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CGS 3034 Projects


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04.30.2006

Final Project: Final Deliverable
Due: Monday, May 1st

Your final is due on the 1st, IN CLASS. The final class will be held in E220, on the 1st of May, from 3-5pm. Yes you all need to come, you will be reviewing each other's work (unless discussed in advance).

The file format of your final turnin is not restricted, but if you have the capability, turn it in on both DVD (playable by a regular DVD player) and on CD in any codec. There is no guarantee that the computer we have to play the videos on will run your codec, but there is a DVD player in that room, so if you can, make both. (the CD is required!)

Each partner must separately write down everything you did, do not show it to your partner, it is a blind turn-in, so be honest. Deliver by email on the 1st.

Deliverables: CD (and DVD), the emailed list of what you did vs. what your partner did, and your review of each of the projects.

Include both your names and the name of your project in the filename, labeled on the CD, and anywhere else you think it might be useful.

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04.08.2006
Final Project: Animatic Deliverable

Due: Monday, April 17th

Create an animatic. To complete your animatic, you will need 95% of your modeling and texturing done. The animatic will consist of a rendering of your characters in each of the positions they will need to achieve, think of it as very high level keyframing. From this animatic I should get a sense of your camera movements, models, textures, and overall story.

The animatic does not need sound. Nevertheless, your whole story should be present so the audience gets a sense of it.

What you do in your animatic does not lock you into anything, it's not a contract that your story, models, textures, or camera work will be the same in the final work, it's a previsualization.

You must have your animatic available during class on the due date, we will be watching them.

Your deliverable is either a full render of your animatic (or a full playblast and a render of each important moment) as well as a description of what's left to be done.

Project Grading:
Models: 0-3
Textures: 0-2
Camera and Model Positioning: 0-10
Total Points: 0-15 (15 Possible)

The animatic deliverable is due IN CLASS Monday, there will be NO LATE SUBMISSIONS. If it is not turned in on Monday, you have lost those 15 points of your final project. The final project will total 100 points.

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04.05.2006

Final Project: Storyboard Deliverable

Due: Monday, April 10th

Create a set of storyboards, these storyboards must provide a complete picture of what you aim to convey through your story, and how you plan to achieve that. They must include who will be responsible for each aspect of the project: how will you be dividing up the work?

The drawings can be stick figure, there are no artistic expectations, but they MUST BE CLEAR. Answer all the questions from Lecture 24. Use indicators, as mentioned in class on lecture 24, use F1 to indicate focus point 1, F2, and so on.

You must have a minimum of 9 boards. I expect it will take more than that.

Either partner needs to be able to describe the story, and what's happening in each shot. You may be asked to do this in front of the class. Make copies, I won't be returning the material you give me.

Project Grading:
Story: 0-5
Storyboards: 0-8
Division of responsibilites: 0-2
Total Points: 0-15 (15 Possible)

The storyboard deliverable is due IN CLASS Monday, there will be NO LATE SUBMISSIONS. If it is not turned in on Monday, you have lost those 15 points of your final project. The final project will total 100 points.

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03.02.2006

Project 5: Facial Animation

Due: Monday, April 3rd

 1) Create the blend shape target shapes for phonemes, faces, and eyebrows and anything else necessary
2) Animate your face telling a joke or other short sound clip
3) Turn in a playblast that shows all of your blend shape targets and animated face AND turn in a render of the facial animation to sound

Like the last project, your character does not need to be within a scene, but setting the scene can be helpful. Your character does not need to have a body or skeletal animation, but again, it can be helpful for communication. I leave those choices up to you.

For Sound, use Audacity, an open source sound editor from Sourceforge.net. Export to a wav file and import as shown in during lecture.

There is no set time length requirement, but you will lose significant points if the project seems as though you rushed to reduce render time.

Create your own blend shapes! Don't use a character that came with blend shapes, that would be cheating.

Be sure to notice and change accordingly if you are exporting from virtual dub (or quicktime) at 24fps or 30fps, your timing will change if you rendered at 24fps and compressed at 30fps. Video > Frame Rate in Virtual Dub.

Project Grading:
Blend Shape Targets: 0-5
Animation: 0-10
Sound: 0-3
Playblast: 0-2
Tutorial: 0-5
Total Points: 0-20 (25 Possible)

Email Subject: First Last Project 5 Project 5 Name
Filename Convention: first_last_project_5.avi or first_last_project_5.mov
first_last_project_5_playblast.avi
You are welcome to use whatever compression you have available, quicktime, divx, etc.

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03.02.2006

Project 4: Character Rigging and Animation

Due: Monday, March 20th

1) Rig a character
2) Make it do something: run, climb, acrobatics, dance, ninja moves, etc. (not walk)
3) Turn in a playblast and a render

Your character need not be in a scene, it can be on a black background. What's most important is the rig and the character animation itself. I would like there to be a floor in the scene, possibly a pedestal that the character performs on. If your character is climbing a ladder, there should be a ladder.

You are welcome to do any amount more than this you want, your grade will be based on your rig and the movement of the character(s).

Find a reference material and make your character look like someone. If possible, send this reference material with your project. Such as a link to a google video or other video site.

Go for detail in a cyclical movement. I want to see that you spent the time to make a character do something correctly and hopefully with a bit of personality. Your animation can be anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes. Whatever you do, do it right.

Please create your own rig! Use unique NURBS curves that make sense to you. Don't use a character that came with a rig, that would be cheating.

Facial animation is not a part of this project! That's the next project.

Be sure to notice and change accordingly if you are exporting from virtual dub (or quicktime) at 24fps or 30fps, your timing will change if you rendered at 24fps and compressed at 30fps.

Project Grading:
Rigging: 0-8
Animation: 0-12
Tutorial: 0-5
Total Points: 0-20 (25 Possible)

Email Subject: First Last Project 4 Project 4 Name
Filename Convention: first_last_project_4.avi or first_last_project_4.mov
You are welcome to use whatever compression you have available, quicktime, divx, etc.


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01.26.2006

Project 3: Depth of Field Camera, Motion Paths, Driven Keys, Non-Linear Animation

Due: Friday, February 10th

Create an animation that makes use of Camera Animation, Depth of Field, and Motion Paths. Non-linear Animation techniques should be used at your discretion. They make life a lot easier!

Your project should have some semblance of a storyline, realistic environment, and dramatic content. Humorous content preferred.

Light the scene as you see fit; use Depth Map shadows at least, ray trace shadows optional.

Render the animation and compress it using Cinepak codec in VirtualDub.

Be sure to describe your thematic intentions in your submission description.

Photo realism is not required. Spend more time developing your idea and working on the animation. Simplistic characters can help the storytelling process.

For the depth of field, what I'm looking for is that you use a dramatic depth to change the viewers focus from either the scenery to the central character or from one character to another. That is the only way to get all 3 points for depth of field.

There is also a 15 Second Minimum for this project!!! Also, give your project a name, in case it gets put in the gallery.

** Project Example Video **

Project Grading:
Models: 0–1
Materials: 0-1
Animation (Motion Path and Depth of Field are Required): 0-5
Camera Animation: 0-3
Depth of Field: 0-3
Lighting: 0-2
Rendering: 0-2
Cohesiveness and Detail (Not Abstractions): 0–3
Tutorial: 0-5
Total Points: 0-20 (25 Possible)

Email Subject: First Last Project 3 Project 3 Name
Please mention if you made use of Non-linear Animation Techniques including Driven Keys
Filename Convention: first_last_project_3.avi

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01.15.2006

Project 2: Animation Hierarchy and Camera Animation

Due: Friday, January 27th

Create an animation that uses translation (keyframing), rotation in at least 2 dimensions (animation hierarchy), and is tracked by the camera. Depth of field recommended and lens flares acceptable.

The modeling requirement is that it is obvious what the models are. Try to give them some level of setting, as in, "on a desk" or "in a room". Make use of polygon smooth as necessary. All objects should have at least a basic material with altered settings (color at least).

Light the scene as you see fit; use Depth Map shadows. Spotlights have similar controls to Camera and Aim, experiment with them if it is appropriate to your scene.

Render the animation and compress it using Cinepak codec in VirtualDub.

Project Grading:
Keyframe Animation: 0-5
Animation Hierarchy: 0-3
Camera Animation: 0-3
Depth of Field: 0-3 extra
Modeling (Polygon Smooth): 0-3
Basic Materials: 0-2
Lighting and Shadows: 0-2
Rendering (640x480 resolution, Minimum Intermediate Quality): 0-2
Total Points: 0-20 (23 possible)

Filename Convention: first_last_project_2.avi

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01.09.2006
Project 1: Roll and Bounce Animation

Due: Friday, January 20th

Create something and animate it down a ramp or hill. This can be as simple as a ball rolling down a ramp and bouncing onto the floor or something that uses the same techniques. Use Control Vertex deformations as shown in class on Wednesday January 11th as appropriate.

Be as creative as you like. As long as you use the techniques presented in class you can also use anything else that keeps the project interesting for you.

Don't do the project for someone else, but feel free to help each other! As long as no two projects look the exactly same, I have no problem with you assisting your fellow student. Often times the best way to imprint how to do something on your own memory is to help someone else.

Project Grading:
Modeling with Primitives: 0-3
Basic Materials: 0-2
Keyframe Animation: 0-8
CV (Control Vertex) Transformation: 0-2
3 Point Lighting: 0-3
Rendering (640x480 resolution, Minimum Intermediate Quality): 0-2
Total Points: 0-20
Render to .bmp and use Virtual Dub to compress your final render to AVI
http://www.virtualdub.org/

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Submission Guidelines

Projects to be Submitted by Email to brossen@cise.ufl.edu (feel free to request a delivery and read receipt)

Filename Convention: firstName_lastName_project_#.avi

Email Subject: First Last Project # Your Project Name (nothing else should be in the subject line)

Email Body:

There should be three sections in the body of your email.

  • Section 1) Your name and UF ID

  • Section 2) Specify for each of the requirements how your project fulfills that requirement.

      Example (more details are better):

      Modeling with Primitives: The ball is a NURBS sphere, the ramp is a rotated and scaled cube, and the floor is a polygonal plane.

      Basic Materials: the ball has the glass material provided on yahoogroups, the ramp uses a basic lambert with a yellow color, and the floor uses a blinn material with a reflection map.

      Keyframe Animation: The ball was translated in X, Y, and Z and rotated in Z

      CV (Control Vertex) Transformation: The ball squishes against the wall and the floor.

      3 Point Lighting: There is a key, rim, and fill light.

      Rendering: Project rendered in 640x480 using Maya Software renderer in Production Quality preset and compressed with VirtualDub. Both motion blur and raytracing are on.

  • Section 3) Briefly cite any materials or models you didn't make yourself and where you got them.

    You are encouraged to use models or materials from websites, book CDs, or anywhere else; just specify the source in any clear way. However, if you use something and don't cite the source, it will be considered plagiarism.


File Submission options:

    Option A: Using Virtual Dub with Cinepak compression should make your file under 5MB. If so, you can send the .avi as an attachment.

    Option B: If your file is over 5mb, please either post it on a public site and send the URL in the body of the email or send an email specifying the media on which you will bring the .avi to class (such as CD or USB Flash Drive). If you use a CD, be sure to close out the session so it is readable by any machine.

Important: If you do not receive a confirmation email by midnight of the day after the due date, your project has not been received. All projects are due by midnight of the due date (if submitting by email, otherwise it is due in class).

 

© Brent Rossen • 2012, All rights are reserved