Welcome to 3d Modeling and Animation!

If you like video games, special effects in movies and animated films, you are in the the right place. In this class, we will learn how to make computer generated 3d objects, animate them and place them in real-life scenes, video games and stand alone films. At the end of the course, you should be able to accomplish two things: make an animated short film and pass the Autodesk 3d Max User certification exam. I hope that, by the end of the course, you will have a professional quality portfolio of modeling and animation work.

While this class can be a lot of fun and a relaxing break from the a high-pressure high school day, this class is not for everybody. Although fun and very satisfying, this class is not easy. There is a lot of work. Since it is all about the details, some people find it very tedious and boring. But, if you stick with it, put in the time and take pride in your work, you will be successful and have skills that very few people have.

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Classroom Rules and Policies

Since this is school, and I see many students over the course of the year, we must have rules and policies to keep things running smoothly and safely. Please refer to the GCS and Southwest student handbooks for the general rules. But, we have some specific rules and policies for this classroom that need to be stated. You should also read the class syllabus for information on attendance, grading and extra help. Here are a few other rules that need to be followed.

Missing and Late Assignments
Assignments are expected to be turned in on the due date, unless prior arrangements have been made with the teacher. After the deadline passes, assignments not turned in will receive an intial grade of 50%. Students may complete assignments until the end of the grading period to receive full credit. Assignments not turned in at all will result in a final grade of 50%.

Plagiarism
Turning in work that is not your own is plagiarism. Plagiarism will result in a grade of zero for the assignment and a discipline referral. Do not allow another person to turn in your work - in whole or part - as their own. Doing this will result in a grade of zero and a discipline referral for both students.

Classroom Rules
There are four basic rules for this classroom. Continually violating these rules will result in loss of your participation grade and possibly a discipline referral.

1. Don't prevent me from teaching
2. Don't prevent yourself or others from learning
3. Always be safe
4. Keep the classroom clean

Examples
What do these rules look like in daily practice? Here are some examples:
Don't prevent me from teaching

• Do not talk when I am addressing the class
• Raise your hand if you wish to speak and wait for me to call on you
• Do not interrupt me when I am helping another student

Don't prevent yourself or others from learning

• Don't let music or other off-topic internet activities keep you from getting your work done
• Don't behave in a disruptive or distracting way
• Don't engage in lengthy off-topic conversations
• Keep the volume of your voice down
• No singing, rapping, or other disruptive noises

Always be safe

• Don't throw, toss, flick, or roll anything across the table, floor, or classroom
• Don't roll across the classroom in your chair
• Use classroom materials in a safe manner
• Don't behave in any way that threatens harm to anyone or our equipment

Keep the classroom clean

• Clean up after yourself so your station is ready for the next student
• Return classroom materials to the proper storage place
• Don't eat or drink anything at your station. Keep all food and drink at the tables
• Don't bring your lunch into the classroom unless it is during lunch period
• Keep your language clean

Color, Design and Presentation

SciVis is all about visual communication of complex ideas. For this reason it is important to have a thorough understanding of the basic principles and elements of design. It is also important that you understand how color is generated for different purposes and how it is used to accomplish different design goals. These tutorials will introduce you to the basics of design and color theory, as well as giving you an overview of two graphics programs - Microsoft Paint and Adobe Illustrator.

2D Software and Techniques

In graphic design and communication fields, you will be required use several different types of software to produce and edit digital and print images. In this group of lessons, you will make a variety of different images to become familiar with Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator is a vector graphic program and operates very differently from its cousin, Photoshop, which is a bitmap graphic program. When you are finished with this section, you should have a basic working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator.

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3d Max Basics

There are many programs out there that produce 3d graphics, we focus on Autodesk 3ds Max. Autodesk also produces Maya, a 3d program originally designed for Mac, that is now available for both Mac and PC. These two programs hold the lion's share of the 3d software market. You can get both of them for free, as a student, by going to: http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all

3D Modeling and Animation