3D Modeling and Animation Class
Walden School of Liberal Arts
Fall, 2011
3D Modeling and Animation Class Overview:
The purpose of this class is for you to learn 3D modeling and animation skills, including how to work
in virtual 3D space, create and modify primitive objects, create textures and backgrounds, set lighting
and atmospheric controls, construct custom objects and characters, animate objects and scenes, and
use bones and morph targets to rig characters for complex animation.
Learning these skills takes time and practice, but it’s also a lot of fun. You will need patience, because
creating complex models is a slow process, but by the end of the class you will have developed skills
that can help you earn money and find jobs. How much you learn depends on your being in class
every day and your commitment to practice and improve. I will demonstrate each new technique as
we go, so you will need to pay attention and listen carefully.
Grading:
Your grade will be based on 10 points per day. If a project takes one day to complete, it is worth 10
points. Your grade will depend on completing all of the components of a project correctly and on the
artistic composition of the scene, including textures and lighting. You will also have one group project
that will be completed at the end of the semester.
Moon Origin Animation Project:
We have been selected by the Center for Lunar Origin and Evolution (CLOE) out of Boulder, CO to
create scientifically accurate animations of how the moon formed and evolved. These animations will
be shown on their website. They are a part of NASA’s Lunar Science Institute, and we will work with
the astrobiology class to develop storyboards and to construct and animate the scenes. This is a rare
opportunity to work directly with scientists to build a professional quality product. To get a good
grade on this project, you will have to work well with your group and get the tasks assigned to you
(such as modeling, texturing, scene composition, environmental effects, etc.) done on time to high
standards of quality.
Schedule for the class:
1.) Tues., Aug. 30: Introduction to 3D Modeling
Using Cartesian coordinates and the Bryce interface. Primitive objects, textures, and scene
composition.
Project 1: Snowman
2.) Thur., Sept. 1: Boolean Commands, Material Lab, and Replication
Building a grouped object using Boolean operations. Modifying preset textures. Duplicating
objects. Replicating around a common center.
Project 2: Medieval Weapons
3.) Tues., Sept. 6: Hierarchical Objects and Metaballs
Parent-child linking, using metaballs, more Boolean commands.
Project 3: The Robot
4.) Thur., Sept. 8: Terrain Modeling and Plants
Creating custom landscapes in Photoshop, importing images as terrains, editing terrains,
creating and modifying trees, close and distant landscaping.
Project 4: Alien Planet
5.) Tues., Sept. 13: Atmospheric Effects and Options
Cloud objects and materials, volumetric textures, sun and lighting controls, additive moons,
rainbows, etc.
Project 4: Alien Planet, continued
6.) Thur., Sept. 15: Symmetrical Lattices and Complex Groups
Creating objects using Photoshop and symmetrical lattices, building complex hierarchical
groups, making realistic stone textures. Text in Bryce.
Project 5: The Ionic Column
7.) Tues., Sept. 20: Decorative Objects, Importing Objects, and Billboard Objects
Creating custom objects for decorations, finding and importing free 3D resources, using 2D
images with alpha channels as billboard objects.
Project 5, cont.: The Temple with Statue
8.) Tues., Sept. 27: Merging Scenes and Lighting Effects
Merging the temple, landscape, and robot scenes together. Adding extra lights. Rules of
composition.
Project 5, complete: The temple scene with landscaping
9.) Thur., Sept. 29: Using DazStudio
Basics of DazStudio 4. Assembling and posing a figure. Morphing the shape. Importing into
Bryce.
Project 6: Medieval Warrior, Magician, or Alchemist
10.) Tues., Oct. 4: Using 3D in Science and Business Applications
Converting numbers into images and images into terrains. Setting up axes and titles.
Choosing textures.
Project 7: 3D Chart
Bryce Test 1
11.) Thur., Oct. 6: Multi-replication, Randomization, and Key Frame Animation
Creating master objects and multi-replication. Using randomization to explode the group.
Setting start and end frames. Rendering the animation.
Project 8: Metaball Explosion
12.) Tues., Oct. 11: Animation Basics
Camera animation, rotation, translation, shape morphing, texture animation, moving
Booleans, sky animation, rendering.
Project 9: Obstacle Course
13.) Tues., Oct. 18: Animation Basics, cont.
Project 9, cont.
14.) Thur., Oct. 20: Terrain Animation
Changing terrain shapes over time – erosion, landform changes, texture changes.
Project 10: Changing Terrains
First Term Ends
15.) Tues., Oct. 25: Animation Paths
Key frame timing, scalloped paths, acceleration and deceleration
Project 11: The Bouncing Ball
16.) Thur., Oct. 27: Figure Animation Principles
Squash and stretch, anticipation, follow-through, center of gravity, kinematics, walk
sequences.
Project 12: Robot Animation
17.) Tues., Nov. 1: Quicktime VR and Space Scenes
Creating the planets. Bump heights and atmospheres. Planetary rings. Space backgrounds
and nebulas. Lighting. Rendering QTVR. Setting up standard animations.
Project 13: The Solar System A and B
Bryce Test 2
18.) Thur., Nov. 3: Introduction to Carrara
Carrara studio work area. Primitive objects. Spline objects – extrusion, envelope, symmetry,
and pen tool.
Project 14: Kitchen shapes - the bat, plate, goblet, and liquid.
19.) Tues., Nov. 8: Extrusion Objects
Changing extrusion shapes, multiple cross sections, modifying envelope, deforming objects.
Setting up in Bryce. Volumetric lighting effect.
Project 14: Kitchen shapes – vase, knife, table, fork, flower.
20.) Thur., Nov. 10: Polygonal Objects
Working in polygon editor. Subdivision. Extruding polygons. Smoothing and fixing faces.
Project 15: The Hand
21.) Tues., Nov. 15: Metaballs, Text, and Other Carrara Objects
Carrara metaballs. Positive and negative metaball shapes. Text objects with bevels. Other
modelers – terrain, plant, fur, etc. Shaders and the shader editor. Lighting.
Project 16: Sculpture Garden
22.) Thur., Nov. 17: Animation in Carrara: Bones
Creating skeleton in Carrara. Skinning the bones. Creating tolerances. Fixing problems.
Setting up animations and keyframes. Rendering animation.
Project 17: Hand Animation and Poses
23.) Tues., Nov. 29: Animation in Carrara: Morph Targets
Making a head object through subdividing a simple sphere. Using quadrangles. Adding
mouth parts and eyes. Selecting morph areas. Setting morph targets. Animating keyframes
for expressions and phonemes. Importing speech. Lip synching.
Project 18: Setting up the Talking Head
24.) Thur., Dec. 1: Morph Targets, cont.
Project 18, cont.: Creating the Talking Head keyframes
25.) Tues., Dec. 6: Exporting to Other Packages
Getting the head into DazStudio and into Bryce. Posing the head and exporting poses.
Project 18: Final Talking Head
Project 16, final: Sculpture Garden
Carrara Test
26.) Thur., Dec. 8: Complex Animations
Planning the Moon Origin and Evolution project. Creating objects. Setting up the Earth –
outer sphere, mantle, core, splash, chunks, impactor, atmosphere, blasted Earth, final Moon.
Textures and timing. Titles.
Final Project: Moon Origin Animation
27.) Tues., Dec. 13: Setting Up Animations
Animating the pieces in slow motion: Collision, deformation, splashing the chunks, changing
textures and fading with transparency, forming debris ring. Animated titles. Chunks
combining to form Moon, with impacting craters and molten magma ocean. Animated masks.
Final Project, cont.: Moon Origin Animation
28.) Thur., Dec. 15: Putting it All Together
Rendering the animations. Layering it all into Final Cut Pro. Using animation masks for luma
keys. Adding titles. Adding narration. Exporting to Quicktime. Compression for Web.
Final Project: Moon Origin Animation, completed