Welcome

Instructor:	Mark C. van Langeveld longfieldstudio@gmail.com
TAs:	email
Class Lab Hours:	Section 001 (T, H 3:40--5:00 PM)
	Section 002 (T, H 5:15--6:30 PM)
Classroom:	MEB 3225
Extra Lab Hours:	TBD

Course Description

Introduces students to asset design and production pipeline for 3D game engines focusing on characters for machinima. Students will utilize advance graphics software packages that are prominent in the video game industry such as MAYA, PhotoShop, DAZ3D tools and SoftImage Mod Tool. These sw packages will be demonstrated from a users perspective and explained from the software engineers angle. This is a project-based class that includes a teaching strategy of short video taped lectures, project demonstrations and one-on-one training in the lab.

The main project is broken into many stages with the goal of creating a custom character for the Half Life 2 (HL2) engine used in CS 5964 Interactive Machinima course. This includes designing, modeling, texturing a character of the students choosing. They will also learn to adapt a given model from DAZ3D and incorporate it to HL2.

The projects start with drawings, clay models and verbal representations of the character design, and then the students will be taught to apply professional practices to digitally sculpt their characters in MAYA and then texture models using PhotoShop. The SoftImage Mod Tool is used decimate, rig (HL2 specs) and prepare models for HL2 animations.

The modeling strategy and philosophy taught combines low and high resolution models in one middle resolution model that can be adapted for use in games, machinama and movies. The techniques are specific and are taught from the starting with the assumption of no prior knowledge of the specific techniques. Each project will advance through the production pipeline at different rates, depending on the background of student and the complexity of character chosen; although, all students will be taught the entire process.

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

To teach production pipeline application for CG character development for games and machinima products based on techniques that teach the foundations of original character development
To help students learn the critical elements of digital figure modeling that distinguish levels of sophistication in character models
To introduce students to computer graphics (CG) for the game industry and the professional practices associated with character development for machinima
To introduce students to algorithms used in specific modeling techniques including: smoothing, polygon decimation, vertex merging, edge loops selections and edge loop inserts
To familiarize students with MAYA's Embedded Language (MEL)
To help students learn to translate design concepts into physical representations (paper, words, images and clay) and then continue with the translation into a digital representation into gaming engine
Assist students in mastering several complex games production software packages
To help students experience the tools and learn techniques allowing them to customize their machinima projects and demonstrate competency in games asset production pipeline
Create an exceptionally high-quality CG character that can be used for games, machinima and animation classes

Prerequisites

Drawing/tracing ability at a elementary school level
Clay modeling/sculpting ability at a elementary school level
Ability to write discriptive characteristics in bullet point format
Desire to learn graphics systems
Interest in EAE related topics

Class Structure

Each class period, a video lecture will be made available to students to download and watch outside of class to prepare for the lab time. Each class section must attend their assigned lab sections where one-on-one instruction will be given on their personal project. Short visual-lectures will be given to the labs also. Short informational surveys (less than a minute) will be required each class/lab period by every student. A larger survey will be required the first week and last week of class.

Lab Structure

Regular lab/class hours are mandatory (during regularly assign class times); whereas, optional lab times will be setup for working on projects with one-on-one time with TAs and/or instructor. The lab will have many open hours for students to work independently on their projects.

Assigments

Each student will be required to design and develop a CG character of his or her choice. The level of development required of each student will differ depending on the complexity of the character and experience of the student as decided by the instructor. The projects will be broken down into milestones for grading purposes.

Characters choices can range from realistic to fantasy and from human to animal or even alien. The instructional examples will typically demonstrate modeling humanoid characters, but the techniques and practices will apply to all types of characters. I want you to have passion for the character that you choose, because for one reason you’ll be spending an entire semester working on it.

Student’s projects in the past included: elves, werewolves, fishes with human faces, dinosaurs, Ninja, bathing suit models, Roman and Polish warriors, mannequins, aliens and fairies. Your imagination is the only limit.

Grades

Students will be graded 90% on their character project and 10% on their class/lab participation. The character projects will be broken down into different stages as designed by instructor uniquely per student (as each individual project will have different stages) and the 90% will be divided per the stages of individual projects.

Final

The final presentation of projects will be held during final hours. All work will be turned in on a DVD with every saved version and all other related images after final presentations.

Materials Required

Roma Plastilina Sculpting Clay—softest grade available
Armature (could be metal coat hanger)
Vellum Tracing Paper
Pencil and eraser

Software (provided in labs)

Alias MAYA (Autodesk)
Adobe Photoshop
DAZ3D Studio—available free
SoftImage Mod Tool—free download

A few Readings, Tutorials and References for starting off—(no text books to purchase)

Schedule

Date	Topic	Assignment	Due
August 26, Tuesday	Class Introduction	Research Characters/get materials
August 28, Thursday	Character Design	Start working on sculpture, drawing, composites and/or writings	Bring materials to class lab 3 Random students to share there characters
Sept 2, Tuesday	Anatomy of character lessons—the usual misconceptions	Continue working on sculpture, drawing, composites and/or writings	3 Random students to share there characters
Sept 4, Thursday	Intro to MAYA’s interface	Finish up references	3 Random students to share there projects
Sept 9, Tuesday	Importing reference images and Project set-up and working with references/layers	Input references and Start modeling torso is the simplest form	3 Random students to share there projects
Sept 11, Thursday	Modeling torso Modeling Strategies—Quads only, smoothing, mirroring symmetries and simple to complex		Project setup: references input with started model
Sept 16, Tuesday	Contours and Extruding simple Legs and arms. Algorithms: Smoothing, edge loops		Model should be at Step one or two level. See download for reference
Sept 18, Thursday	Simple hand
Sept 23, Tuesday	Simple feet
Sept 25, Thursday	Facial Anatomy, common mistakes with modeling in MAYA Algorithms: Merge Vertices
Sept 30, Tuesday	Simple face
October 2, Thursday	More detailed Anatomy
October 7, Tuesday	More detail to face
October 9, Thursday	More detail to hands and feet
October 14, Tuesday (NO CLASS/LAB)	Fall Break
October 16, Thursday (NO CLASS/LAB)	Fall Break
October 21, Tuesday	Next level of detail to body
October 23, Thursday	Connecting separate meshes MAYA Embedded Language
October 28, Tuesday	Clothing
October 30, Thursday	Even More detail—Sculpting tools
November 4, Tuesday	Texture mapping—in MAYA Laying out UVs
November 6, Thursday	PhotoShop for texture maps
November 11, Tuesday	Morphs/blend shapes Facial expression
November 13, Thursday	Texture maps, Bump maps, Specular Highlight maps, and Displacement maps
November 18, Tuesday	Sculpting on base models from DAZ
November 20, 2008 Thursday	Extracting skeletons, models and skins from HL2
November 25, Tuesday	Skeletons and painting weights
November 27, Thursday (NO CLASS/LAB)	Thanksgiving Break
December 2, Tuesday	SoftImage Game Mod Intro Algorithms: Polygon Decimation
December 4, Thursday	SoftImage Game Mod Decimation
December 9, Tuesday	SoftImage Game Mod HL2 conversion
December 11 , Thursday	Rap-up final Projects
December 15, Monday 3:30-5:30 PM	Final Presentations		DVD of Entire Semester’s Work

Lectures

Lecture 001

More Notes, References and Downloads

Download 001

U Links