CNM 190 is targeted at 4th year students with backgrounds in art, film, or computer science who intend to work in the visual effects, animation, or entertainment industries upon graduation. It will build upon students' knowlege from previous related courses to guide them through the production process in an environment similar to industry production houses. We will survey many advanced topics and allow students to focus on a subset they find interesting while collaborating with their team to develop three 30 second animation pieces.
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Required - First Semester: Inspired 3D Short Film Production |
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Required - Second Semester: Advanced Renderman |
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Required - Second Semester: Digital Lighting & Rendering |
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Useful - First Semester: MEL Scripting for Maya Animators |
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Useful - First Semester: Complete Maya Programming |
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Useful - Second Semester: The Renderman Companion |
| Weeks | Date | Instructor | Lecture Topic | Assignment Due |
| Week 1 | Mon 2006.08.28 | All + Randy Nelson | Course Overview, Story Writing (ppt, pdf, 6up, Designing a Pixar Film, Improvised Collaborative Story) | |
| Wed 2006.08.30 | All | More Story Writing, Asset Management, Systems | ||
| Week 2 | Mon 2006.09.04 | --- | NO INSTRUCTION - HOLIDAY | |
| Wed 2006.09.06 | All | Critique | Story Pitch | |
| Week 3 | Mon 2006.09.11 | Greg | Camera 1 : A Camera with a Feeling | |
| Wed 2006.09.13 | All | Critique | Storyboard | |
| Week 4 | Mon 2006.09.18 | Greg | Procedural Tendencies: The Cultural Agenda Behind Algorithmic Thinking | |
| Wed 2006.09.20 | All | Critique | Animated Storyboard | |
| Week 5 | Mon 2006.09.25 | Dan | Modeling 1 : Procedural Modeling Basics (ppt, pdf, 6up) | |
| Wed 2006.09.27 | All | Critique | Physical Models | |
| Week 6 | Mon 2006.10.02 | Dan + Sanjay Bakshi | Modeling 2 : Sets, Characters, Hair, Fur, and Advanced Procedural Modeling (ppt, pdf, 6up) | |
| Wed 2006.10.04 | All | Critique | Procedurally Generated Models | |
| Week 7 | Mon 2006.10.09 | Greg + Brian Green | Modeling 3 : Skeletons & Rigging | |
| Wed 2006.10.11 | All | Critique | Hand Generated Models | |
| Week 8 | Mon 2006.10.16 | Dan + Gautam Rangan | Camera 2 : Procedural Techniques of Cinematography (ppt, pdf, 6up, The Lost Art of Film Editing Article) | |
| Wed 2006.10.18 | All | Critique | Character Sheets, Set Drawings, Hero Rigs with Pose Sheets | |
| Week 9 | Mon 2006.10.23 | Greg + Gautam Rangan | Animation 1 : Basics, Motion, Sound, Data (ppt, ast02.mov, demo.mb) | |
| Wed 2006.10.25 | All | Critique | Layout Animation, Shot Sheets, Secondary Models | |
| Week 10 | Mon 2006.10.30 | Dan, Jeremy | Animation 2 : Inverse Kinematics, Automating Animation, Physics Simulation (ppt, pdf, 6up, SpringPendulum tarball) | |
| Wed 2006.11.01 | All | Critique | Final Layout Animation, Final Models & Sets | |
| Week 11 | Mon 2006.11.06 | Greg + PhaseSpace + Ziah Fogel | Animation 3 : Cause and Effect, Primary and Secondary, Procedural Style | |
| Wed 2006.11.08 | All | Critique | Animation Progress | |
| Week 12 | Mon 2006.11.13 | Dan | Animation 4 : Walk Cycles & Autonomous Motion (ppt, pdf, 6up, Lasseter paper, SPAM) | |
| Wed 2006.11.15 | All | Critique | Animation Progress | |
| Week 13 | Mon 2006.11.20 | Dan + Apurva Shah | Animation 5 : Particle Simulations, Crowds, Cloth, Hair | |
| Wed 2006.11.22 | All | Critique | Animation Progress | |
| Week 14 | Mon 2006.11.27 | Greg | Animation 6 : The Shiver of Affection | |
| Wed 2006.11.29 | All | Critique | Animation Progress | |
| Week 15 | Mon 2006.12.04 | Randy Nelson | Critique | |
| Wed 2006.12.06 | All | Critique | Animation Progress |