ART 454  |  Schedule  |  3D Space 1
SCHEDULE

↓ Week 1 ↓

DATE
CLASS WORK
ASSIGNED (DUE NEXT CLASS MEET)
Aug 23

course Objectives and Structure

alex mccleod, Zeitguised, Zeitguised on Vimeo, Brandon Morse

setup a project

working in orthographic vs. perspective views of space

QWERTY tools

working in class: Modeling with polygon primitives, extrusions, splitting faces

interface overview: Channel Editor, Outliner, Attribute Editor, Viewport, Shading modes

heirarchy/Object/Component Selection modes + masks

smoothing & extruding faces

** ALL MAYA HOTKEYS **

watch: Videos 1-9 on Digital Tutors

also watch: Videos 9 + 10 here

Sign up for a student account at Autodesk HERE (if you haven't alrady done this)

Scan: Maya 2017 New Features

Aug 25

Display Layers - Review

• Cleaning up the Helicoptor using the poly count, merge, and Poly mesh cleanup tools, polygon face normals and mesh -> fill holes

Components of a Polygon model - faces, edges, and vertices

 planar vs. non-planar, non-manifold, lamina geometry

• Adding Custom shelf button: Ctrl + Shift + click the menu item

tearing off Menus for workflow, and display UI elements

Adding in an Image Plane

• Make Abzu Papercraft Robot

Custom Scripts folder location examples

Polyrandomizer Mel Script & Sourcing a Mel Script

supplemental links: interface, menus, status line, shelves, view panel tool bar, marking menus, polygon editing

Complete one third (vids 1+2) of the Jerry Can edge flow tutorial: Hand in your scene file in the next class. Be sure to give it a name that includes your name.

• Pick up the Jerry Can Tutorial from Dropbox here.

Watch Video on Edge Flow: Edge Loops

↓ Week 2 ↓

DATE
CLASS WORK
ASSIGNED
Aug 30

Work in class Set Project and continue work on Tutorial

1st avenue machine: Ted and Sixes last

The Third & The Seventh from Jorge Seva (aka Alex Roman)
- Compositing Breakdown
- Interviews with about his book, and about his video
- More Info: http://wiki-fx.net/pages/the-third-the-seventh/

• Homework Repository: Box.com

• Accessing Maya 2017 Help

Work on tutorial: Complete Jerry Can Tutorial video 3. Hand in your scene file in the next class. Be sure to give it a name that includes your name.

Sep 1

Center Pivots, Grouping + Parenting, Duplicating, splitting faces, beveling edges, paint selection

Interface: Using Hotbox

naming parameters

Camera Type + Set Up for rendering, bookmarked views

Render Preview Panel overview & Intro to IPR

Basic Hypershade
Working with the Hypershade Basic Material Types and their shading parameters

• quick Render with different materials

Introduction to Rendering Engines: Maya Software, Arnold, Mental Ray, Vertex

Introduction to 3 point lighting with shadows

• Light Linking

Work on tutorial: Complete Jerry Can Tutorial vid 4. Hand in your scene file in the next class. Be sure to give it a name that includes your name.

View Good Topology: Ref Link 1, Ref Link 2

↓ Week 3 ↓

DATE
CLASS WORK
ASSIGNED
Sep 6

• Work in class on Tutorial

• Review Deleting History + Freezing Transformations

• Moving & Centering Pivot

• Further on Camera Types and 'tumble around object' option

• Further on Rendering Engines: Vector Rendering

• 2D and 3D textures, bump maps, displacement maps, texture placement

• basic Booleans

Review: Using Hotbox, Light Linking, Naming Parameters

Complete tutorial: Jerry Can Tutorial vids 5+6. Hand in your scene file in the next class. YOU DO NOT NEED TO MODEL THE PIN FOR THE JERRYCAN LID. Be sure to give your final scene file a name that includes your name.

Sep 8

• Demo: Hand Modeling and Subsurface scatter texture

Begin: Description 1 (it is due one week from today)

Watch: all videos in Chapter 10 (Create Materials) Maya 2017 Essential Training with George Maestri - start here
Login to Lynda.com at: go.uic.edu/lynda

Finish hand model, bring it to next class

↓ Week 4 ↓

DATE
CLASS WORK
ASSIGNED
Sep 13

Walking City by Universal Everything
Creator's Project video for Universal Everything

Working with the Hypershade. 2D and 3D procedural textures. Nature of shading parameters. 2D and 3D textures, bump maps, displacement maps, texture placement

More on Rendering & creating materials with Arnold, including subsurface scatter

DMap and Raytraced Shadows

Begin Homework - Scene Illustrations / Sketches hand in the 3 drawings in digital format, the three renders, and the Scene files on Tues, next week)

• Choose a 3D artist to present to class. Email your preference by next class period. See assignment details on homework page.

Sep 15

• Project Descriptions are due in class

• Review 3 point lighting

• Review of lights in Arnold - see visual guide here

↓ Week 5 ↓

DATE
CLASS WORK
ASSIGNED
Sep 20

Scene Illustrations Due Today | Group Presentations on Projects

• Review Sculpt Geometry tools, Modeling Toolset, and Interface arrangement (including toolset tabs + menus)

• Review Mesh Light, and Arnold textures, including SubSurface Scattering and Skin, as well as Brushed Metal

• If Maya crashes: Where are temp files stored? Info here1, and here2

• Here's how: If you need to delete userPrefs.mel and windowPrefs.mel.

• Curve tools: Curves, Loft, Extrude, Revolve, Birail, Text, 'planar' surfaces, and Boolean

Nonlinear Deformers

Sep 22

DUE: Throwing down a Space

Student Presentation: Luis

Transfer Maps: Bump Maps vs Displacement Maps vs Specular and Normal Maps

• Teacher is sick :(
• You get a pass :)

↓ Week 6 ↓

DATE
CLASS WORK
ASSIGNED
Sep 27

Work in Class Time: Continue building out models for Final Projects

• using Substance Procedural Texture Examples and baking them to image textures

• Substance Procedural texture - demo links and download more substances

Demo: Photogrammetry with Agisoft, and 3D Printing - link to Photoscan Tutorial here

Download link: http://www.agisoft.com/downloads/installer/ - choose pro version

DUE NEXT CLASS: 3D STL model and image set and 3D model from photogrammetry demo

Sep 29

Agisoft Continued

Extruding along a curve path

• Basic lattice deformers, and Planar face creation

Review of Render settings, beveling, subdividing faces, focal length, depth of field

Review of rendering strategies: how to remove noise

Fun with Visor and Fluid Examples

Work in Class Time: Continue building out models for Final Projects

Student Presentation: Cheri

  • Artist links:
    Joey Camacho
    Biothing
    Michael Hansmeyer
    NodeBox 1 Gallery
    Albert Omoss
    An Instrument for the Sonification of Everyday Things
  • Thingiverse, Tom Burtonwood, Roxy Paine


  • Due: Still Life with Materials

    • SUBMIT your STL 3D model to Microsoft Model Repair
    • EMAIL: instructor with your model attached to email
    _ Instructions on Model Repair HERE _

    ↓ Week 7 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Oct 4

    CrazyBump

    Demo: using Brekel Hands Pro + Leap Motion for motion capture

    ↓ Week 8 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Oct 11

    Street Fighter Motion Sculptures

    Plot Curves script

    • Using Curves for motion: control curve, and motion path

    • Camera fly through via Motion Path

    motion path keys - and this link

    Review: Basic Camera panning and playblast

    • Basic Keying, keyframing

    File optimization

    DUE: Complete your 12 storyboard renders from Assignment 1; Composite the 12 frames in to (a) storyboard page(s), save this as a tif or a pdf (roughly 12" x 11" @ 180 dpi). You can make some frames larger or smaller to stress the length of that shot.

    Use one of these storyboard templates, and complete with comments describing the scene / shot contents.
    Storyboard language
    Basic Example
    Template 1
    Template 2
    Template 3
    Template 4
    Template 5

    Oct 13

    Student Presentation: Nikki

    Critique: Story Board Assignment I

    Using HDR image textures for lighting

    Check out: How to make your own HDR image

    Sky: Ramp shaders, making sky dome, physical sun and sky

    Research Assignments: Begin work in class

    Watch: Motion Path, KeyFraming, Graph Editor, and Hypergraph Editor

    Research Assignment: Present your finished work, findings, and how-to tips next class meeting

    Assignments:
    Water bottle/ Glass Shader - Nikki
    Rose Petal/ Translucent Material Shader - Nikki

    Double Sided Shader - Cheri
    Rendering an Ocean - Cheri

    Realistic Skin Shader - Luis
    Brushed Metal Shader - Luis

    Paint Effects Opacity - Amy
    Iridescent Bubble - Amy

    Facing Angle/ Rim Shader - Finn
    Underwater Scene with Fog - Finn

    ↓ Week 9 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Oct 18

    Using the Renderfarm - how to submit your work

    Batch Rendering and Render Settings

    Review: Keyframing and further on the Graph Editor

    Consult: this tutorial and this tutorial on working with keys in the graph editor

    • Facing Normals / Facing Ratio Texture

    Topologies (Excerpt) - Tiepolo

    Work on: Filling out + Texturing your environments

    Watch: Chapters 12 and 13 on Rendering and Render Camera Settings in Lynda.com

    Submit your project for the Renderfarm: Deadline HOW TO

    Oct 20

    Student Presentation: Amy + Nikki

    Research Presentations

    Review of Batch Rendering

    Review: Keyframing and further on the Graph Editor

    • Work in Class

    Render your first complete flythrough of your animation. Renders must be at least 300 frames in length.

    Review: Learning Scene Examples, Arnold

    ↓ Week 10 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Oct 25

    • Continuation of Research Presentations

    Other Environment Shaders - Physical sun + sky, Image-Based Lighting, Portal light

    • Work in Class time

    Assignment 2: Render: Your key framed camera fly through on the renderfarm!
    Hand in:
    all the frames of the animation render.


    Oct 27

    Hand in Assignment 2

    Renderfarm Continued: Submit your project again during class

    • Demo: Layered Texture

    Introduction to UV Mapping - Linking

    • Good UV texturing resource link

    Begin Work on: Assignment 3

    ↓ Week 11 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Nov 3

    Basic Depth of Field

    Applying transparencies/ alphas with Arnold

    Work on: Assignment 3: UV Mapping

    Continue Work on: Assignment 3

    CRUNCH TIME!! Keep working on your modeling, lighting, and texturing

    Watch Chapter 7: Applying Textures (includes 3 videos) on lynda.com

    Resubmit your work to the Renderfarm, with corrections to Camera fly through keying

    Nov 5

    Work on: Assignment 3

    Student Presentation: Finn

    Ambient Occlusion Pass

    Finish: Assignment 3

    ↓ Week 12 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Nov 8

    • Rebuilding Mesh, UV projections, and painting in textures

    Demo: Camera Focus Rig

    Depth of Field with Luminance Pass

    Assignment 3 due: UV mapping + render

    Nov 10

     Due: Assignment 3

    • Retopologizing

    Intro to the Paint Effects tool for creating complex surfaces

    Some Free Paint FX brushes

     

    ↓ Week 13 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Nov 17

    Group Critique on Assignment 4
    Review expectations of Homework 5

    • Finish with compositing

    Links: Luminance Render Layer and After Effects
    A cool Luminance shader

    depth pass

    How to create UV's in Mudbox + UV Master

    Mudbox: Generating Normal and Displacement Maps
    • Exporting your models back to Maya

    Intro to Render Layers and Compositing

    Rendering in Passes and Pass Contribution Maps

    work on final

    Homework 5: submit your entire project to the renderfarm. Render must be complete (not just submitted) by the start of the next class. Be sure to submit final porjects at least 24 hours in advance!

    ↓ Week 14 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Nov 22

    Due: Homework 5: first render must be complete, not just submitted.

    • work in class

    Review Camera Shake Links: Scripting

    • CamShaker

    • Edit + Render your fly through

    Nov 24

    THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO CLASS

    work on final-

    EAT RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF FOOD

    TAKE MANY NAPS

    ↓ Week 15 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Nov 29

    - Render + Edit

    Dec 1
    Final Project critiques

    - re-Render your fly through

    ↓ Week 16 ↓

    DATE
    CLASS WORK
    ASSIGNED
    Dec 10

    spill over day?