ANC - Thesis Animation (TA)

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Please refer to FOL for assignment weighting and due date.
by ANC alum, Rebecca Perez
https://vimeo.com/431773054

Checkpoint (CP)
This is simply a checkpoint for your progress on your Thesis Animation (TA). The 'work-in-progress' version will be like an extension of your rough layout showing a mix of finished and 'placeholder' assets with some basic lighting established. At a minimum, you should have a proxy version of your rig created and added to your layout. This assignment is a Pass/Fail with only one criteria: did you submit your work in progress?* 

*(To count as work in progress, I expect first pass keys and breakdowns timed out. Stepped mode is acceptable.)

Hand in will be as follows:
- 960x540 (HD540) resolution
- .mpeg4 or .mov file with H.264 compression
- no resolution gate, grid or animation controls visible

Items should be named: <Lastname>_<Firstname>_<CP>.
(eg. Latour_David_CP.avi )


What I'll be grading on this assignment:

  • Did you submit work in progress (keys & breakdowns, timed out) by the due date?

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please refer to FOL for assignment weighting and due date.

Thesis Animation (TA
This assignment is an assessment of the animation component of the Final Integrated Assignment (FIA). Only the animation is important here - the entirety of your project will be evaluated in your Project Development class. Each student is responsible for at least 8 character seconds of animation. (192 fr.)

Using your creature rig you sculpted in your Modelling - Advanced class, you will create animation based on the rough layout for your FIA you submitted in Project Development. The final output should be rendered based on the techniques learned in Digital Character Project Class (Adv. texture and lighting). Students can use motion capture, key-frame animation or a combination of the two. Final render is not required for this submission. Students working in a group should submit only the animation they completed. If there are multiple artists animating in a shot, indicate in your submission notes which elements you were responsible for (a shot breakdown description). Featured Principles: Exaggeration, Posing, Staging, Appeal

Final hand in will be as follows:
1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution
- mpeg4 or .mov file with H.264 compression (check file size!)
- no resolution gate, grid or animation controls visible

Items should be named: <Lastname>_<Firstname>_<TA>.mp4
(eg. Latour_David_TA.mp4 )

What I'll be grading on this assignment:
  • Have you submitted at least 8 character* seconds (192 fr) of animation?
  • Does the movie match your FIA part 1 plan?
  • Have you used your creature from your Modelling - Advanced class?
  • Is the scene composed well, following rules of good staging?
  • Do your poses show clear silhouette, solid balance and strong line of action?
  • Is the animation completed to a high level of polish?
  • If MoCap is used, has it been refined based on principles of animation like exaggeration?
The Final Integrated Assignment (FIA) will be graded in your Project Development class and will add the criteria:
  • Is the project fully textured, lit and rendered?
  • Is the FIA completed to a high level of quality, with music and audio FX?

Character Seconds explained:

    In animation, character seconds = (# of animated characters) X (shot length). We use  character seconds to measure the amount of work that is involved in a shot. Even a short shot with multiple characters can represent a lot of animation.

    For example; if you have a 2 second shot with 2 animated characters, that is 4 character seconds of animation. This applies to animated characters, environment objects, vehicles etc: Anything you have to keyframe or any mocap you have to revise.

A couple of tips:
  • Only count the seconds that the characters are animated
  • Only count the seconds that objects are visible and have to be animated.
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