VIZA 617 - Character Animation

Fall 1997

TR 11:10-2:00pm, Architecture C 414, 4 credits Last Update - 9/17/97

Instructor: Frederic I. Parke

Visualization Lab, phone: 5-3465, email: parke@viz.tamu.edu

Office hours: MW 1-2pm; TR 3-4pm

TA: Kim Ross

Visualization Lab, phone: 5-6716, email: kimross@viz.tamu.edu

Office hours: TBA

Course Description

Development of three dimensional computer generated character animation emphasizing storytelling, story development, character design, the animation production process, production efficiencies, and progressive refinement as well as modeling, animation techniques, lighting and color design, sound synchronization, expressive characters, and speech animation. May be taken two times for credit.

Introduction

This course assumes a good basic understanding of computer animation production and film making. Students will develop an animation project which will make use of the basic principles of character animation. Final animations are expected to be short but of very high quality. The animation is completed only when it is on video tape accompanied by a sound track and titles. Students who wish to work on a two semester portfolio animation are expected to have completed approximately one-half of the production process by the end of the first semester.

The course will be conducted with a high degree of student participation. Class meetings will nominally be for three hours twice per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:10 to 2:00. These meetings will be devoted to lectures on selected animation topics, guest lectures, group discussions, group review of work in progress, and for viewing and analysis of selected films and animations.

Prerequisite

VIZA 613 and approval of the instructor.

Course Schedule

Week -- Topic

Introduction/Overview
Story Development and Synopsis
Pre-Production Planning and Character Design
Storyboard and Animatic
Soundtrack Development
Story Reel
Modeling
Modeling
Animation
Animation
Lighting/Color/Texture
Rendering
Rendering
Final Editing

Lecture Topics

Course Overview
Story Development and Synopsis
Pre-Production Planning, Budgets, Schedules
Storyboards and Animatics
Soundtrack Development and Story Reel
Concept of Progressive Refinement
Production Efficiencies
Modeling and Animation Interaction
Modeling and Rendering Interaction
Animation and Rendering Interaction
Effective Use of Compositing
Expressive Character Animation
Speech Animation
Performance Based Animation
Color Theory
Animation Lighting and Color Design
The Future of Animation
Guest Lecturers from Animation Studios

Grading

Grading will consider quality and timely progress on the animation project and overall class participation.

Animation Project: 80%
Class Participation: 20%

Animation project grading will be largely based on the production process used and quality of the final animation produced. The overall class participation grade will be the instructor's qualitative judgement of the student's participation, and will include such factors as attendance and informed participation in discussion.

Reference Reading Material

The following books and journals are recommended readings and resource materials.

White, Tony. The Animator's Workbook, Watson Guptill, 1986.
Laybourne, Kit. The Animation Book, Crown Publishers, 1979.
Culhane, Shamus. Animation From Script to Screen, St. Martin's Prress, 1990.
Thomas, Bob. Disney's Art of Animation, Hyperion, 1991.
Culhane, John. Disney's Aladdin, The Making of an Animated Film, Hyperion, 1992.
Lasseter, John, Daly, Steve. Toy Story, The Art and Making of the Animated Film, Hyperion, 1995.
Thomas, Frank, Johnston, Ollie. Disney Animation the Illusion of Life, Abbeville Press, 1981.
Armer, Alan. Directing Television and Film, Wadsworth, 1990.
Parke, Frederic I. and K. Waters Computer Facial Animation, A. K. Peters, 1996.
ACM SIGGRAPH Conference Proceedings
ACM Computer Graphics
IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications
Journal of Visualization and Computer Animation

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Office of Support Services for Students with Disabilities in Room 126 of the Student Services Building. The phone number is 845-1637.