGRAPH 2003 ET)
  • Balance
Work time

Animations:
  • Moutons (SIGGRAPH 2007 Animation Festival, Issue 158)
  • Helium (SIGGRAPH 2005 Electronic Theater, Issue 150)
  • Ryan
Work time 		Models, preliminary animation, and sample rendering/lighting examples due (Sunday 6pm)
April 6
Week 12 		Animation:
  • Our Wonderful Nature (SIGGRAPH 2008 Animation Festival Issue 159)
  • Heavy Duty (SIGGRAPH 2008 Animation Festival Issue 159)

Critique Models, preliminary animation, and sample rendering/lighting examples (separate) (graded)
  • 2:00 Vita
  • 2:30 Underwater
  • 3:00 Rock, Paper, Scissors
  • 3:30 Mr. Mummy

Work time otherwise 		Animation:
  • Distraxion (SIGGRAPH 2008 Animation Festival Issue 159)
  • 893 (SIGGRAPH 2008 Animation Festival Issue 159)

Critique Models, preliminary animation, and sample rendering/lighting examples (separate) (graded)
  • 2:00 Matchstick
  • 2:30 Life Cycle
  • 3:00 Artbot

Work time otherwise
April 13
Week 13 		Animation:
  • Chump and Clump (SIGGRAPH 2008 Animation Festival)

Critique (separate) (ungraded)
  • 2:00 Artbot
  • 2:30 Rock, Paper, Scissors
  • 3:00 Vita
  • 3:30 Mr. Mummy

Work time otherwise 		Animation:
  • Mauvais Role (SIGGRAPH 2008 Animation Festival)
  • Jellyfish (SIGGRAPH 2008 Animation Festival)

Critique (separate) (ungraded)
  • 2:00 Underwater
  • 2:30 Life Cycle
  • 3:00 Matchstick

Work time otherwise 		Materials for April 20th crit due (Sunday 6pm)

April 20
Week 14 		Animations:
  • Madame Tutli Putli
Maya Demo:
  • Render Layers (Mike Mallis)

Work time

Results embedded in Animatic due (Tuesday midnight)

Group critiques (whole class, graded)
  • Artbot
  • Matchstick
  • Vita
  • Life Cycle
  • Rock, Paper, Scissors
  • Mr. Mummy
  • Underwater

April 27
Week 15 		Animations:
  • Clik Clak (Supinfocom) (Issue 158, SIGGRAPH 2007 Animation Theater)
  • Versus (Supinfocom) (Issue 158, SIGGRAPH 2007 Animation Theater)
Group critiques (separate, ungraded)
  • 2:00 Underwater
  • 2:30 Matchstick
  • 3:00 Artbot
  • 3:30 Mr. Mummy

Work time otherwise
Animations:
  • La Derniere Minute (SIGGRAPH 2005 Electronic Theater Issue 150)
Group critiques (separate, ungraded)
  • 2:00 Life Cycle
  • 2:30 Vita
  • 3:00 Rock, Paper, Scissors

Work time otherwise
 ----
Final exam slot May 11

Final Presentations during final exam slot (graded)
May 11 6:00-8:30 CFA 303

End of Semester ----

Other Animations of Interest