Course Name (short): Digital Method: 3D Modeling
School: Animation Arts and Design
Program(s): Bachelor of Animation
Program Coordinator(s): Mark Mayerson
Course Leader or Contact: James Sayers
Originator: Paulette Geffros
Designate: Paulette Geffros
Version: 13.0
Status: Approved (APPR)

Calendar Description
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to theoretical and practical approaches to computer animation modeling, lighting and rendering of 3D characters that are reflective of industry practice.

Typical Instructional Format

Courses may be offered in other formats.

Section I Notes: Course Contributors: David Quesnelle and James Sayers

Detailed Description
This course is part of the core component of the third year of the Bachelor of Applied Arts (Animation) Program. It is the fourth in a series of six Digital Methodologies courses (and the first specializing in 3D) whose development reflects comprehensive and thoughtful scope, content analysis, and sequence in the delivery within the Digital Methodologies stream. In addition, it reflects continuity, integration and balance through the other streams at an introductory level and reflects the complexity and logic of the design of the BAA (Animation) Program. It prepares students for the work in the next two 3D courses and the Senior Project and for building connections to storytelling, character, animation and performance within courses in other streams of the program.

Program Context

 Critical Performance
By the end of the course, students will have demonstrated the ability
to integrate modeling methodologies with materials, lighting and
rendering concepts at an introductory level. 

Learning Outcomes
To achieve the Critical Performance, students will have demonstrated
the ability to:

1. Interact and navigate within the 3D environment.

2. Generate and edit a series of different curve types that will be 
   used for making CG surfaces.  

3. Integrate hierarchical structures and appropriate naming 
   conventions within the context of their modeling process.

4. Identify the different modeling types and the characteristics of 
   each.

5. Create hard and organic surfaces using the various modeling 
   procedures.  

6. Incorporate specific aspects of polygon proxy modeling methodology 
   in selected assignments.

7. Use surface deformation tools in the modeling process.

8. Generate surface materials, properties and textures for models.

9. Incorporate fundamental lighting tools and principles within a 3D 
   environment.

10. Incorporate fundamental rendering tools and principles for output.

- BOWL OF FRUIT Project            5% Due End of Class Week 1
- SNOWMAN Project                  5% Due End of Class Week 2
- HARD SURFACE MODEL Project      20% Due Week 5
- HAND MODEL Project              25% Due Week 9
- CHARACTER MODEL Project         35% Due Week 12
- INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT            10% Due Week 14
   TOTAL                         100%

NOTE:  MAJOR DEADLINES - WEEK 5, WEEK 9, WEEK 12, and WEEK 14

Late Policy:
Late Policy for all courses in the program: All assignments are due
within the first 15 minutes after the start of class on the due date.
Late projects, submitted after the first 15 minutes of the start of
class will receive a 20% grade reduction. Late projects submitted the
following week will receive a 30% grade reduction. There will be no
submission of work after the last day of semester unless arrangements
have been made and documented by the professor. Work that is more than
one week late will not be graded unless a prior arrangement has been
made with the professor; the arrangement must be documented on email
or a memo, with the new due date identified. There will be no
resubmission of work unless, under exceptional circumstances, this has
been agreed to or suggested by the professor. Again, a hard copy of
the agreement is necessary. If there is a valid reason for the late
project, the student must email the professor at least 3 days before
the due date. If the reason is deemed to be valid, there will be no
late penalty. A new due date with be set by the instructor. 

The basic late policy as laid out above will be followed, except in
the instance that an instructor requires a variation in policy. That
variation will be provided to the student in writing as part of the
actual assignment, which will be handed out by the instructor.

N/A

Instructor: Christopher Somerville

Week One
BOWL OF FRUIT Project (5%) Due End of Class Week 1

Introduction to Maya 3D Modeling Interface, use of mouse and 
keyboard, basic tools to be used in creating polygonal shapes and 
models. Descriptions of polygons, and the elements that make up a 
polygon in Maya, such as vertices, edges, faces, and UV¿s.  Overview 
of file keeping, saving files and workspace views. Moving, scaling, 
rotating and placement of objects in the 3D environment.
In class demonstration. Create a bowl containing at least 3 varieties 
of fruit, using primitive spheres and basic vertice manipulation and 
deleting faces to create new shapes.

Week Two 
- SIMPLE CHARACTER ~ SNOWMAN Project (5%) Due End of Class Week 2
Lecture and Demonstration of new tools, including extrusion of faces, 
extrusion along a curve and Boolean operations. In class project to 
create a simple snowman, using spheres, cylinders and cubes to create 
hat, facial features, buttons and arms. Removal of extra intersecting 
geometry and labeling of polygons to keep clean file with minimal 
geometry. Students to bring in a toy or a reference drawing of a hard 
surface, non-organic object for review to begin HARD SURFACE MODEL 
Week 3.

Week Three 
 - HARD SURFACE MODEL Project (20%) Due Week 5
Students will begin to create a hard-surface, non-organic model using 
a variety of shapes merged together to form completed object. Having 
completed the previous two `mini' assignments will have helped them 
determine what is a feasible choice of objects and a knowledge of 
which tools would be best for their particular model. Demonstration 
and lecture, review and pre-approval of objects to be modeled. New 
tools introduced, including splitting of polygons using a variety of 
tools and operations. Reference photos of objects may be used, such 
as a guitar, chair, camera, etc. Tools learned to date must be 
utilized in creating model.

Week Four

Hard Surface Model continued. New tools introduced. Intro to surface 
materials. Students to upload model in progress for review into hand 
in folders at end of class.

Week Five

Hard Surface Model continued. Work day, project due at end of class. 

Week Six
- HAND MODEL Project (25%) Due Week 9

Students will model and entire hand, including 4 fingers, thumb, palm 
and part of the wrist starting from a primitive cube and adding 
divisions, splitting polygons, extruding faces to create jointed 
digits, beveling edges, and refining the topology by adding, scaling 
and manipulating vertices of the geometry. Hand must resemble 
a `human¿ hand, not a robotic or cartoon `Mickey Mouse' hand. Wire 
frame model must remain `unsmoothed¿ to retain a smaller file size 
with minimal geometry.

Weeks Seven and Eight

Hand Model Assignment continued. Work day. Model in progress uploaded 
to hand-in folders at end of class for troubleshooting review. 
Students reminded to bring in character designs already created and 
approved in Character Design Class for next week. 

Week Nine
- CHARACTER MODEL Project (35 %) Due Week 12

Demonstration and lecture on character designing for 3D modeling. 
Review of character designs, any revisions required and importing 
three views into Maya for reference. Students will learn new 
techniques of creating a symmetrical model by creating an instance of 
half the model and mirroring the operations performed to ensure equal 
geometry on each side of the `Y' axis. Students are encouraged to 
model the character only, no drapery. Two or 4 legged traditional 
characters only, no robotic or non-organic characters. Designs must 
have head, body arms, legs, feet and hands. `Mitt' or cartoon hands 
permitted in this case. Poly-proxy mode to be introduced.

Week Ten and Eleven

Character Model continued. Basic structure of figure, including head, 
and torso in progress. Detailing of arms, legs, feet and facial 
structures by week eleven. Model in progress to be uploaded to hand-
in folders for review and grade status.

Week Twelve

Character Model continued and completed. Facial features developed, 
including independent elements combined but not merged, such as eyes. 
Refining topology and deleting extra geometry, to prepare for merging 
seamless model, ready for rigging. Lecture on final assignment, 
designing a simple interior environment with various lighting 
techniques.

Week Thirteen
-  INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT (10%) Due Week 14

Interior Environment Model with Lighting. Create an interior of a 
room, any era or style. Simple shapes representing walls, windows, 
furniture, flooring with various lighting and illumination. Assigning 
colour or texture to polygon surfaces. This is brief introduction to 
mapping and lighting techniques. Maya rendered images of 3 views of 
the model saved as jpg.

Week Fourteen

Interior environment completed as well as all remaining Assignments 
to be uploaded to hand-in folders. Models to be submitted in wire 
frame unsmoothed. Jpg of model rotation also required. (5 views) 
Review of projects and 3D animated film presentation.

MAJOR DEADLINES - WEEK FIVE, WEEK NINE, WEEK TWELVE, and WEEK FOURTEEN