3d Rigging for Animators (ANI 332-701) |
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Summary of the courseStudents will study the processes and techniques for bi-ped character rigging for film and games: skeleton creation, skinning and animation controls rigging. Techniques in skeleton creation and skinning will be explored for hand-key and motion capture driven applications. Rigging will include exploration of body and facial rigging techniques. Additional topics will include presentation techniques and .mel scripting for animation rig manipulation. Course Objectives After completing this course, students will: 1. Be able to properly create and manipulate skeletal hierarchies, and be able mirror, orient, and zero bones. Textbooks and printed resourcesRECOMMENDED TEXTS: The Art of Rigging Volumes 1, 2 & 3
PrerequisitesPREREQUISITE(S): ANI 230 or GPH 250 GradingAttendance Student absences are not expected to exceed more than 2 absences. A third absence will result in the lowering of your final grade one full letter. Any student missing 4 classes will be given a grade of "F" for the semester. Tardiness is defined as not in the classroom when attendance is called or departing before the class has been formally dismissed by the instructor. Tardiness that exceeds thirty minutes will be counted as an absence. TWO late arrivals or early departures, or a combination of both, are counted as one absence. If you arrive late for class, it is your responsibility to make sure that you have been marked tardy rather than absent. The allotted absences are to accommodate routine illness, weddings, car trouble, etc. Doctor appointments, advisor conferences, trips to supply stores and employment, etc. should not be scheduled to conflict with class. Faculty cannot be placed in the position of determining which absences are excusable and which are not. All students are expected to attend class on a regular basis. Prolonged illness should be verified by a physician and may require the student to withdraw from class if he/she cannot complete work in a comprehensive and timely manner. The student is responsible for any lectures or assignments missed. If an assignment is due a week that you are absent, it is your responsibility to make sure it still arrives on time. This is for your benefit. A good portion of our class time will be spent doing hands on tutorials, screening films, and critiquing work. Lecture notes will not make up for these missed learning experiences. You may not miss the midterm or final class date. Doing so will equal an automatic two letter grade reduction of your final grade. If for some reason you cannot make one of these dates you must contact your instructor BEFORE the class that you must miss. Excuses given after the fact will not be accepted. No incompletes will be given without documented proof of circumstances beyond your control. Participation One of the best ways to learn in a classroom environment is through active participation in discussions and critiques. In general, we will be following a pattern of creating content and then discussing it in Tuesday critique sessions. When I open up the floor for you to speak, please make the effort to voice your honest and constructive opinion. This more than anything will help you learn from your mistakes and progress in your animation skills. While I don't give a direct grade for participation, you can receive bonus points on your grade for participating more actively in class, or a reduction for being a hindrance to discussion. Participation will be a score of +/- 5 percentage points factored into your total grade at the end of the term. Participation will be based on attentiveness in class, active participation in discussions and critiques, promoting a positive learning environment, and attendance.
Digital Assignments: All assignments handed in digitally must be in the following format (please note upper and lower case usage) Special Accommodations: If you have any special considerations please see the instructor so you can be accommodated. Final Project: A final project is mandatory for this class. If you do not turn a final project your grade is an automatic "F," regardless of the other assignments, tests, quizzes you have completed for this class. BACK UP YOUR WORK: Failure of computer software and or Hardware will not be accepted as an extenuating circumstance for late projects or incomplete grades so back up your work daily. Critiques Unless otherwise stated, assigned work must be completed and submitted through DLWeb, on-time, otherwise it will not be accepted (this will keep us from wasting class time). In most cases (I'll let you know the exceptions) I request that you use QuickTime format unless discussed. Handing in something unfinished is always better than nothing at all. If you'd like more feedback, arrange to discuss your work with me during my office hours. We will view and discuss everyone's final project during the last class. Grading Assignments
Total Homework 64% of grade
Standards for Achievement: Grade A: Grade B: Grade C: Grade D: Grade F Requesting an incomplete grade:
Lectures and AsssignmentsWeek 1 Lecture: - Introduction to class and overview of syllabus Discussion - Discuss Mays tools being used in class. Talk about goals of the class. Rigging Assignment Week 1 : - Review tools for rigging from rigging tools list. Week 2 Lecture: - Bone Placement - How to best position bones into a character mesh. - How to orient bones. - Naming Convention Rigging Assignment Week 2 : - Select a provided character mesh. - Using my ‘How to' bone placement tutorial, create a skeleton for your character. - Create a 640 x 480 movie showing me your joint placement and joint orientation. Use the provided example as a guide. Week 3 Lecture: - Character Weighting - How best to weight a character. - Setting proper Smooth Skin options. - Paint Weights tool workflow. - The art of skinning; creating points and preserving volume. Rigging Assignment Week 3 : - Using the ‘How to' tutorial on character skinning, Weight your character. - Create a 640 x 480 movie showing me your weight pass. - Use the provided ROM animation file. Use the example movie as a guide. Week 4 Lecture: - Character Mesh Parameterization 1 - Optimal polygon edge layout. - Edge-loop theory. - Split polygon tool. Rigging Assignment Week 4 : - Using Edge-loops and Quads, re-parameterize your character for optimal deformation while preserving its original silouette. - Create a 640 x 480 movie showing me your re-parameterization result. - Use the provided ROM animation file. Use the example movie as a guide. Week 5 Lecture: - Character Mesh Parameterization 2 - Managing multiple character meshes. - Deleting Character Mesh History. - How to use Delete Non-Deformer History. - How to Copy Weights. Rigging Assignment Week 5 : - Create a 640 x 480 movie showing me your re-weight result. - Use the provided ROM animation file. Use the example movie as a guide. Week 6 - Break Binding & Helper Bones- Creating an optimal relax pose. - Create break-bind pose. - Optimize hip and shoulder parameterization. - Copy weights from characters with different bind-poses.
One-on-one review of your work and midterm evaluation. Rigging Assignment Week 6 : - Using the ‘How to' tutorial on Break-Binding, break-bind your character. - Create a 640 x 480 movie showing me your break-bound weight pass. - Use the provided ROM animation file. Use the example movie as a guide. Week 7 Lecture: - Simple Animation Controls - Creating simple controls - How to create Hand Controls. - How to create Head and Neck Controls. Rigging Assignment Week 7 : - Using the ‘How to' tutorial on building Hand, Head, & Neck Controls, add these controls to your character. - Create a 640 x 480 movie showing me your Hand, Head and Neck controls. - Use the example movie as a guide. Week 8 Lecture: - Arm and Foot Controls - Creating limb controls - How to create foot controls. - How to create arm controls. Rigging Assignment Week 8 : - Using the ‘How to' tutorial on Foot and Arm controls, add these controls to your character. - Create a 640 x 480 movie showing me your Foot and Arm controls. - Use the example movie as a guide. Week 9 - Spine Controls - Creating a Stretchy-Back control - How to create a stretchy-back control.
- Using the ‘How to' tutorial on Stretchy-Back controls, add these controls to your character. - Create a 640 x 480 movie showing me your Back control. - Use the example movie as a guide. Week 10 Polish Pass for Final Presentation: - A chance to polish or resolve any outstanding character issues before the final presentation. - Prepare for Final Project Week 11 Final project due Note: Final class will be at normal time in normal room on Monday! Present Final Project School policies:Online Instructor EvaluationEvaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over two weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online at https://mycti.cti.depaul.edu/mycti Email is the primary means of communication between faculty and students enrolled in this course outside of class time. Students should be sure their email listed under "demographic information" at http://campusconnect.depaul.edu is correct. Academic Integrity PolicyThis course will be subject to the academic integrity policy passed by faculty. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ PlagiarismThe university and school policy on plagiarism can be summarized as follows: Students in this course should be aware of the strong sanctions that can be imposed against someone guilty of plagiarism. If proven, a charge of plagiarism could result in an automatic F in the course and possible expulsion. The strongest of sanctions will be imposed on anyone who submits as his/her own work any assignment which has been prepared by someone else. If you have any questions or doubts about what plagiarism entails or how to properly acknowledge source materials be sure to consult the instructor.
IncompleteAn incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a death in the family, a serious illness, etc. Any such reason must be documented. Any incomplete request must be made at least two weeks before the final, and approved by the Dean of the College of Computing and Digital Media. Any consequences resulting from a poor grade for the course will not be considered as valid reasons for such a request. Resources for Students with DisabilitiesStudents who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential. To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted either:
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