In this course, students learn an art-centric approach to character design. This means that while 3D characters should be constructed so that they can be animated, designs are also required to constitute art objects in their own right. Thus, the final format in which a character will be shown counts as an integral part of a project.

For the development of their designs, students are expected to conduct a significant amount of research and to share their findings with their peers in presentations. Each proposed design will be reviewed by the class as a whole and requires approval from the instructor. Students should note that only original designs will be approved; robots, monsters and the type of characters all too well familiar from feature film productions of major animation houses are not acceptable. In other words, students should not simply create the types of characters they promoted in the mainstream media. In this course, creative thinking and the ability to develop a unique aesthetic count as much a technical competence.

Students are expected to visit museums, libraries, or other sites for inspiration when developing their designs. The quality of research is invariably reflected in a projects' substance and quality; relying on Google for research will not suffice. Students are also encouraged to think creatively about animation and the role motion plays in time-based media.

Final projects may be displayed in a variety of formats including prints, as projections, or 3D prints. Students are also encouraged to explore interdisciplinary approaches.

Students will complete three projects in this course:

A cartoonish bi-ped; this project includes a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of art. This character may consist of 2D or 3D shapes and involve simple UV/texture mapping.

A 3D self-portrait (bust) based on photographic reference imagesstudents will take themselves. Students will create a wire frame render and a textured version of this model.

A bi-ped of advanced complexity (i.e., can include clothing or muscles structures). Students create a plasticine model of their design.

Review & critique of ideas

Modeling a simple bi-ped character

Review of finalized bi-ped character models... all modeling should be done.

FYI, here's a UV mapping tool from Headus

For next week, finalize bi-ped characters, including texturing and rendering:

Render your character and consider the composition within the frame and background color. You may render multiple views and create a composite image. Think about the format and size of the image (poster?). The idea is to show off your model as well as your design skills. Be creative.

Hand in one final image, 300 dpi or higher. Use ."tif" format. Do not include an alpha channel.

Further hand in:

Your project folder, containing only your "scene" and "sourceimages" folders.

The scene folder should only contain your final scene file.

The sourceimages folder should only contain your final UV map/textures your file references.

The project folder and all files should follow this naming convention:

Firstname_Lastname.ext

Please note that finalizing your character and rendering will take time; make sure to allow enough time for experimentation... Work handed in late drops a letter grade.

Final bi-peds are due at the beginning of class

Begin project # 2: Using their reference images, students will begin to model their own head -- we will begin with the eyes, nose and mouth...

DDA515 spring 2010

Portraiture, cont.: Filling in the face, skull and neck

Contour rendering the head using Mental Ray

Finalize & render head model

Free Facial Animation Tool

Midterm: Students will be advised of their grades in writing

Using Maya's Turntable function

Modeling a simple ear

Techniques for hair: geometry, transparencies and Paint Effects

Review of wireframe renders of "Self-Portrait" projects: critique

Finalize self-portrait renders...

Modeling clothes...

Some anatomy references: Sternocleidomastoid muscle, Pectoralis major, Deltoid

More muscles (looking at the back): Trapezius, Latissimus Dorsi

Review of progress

Using the Animated Sweep tool for modeling...

Modeling a four legged creature

Students continue their self-directed projects

Review of progress

Borrowing UVs from NURBS models...


A couple of summaries in preparation for Mudbox
Bump Mapping
Displacement Mapping
Normal Mapping


Students continue their self-directed projects

Review of progress

Intro to Mudbox... using sculpt tools and sculpt layers

Review of progress

Mudbox: using Paint Layers

Review of progress on self-directed projects

Mudbox: Extracting files, creating facial expressions, sending files/Blendshapes to Maya
(extracting displacement maps)

What's due at the beginning of class next week (work handed in late drops one letter grade...)

Finals: all materials are due... Students Present & Critique

Recommended Reading:

Digital Character Development: Theory and Practice, by Rob O'Neill, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2008.

Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right, by Jason Osipa, Sybex, 2007.


"The Naked Face," by Malcom Gladwell (this article appeared in the New Yorker, August 5th, 2002, pg. 38).


Also, check out http://www.posemaniacs.com/

Attendance is mandatory: three classes missed will result in a failure; two latenesses of 15 minutes or more are equal to one absence. Evaluation is based on quality of work, positive contribution to discussion and critique, and effort.

The quality of a project is based on its originality, creativity and technical competence. Projects are not required to be technically complex in order to be considered successful. Rather, the criteria are, is a project based on an interesting concept and is this concept realized in a way that is visually appealing?

The quality of drawings and presentation materials also factor into the final grade.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Pratt Institute considers Academic Integrity highly important. Instances of cheating, plagiarism, and wrongful use of intellectual property will not be tolerated.

• Faculty members will report each incident to the registrar for inclusion in studentsí files.
• More than one report to the registrar during a studentís program of study at Pratt will result in a hearing before the Academic Integrity Board, at which time appropriate sanctions will be decided. These may include dismissal from the Institute.
• The nature and severity of the infraction will be determined by faculty members who can: ask students to repeat an assignment, fail students on the assignment, fail students in the course and/or refer the incident to the Academic Integrity Board.

For more details about these procedures please see the Pratt Student Handbook, the Pratt Bulletins, and the pamphlet entitled Judicial Procedures at Pratt.

CHEATING

If students use dishonest methods to fulfill course requirements, they are cheating. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:

• Obtaining or offering copies of exams or information about the content of exams in advance.
• Bringing notes in any form to a closed book exam.
• Looking at another studentís paper during an exam.
• Receiving or communicating any information from or to another student during an exam.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is a bit more complicated, but the rules of documentation and citation are very specific and are tailored to different academic disciplines. Types of plagiarism include:

• Including any material from any source other than you in a paper or project without proper attribution. This includes material from the Internet, books, papers, or projects by other students, and from any other source.
• Using your own work to fulfill requirements for more than one course
• The extensive use of the ideas of others in your work without proper attribution.
• Turning in work done by another person or a fellow student as oneís own.

Please remember that all work must be the studentís own. If it is not, the source should be cited and documented appropriately.

If there are aspects of this statement that are not understood, ask faculty members for help.