Hotel Transylvania, Sony Picture Imageworks
General Information
Time: Section A - Monday/Wednesday from 3:00-4:20 pm, Section B - Tuesday/Thursday from 12:00-1:20 pm
Location: CFA PC Cluster 317
Course Number: 60333
Term: Fall 2016
Prerequisite: Prior computer animation course or permission from instructor
Instructor
Spencer Diaz
[email protected]
Office hours: TBA
Class Policies
Attendance: Thee or more unexcused absences result in the drop of a letter grade. Please notify the instructor of an absence. Students are responsible for the information missed during the class.
Participation: It is important for everyone to participate during class discussions and ask questions whenever needed. Participation is part of the overall grading, and students are expected to focus on the topic at hand.
Assignments: Each week will feature a short assignment that leads into a finished character rig. We will rig two characters in the course - one simple one with easy skinning and then a more complex one that requires more skinning. Assignments are to encourage you to stay on task with what we cover each week and become familiar with the topics covered in class. You are required to notify the instructor of any late or unexcused assignments. Otherwise it will impact your final grade.
*Assignments should be turned in on the class box site by Sunday night for Section A and Monday night for Section B
Rigging Projects
1) Character 1: Fully rigged - Skinned, Reverse foot, FK/IK arm Switch
2) Character 2: Fully rigged - Skinned, Reverse foot, IK Spline Spine, FK/IK Arms, Space Switching, Face Features, advanced features for extra credit
Grading:
Weekly Assignments (13 assignments) - 20% (4 points each)
Character 1 - 30% (100 points)
Character 2 - 50% (100 points)
0=not turned in, 1=incomplete or not working, 2=requires improvements, 3=great but needs slight adjustments, 4=awesome, everything works
Explanation - Since each assignment builds up to a finished character rig, grading emphasis is placed on the completed characters since they are the end product. Students can put as much time into making improvements and/or additions to the rigs after an assignment is turned in. Character 2 is considered the "final project" and will have the most grading criteria due to the deformation, rigging systems, and facial features it requires. That being said, if students work hard each week to keep up with with the assignments, less work will be required in the end to complete the fully rigged characters.
Schedule *Changes may occur
Week 1 - Aug 29 to Sept 2
Class 1: Rigging overview, Rig demonstrations
Class 2: Maya windows, joint orientation and development
Practice: Download a rig and familiarize yourself with all the capabilities. Create a series of joints with proper orientation
Week 2 - Sept 5 to Sept 9
*No class on Monday, Sept 5 for Labor Day
Class 3: Character 1 skeleton creation
Class 4: Controls overview, FK and IK, Constraints
Assignment 1: Create a complete skeleton for your character. For practice, create separate FK/IK controls
Week 3 - Sept 12 to Sept 16
Class 5: Rigging the leg - IK setup and reverse foot creation
Class 6: Rigging the leg - Reverse foot connections and Knee pole vector
Assignment 2: Rig both of your character's legs as we did in class with a Reverse foot system
Week 4 - Sept 19 to Sept 23
Class 7: Spine and arms - FK and IK setups for arms, FK for spine (more advanced spine to be discussed later)
Class 8: FK/IK Switch Creation
Assignment 3: Rig the arms and spine of your character. You should set up an FK/IK switch system for the arms
Week 5 - Sept 26 to Sept 30
Class 9: Rigging the arm twist, FK Fingers
Class 10: FK neck, organization and global scale
Assignment 4: Finish off your first character rig
Week 6 - Oct 3 to Oct 7
Class 11: Character 2 skeleton creation
Class 12: Skinning Overview - Settings, Classic linear vs. Dual Quaternion, painting weights, hammer weights
Assignment 5: Start on the skinning for your character
Week 7 - Oct 10 to Oct 14
Class 13: Skinning continued - Finishing off the deformation, Move skinned joint tool, Delta Mush
Class 14: Corrective blendshapes overview
Assignment 6: Finish skinning your character, set up any corrective shapes
Week 8 - Oct 17 to Oct 21
Class 15: Rigging the legs - Getting started on the legs, Reverse foot with zero joint orientation values
Class 16: Finishing the legs - Reverse foot connections, Pole Vector knee system
Assignment 7: Finish off rigging your character's legs
Week 9 - Oct 24 to Oct 28
Class 17: Rigging the spine - IK spline setup, advanced twist
Class 18: Character settings control - scale, geo display, smooth level
Assignment 8: Rig your character's spine, consider adding the character settings control
Week 10 - Oct 31 to Nov 4
Class 19: Rigging the arms - FK/IK system with switch
Class 20: Rigging the arm and leg twist, finishing the FK/IK switch
Assignment 9: Rig your character's fk/ik arms, and set up the twist joints
Week 11 - Nov 7 to Nov 11
Class 21: Rigging the fingers - setting up set driven key poses
Class 22: Clean up the rig, add any additional features
Assignment 10: Finish rigging your second character, making any adjustments and additional features
Week 12 - Nov 14 to Nov 18
Class 23: Rigging the jaw - skinning and corrective shape
Class 24: Eye gaze, any additional facial features
Assignment 11: Build the rig for your character's facial joints
Week 13 - Nov 21 to Nov 23
Class 25: Facial control system overview - GUI vs. On face, different rig examples
**No second class for Thanksgiving and no assignment for this week
Week 14 - Nov 28 to Dec 2
Class 25: FACS and facial blendshapes
Class 26: Facial blendshapes continued - building controls, connecting the shapes, mirroring techniques
Assignment 12: Create your character's facial blendshapes, connect them to your control
Week 15 - Dec 5 to Dec 9
*Last week of class
Class 27: Work day or advanced topic of interest (ribbons, stretchy joints, on face controls, bend limit foot, etc)
Class 28: Work day or advanced topic of interest (ribbons, stretchy joints, on face controls, bend limit foot, etc)
Final Assignment: Complete your facial rig and make any adjustments to your character
Time: Section A - Monday/Wednesday from 3:00-4:20 pm, Section B - Tuesday/Thursday from 12:00-1:20 pm
Location: CFA PC Cluster 317
Course Number: 60333
Term: Fall 2016
Prerequisite: Prior computer animation course or permission from instructor
Instructor
Spencer Diaz
[email protected]
Office hours: TBA
Class Policies
Attendance: Thee or more unexcused absences result in the drop of a letter grade. Please notify the instructor of an absence. Students are responsible for the information missed during the class.
Participation: It is important for everyone to participate during class discussions and ask questions whenever needed. Participation is part of the overall grading, and students are expected to focus on the topic at hand.
Assignments: Each week will feature a short assignment that leads into a finished character rig. We will rig two characters in the course - one simple one with easy skinning and then a more complex one that requires more skinning. Assignments are to encourage you to stay on task with what we cover each week and become familiar with the topics covered in class. You are required to notify the instructor of any late or unexcused assignments. Otherwise it will impact your final grade.
*Assignments should be turned in on the class box site by Sunday night for Section A and Monday night for Section B
Rigging Projects
1) Character 1: Fully rigged - Skinned, Reverse foot, FK/IK arm Switch
2) Character 2: Fully rigged - Skinned, Reverse foot, IK Spline Spine, FK/IK Arms, Space Switching, Face Features, advanced features for extra credit
Grading:
Weekly Assignments (13 assignments) - 20% (4 points each)
Character 1 - 30% (100 points)
Character 2 - 50% (100 points)
0=not turned in, 1=incomplete or not working, 2=requires improvements, 3=great but needs slight adjustments, 4=awesome, everything works
Explanation - Since each assignment builds up to a finished character rig, grading emphasis is placed on the completed characters since they are the end product. Students can put as much time into making improvements and/or additions to the rigs after an assignment is turned in. Character 2 is considered the "final project" and will have the most grading criteria due to the deformation, rigging systems, and facial features it requires. That being said, if students work hard each week to keep up with with the assignments, less work will be required in the end to complete the fully rigged characters.
Schedule *Changes may occur
Week 1 - Aug 29 to Sept 2
Class 1: Rigging overview, Rig demonstrations
Class 2: Maya windows, joint orientation and development
Practice: Download a rig and familiarize yourself with all the capabilities. Create a series of joints with proper orientation
Week 2 - Sept 5 to Sept 9
*No class on Monday, Sept 5 for Labor Day
Class 3: Character 1 skeleton creation
Class 4: Controls overview, FK and IK, Constraints
Assignment 1: Create a complete skeleton for your character. For practice, create separate FK/IK controls
Week 3 - Sept 12 to Sept 16
Class 5: Rigging the leg - IK setup and reverse foot creation
Class 6: Rigging the leg - Reverse foot connections and Knee pole vector
Assignment 2: Rig both of your character's legs as we did in class with a Reverse foot system
Week 4 - Sept 19 to Sept 23
Class 7: Spine and arms - FK and IK setups for arms, FK for spine (more advanced spine to be discussed later)
Class 8: FK/IK Switch Creation
Assignment 3: Rig the arms and spine of your character. You should set up an FK/IK switch system for the arms
Week 5 - Sept 26 to Sept 30
Class 9: Rigging the arm twist, FK Fingers
Class 10: FK neck, organization and global scale
Assignment 4: Finish off your first character rig
Week 6 - Oct 3 to Oct 7
Class 11: Character 2 skeleton creation
Class 12: Skinning Overview - Settings, Classic linear vs. Dual Quaternion, painting weights, hammer weights
Assignment 5: Start on the skinning for your character
Week 7 - Oct 10 to Oct 14
Class 13: Skinning continued - Finishing off the deformation, Move skinned joint tool, Delta Mush
Class 14: Corrective blendshapes overview
Assignment 6: Finish skinning your character, set up any corrective shapes
Week 8 - Oct 17 to Oct 21
Class 15: Rigging the legs - Getting started on the legs, Reverse foot with zero joint orientation values
Class 16: Finishing the legs - Reverse foot connections, Pole Vector knee system
Assignment 7: Finish off rigging your character's legs
Week 9 - Oct 24 to Oct 28
Class 17: Rigging the spine - IK spline setup, advanced twist
Class 18: Character settings control - scale, geo display, smooth level
Assignment 8: Rig your character's spine, consider adding the character settings control
Week 10 - Oct 31 to Nov 4
Class 19: Rigging the arms - FK/IK system with switch
Class 20: Rigging the arm and leg twist, finishing the FK/IK switch
Assignment 9: Rig your character's fk/ik arms, and set up the twist joints
Week 11 - Nov 7 to Nov 11
Class 21: Rigging the fingers - setting up set driven key poses
Class 22: Clean up the rig, add any additional features
Assignment 10: Finish rigging your second character, making any adjustments and additional features
Week 12 - Nov 14 to Nov 18
Class 23: Rigging the jaw - skinning and corrective shape
Class 24: Eye gaze, any additional facial features
Assignment 11: Build the rig for your character's facial joints
Week 13 - Nov 21 to Nov 23
Class 25: Facial control system overview - GUI vs. On face, different rig examples
**No second class for Thanksgiving and no assignment for this week
Week 14 - Nov 28 to Dec 2
Class 25: FACS and facial blendshapes
Class 26: Facial blendshapes continued - building controls, connecting the shapes, mirroring techniques
Assignment 12: Create your character's facial blendshapes, connect them to your control
Week 15 - Dec 5 to Dec 9
*Last week of class
Class 27: Work day or advanced topic of interest (ribbons, stretchy joints, on face controls, bend limit foot, etc)
Class 28: Work day or advanced topic of interest (ribbons, stretchy joints, on face controls, bend limit foot, etc)
Final Assignment: Complete your facial rig and make any adjustments to your character
