Tuesday, January 7, 2014

WEEK 1: Game Dev 2 DESN2017 Assignment 1: Run Cycle Due Week 3

Welcome to Game Dev 2!
Please remember to sign in at each class.
This is a portfolio-building class in which you create a series of increasingly complex models. Use your time productively so you don't fall behind or distract students around you. You will not be permitted to use this lab for gaming or web surfing except at designated breaks.

Your grade will be the cumulative total of 5 assignments DUE IN CLASS.
These assignments are due:
WEEK 3, 6, 9, 12, 15
Assignment 1:  Run Cycle
Value: 20%
DUE DATE: WEEK 3 Jan 24th  @ BEGINNING OF CLASS on BLACKBOARD
* Late submissions will receive ZERO marks. 

BRIEF:
Create a looping run cycle. 

Using the Eleven rig, create a run cycle animation for a bi-ped. The character should run with urgency as if being pursued or conversely being chased. Secondary animations a broad range of movements and timing are encouraged to add life to the character.

SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING:

A) Thumbnails of key poses – minimum 6 key poses
B) Video file of 3D run cycle
C) Character Bio – A written summary of your character. Consider his/her backstory, motivation,
abilities, appearance etc.

REQUIREMENTS:
Filename: 
DESN2017_A1_YOURNAME_thumbnails (.jpg file) 
DESN2017_A1_YOURNAME_runcycle (.mov file)
DESN2017_A1_YOURNAME_bio (.doc or .pdf file)

EX -
DESN2017_A1_BIEBERJUSTIN_thumbnails.jpg  (last name first, please!)

DUE DATE
SUBMIT TO BLACKBOARD WEEK 3 IN CLASS

Please compress all images and videos to keep them small using the following guidelines:

Videos:
Quicktimes, 560 pixels by 316 pixels, H.264 codec, max 10MB. You can use a variety of tools such as Handbrake, Adobe Media Encoder, Quicktime Pro and more to format your videos. I use the 11-second club guidelines for all submissions:
http://www.11secondclub.com/helpful_hints/encoding

Images:
JPGs between 500-1200 pixels along longest edge, 72-300 dpi/ppi, max 5MB. You can use a variety of tools such as Photoshop, Gimp, and online programs to compress files.

Text:
.Doc or .Pdf

Sample Rubric for all assignments:


Monday, January 6, 2014

WEEK 1: Asset Dev 2 DESN1086 Milestone 1: Character Concept Due Week 4

Welcome to Asset Dev 2!
Please remember to sign in at each class.
This is a portfolio-building class in which you create your own character design and animate it in 2D! Also you will be building a simple 3D prop model for your character. Use your time productively so you don't fall behind or distract students around you. You will not be permitted to use this lab for gaming or web surfing except at designated breaks.

Your grade will be the cumulative total of 5 assignments DUE IN CLASS, each worth 20%.
These assignments are due:
WEEK 4, 7, 10, 13, and 15

All the assignments are your own choice but must be approved by me to receive a grade.

Assignment 1:  Character Concept. Value: 20%
DUE DATE: WEEK 4 Jan 30th @ BEGINNING OF CLASS on BLACKBOARD

This is a 5-part assignment:
SUBMIT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
A) Thumbnails – minimum 6 thumbnail sketches
B) Revised Thumbnails – minimum 3 revised thumbnail sketches
C) Revised Sketch – minimum 1 refined sketch
D) Final Concept – final render
E) Character Bio – A written summary of your character. Consider his/her backstory, motivation,
abilities, appearance etc.

FILE NAMING:
1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_thumbs.jpg
1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_revthumbs.jpg
1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_revsketch.jpg
1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_final.jpg
1086_A1_YOUR-NAME_bio.doc or .PDF

Ex - 1086_A1_BEIBER-JUSTIN_thumbs.jpg

Format:
Traditional (ie pen & ink, markers, paints etc)
Digital 2D art (Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter etc)
150 dpi, 800 pixels x 1200 pixels, .jpg
Landscape orientation
Character bio submitted as MS Word document or PDF.
When working digitally, work in a minimum resolution of 300dpi. Use of references such as
photographs and 3D models are encouraged but final art must be your own and must deviate
substantially from the references used to be considered original content.
Use the character template provided to present your artwork and include the following information:
Project Title
Artist: your name
Character’s name
Date: month, day, year of submission

WEEK 1: Game Project Dev 4 DESN3012 Milestone 1 due Week 3

Welcome to Game Project Dev 4!
Please remember to sign in at each class.
This is a portfolio-building class that will give you time to complete your own pieces and to get feedback from industry pros. You could find yourself working on a game here at school or in the industry.
This class is strictly a work period and no lectures or formal instruction will be given aside from one-on-one critiques. Use your time productively so you don't fall behind or distract students around you. You will not be permitted to use this lab for gaming or web surfing except at designated breaks.

Your grade will be the cumulative total of 5 assignments DUE IN CLASS, each worth 20%.
These assignments are due:
WEEK 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15

All the assignments are your own choice but must be approved by me to receive a grade.

Milestone 1:  ex 5-10 second piece of animation. Value: 20%
DUE DATE: WEEK 3 Jan 23rd @ BEGINNING OF CLASS on BLACKBOARD
* Late submissions will receive ZERO marks.
It is recommended that you show work in progress next week so you can spend the following week on revisions and polish. Playbasts are fine. No rendering required.

FILE NAMING:
3012_ m1_lastnamefirstinitial_001.mov 
ex: 3012_m1_donovant.mov

Please read my post about file sizes, aspect ratios and codecs. We will go over this in class.

What types of pieces should you create? Well, SHORT ONES. Keep it simple. You should animate 20-30 short pieces over the year or two if you can for practice and expand on the ones you like best. By the end of term you should have 5 pieces of 5-10 second of animation or concept work.

some great ideas to get you started. 
Think ahead to what you would like to put on your demo reel. What makes a good demo reel?
2 big things: brevity & quality.
Avoid obvious n00b mistakes like having obnoxious content or a style so niche that would only appeal to one tiny studio. The rest is common sense -
-keep it short 30-90 seconds MAX - <2 min if you're a professional.
-only show your best work - be ruthless and cut everything that doesn't quite work
-make each character unique in their movements and personality
-try to find new rigs
-show your range


Welcome back! Game Dev 4 3012, Asset Dev 2 1086, and Game Project Dev 2017

Welcome back!! 
Think of all the great 70's TV you millennials missed. 
I have 4 courses this term - all on Thursdays in 503 or 503 and one on Friday in 603 from 12-3. If you need to ask me a question, feel free to drop by.

Please include your email in the text of the message as I will only see your name and there may be a delay while I look up your address.

Please sign in at each class with your working email address. I track attendance and look forward to reading any comments you may have throughout the course.

All the outlines are linked off the Outlines tab.

The Help form is for urgent questions. These get forwarded to my email directly. 

Please familiarize yourself with all the hand-in parameters including file naming conventions, formats, and size limits. I am pretty strict on these things. All projects will be handed in to Blackboard this term. No late projects will be accepted without prior approval. Always ask BEFORE the deadline if you expect your project to be late due to serious unforeseen circumstances.  

Looking forward to our term!