Course Instructor: Paul Young
Office: C224A, Parkland College
Phone: 217-351-2403
E-mail: pyoung@parkland.edu
Introduction
This is the first in a series of four courses in 3D computer
animation. This first course introduces students to modeling, lighting and surface
treatments in the Maya 3D environment (animation will be introduced in CSC 188).
All four courses will be taught in a studio environment similar to art classes.
This means that aesthetic issues will need to be balanced with technical
issues. Although Maya and other 3D modeling applications are very powerful
technical
programs, the art of creating models is an artistic endeavor. As such, students
can think of this class as a sculpture class combined with a studio photography
class. Instead of building "real" models using clay, wood or metal,
we will be building digital models in a virtual environment. And instead "photographing"
our models with a camera, lights
and film, we will be "rendering"
our
models in a virtual photo studio. Therefore, artistic issues such as shape,
composition, lighting, shading, and the creative process will be emphasized.
Textbook
Course Class Notes (required) - Online class web page
Learning
Maya 7 Foundation (required) - Parkland College
Bookstore
Launching
the Imagination (optional) - Parkland College
Bookstore (same as ART 121)
The
Art of Maya (optional) - Amazon.com or your favorite book store
Supplies
USB
flash drive and/or blank CD-R discs
Black felt-tip markers
Web Page
Information regarding the class
including instructor, syllabus, schedules, notes, and project information can
be accessed from the class web page by either following the CSC 187 link from
the
instructor's home page at: http://virtual.parkland.edu/pyoung or
directly
at http://virtual.parkland.edu/pyoung/csc/187
Format
This class is based on a
format of lecture, discussion, studio, and critique. It is expected that
additional time, on a weekly basis, will be spent on your assignments and projects. It
is also expected that students read, review, and practice material in the course
lecture notes assigned for each session before coming to class. It is important that the group functions as a class, learning from each
other as well as the instructor. Therefore, everyone should be working on
the same assignments at the same time. Understanding that there might be
technical expertise differences, it is expected that more experienced users
will be willing to help beginning users with the software. Conversely,
more experienced users should elicit creative evaluations from beginning users
during their working process.
Online Gradebook
All students will have an account in Angel
Learning (an online course management portal). Your grades and attendance
record will be posted in the TOOLS area which you
can access 24/7 from a web browser.
Your Angel user ID is the same as your Parkland email login (usually your
first initial followed by your last name, all lower case with no spaces — i.e. "jsmith").
Your password is the last five digits of your social security number. Once
you have entered Angel, you can change your password. If you need any help
with your Angel login, see your instructor.
Grading
Course work will consist
of large-scale project assignments and smaller exercises and tutorials.
The final grade will also reflect the student's class attendance and
participation.
|
Projects |
70% |
|
Exercises |
30% |
|
Total |
100% |
A = 100-91 (exceptional work beyond the class requirements)
B = 90-81 (excellent
technical and creative abilities exhibited)
C = 80-71 (all work accomplished on
time and minimum goals achieved)
D = 70-61 (minimum goals not achieved, late presentations)
F = 60 or less (failure
to finish assignments or doing "D" work
late)
The instructor reserves the right
to lower these criterion, but will never raise them.
Exercises/Tutorials/Studies
Exercises, tutorials, and
small-scale studies will be given to introduce and develop the student's understanding,
proficiency, and operation of the animation software.
Exercises/tutorials/studies will be graded on a credit/no credit basis. No
credit will be given on exercises or tutorials for students absent from class.
Since unforeseen circumstances may arise preventing a student from attending
class, one "no-credit" exercise/tutorial will be dropped from the
final grade determination. All exercises/tutorials/studies are due
on the assigned due date. No credit will be given for work not
completed by the assigned due date.
Projects
Projects will be regularly
assigned to apply the concepts discussed in lecture and introduced in exercises
and tutorials. Project assignments form the basis of the student's
portfolio work in 3D computer generated imagery. Given this importance,
projects will be graded on the use of
Projects are due on the
assigned project due date and will be class critiqued on the due date.
Project imagery must be complete and stored in the designated location on the
due date before class critique begins. Students will not
be allowed to complete projects during class critique. Projects
not completed by the due date before class critique begins will receive an F
for the project grade. If a student anticipates missing class during
the due date and class critique, it is the student's responsibility to
notify the instructor beforehand. The absent student must
have their project imagery prepared for the class critique in the designated
location on the assigned due date. Failure to prepare project
imagery by an absent student will also result in an F project grade.
Students have the option of
continuing to work on and improve each project after the assigned due date and
class critique for (possibly) a better grade. Grades for re-worked
projects will be no more than one full letter grade higher than the
original project grade at the assigned due date (re-worked project grades will
never drop in grade). All re-worked projects are due at the end of
the semester.
Attendance
Students are expected to be
present for all class sessions - for the entire period. Structured
as an art studio class, peer learning and interaction is highly
encouraged. It is expected that all
students participate in this studio learning environment. For this reason, attendance is mandatory. A student’s final grade will be lowered
by one full letter grade after three unexcused
absences. Attendance will be taken
promptly at the beginning of each period. It is your responsibility to
inform the instructor when you may not be in attendance. The attendance
policy in this course is in keeping with the policy stated in the Parkland
College Catalog. It says: "Regular and prompt attendance is expected
at all classes," expect in cases involving illness or emergency which
should be brought to the attention of the instructor. "Regular
attendance and consistent study habits are considered necessary for academic
success in college. Faculty members have prerogative of lowering grades for
excessive absence."
Computer
Science and Information Technology web site
You can find information
about the Computer Science and Information Technology Department courses and
programs by visiting our web site: http://www.parkland.edu/csit.html
College
Orientation
Orientation to College (ORN
101) is a class that anyone can benefit from taking - it covers goal-setting,
career development, study strategies, library skills, time management and many
other useful skills. Most sections begin the second or third week of the
semester and at mid-semester. If you have any questions, please contact Ted
Powers (Ext. 2312).
Student
E-mail
Students should access
their
Academic Honesty
We believe strongly in the Core Values espoused by Parkland College:
Honesty and Integrity, Fairness and Just Treatment, Responsibility,
Multiculturalism, Education, and Public Trust. Essentially, these
values set guidelines for how we should treat you and how you
should treat each other (and us). Failure to be respectful of
one another or to maintain ethical behavior will not be tolerated.
The articles of the Parkland College Student Conduct Code as outlined in the Student Policies and Procedures Manual applies in this class. Article III (Proscribed conduct) regarding dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism, theft or abuse of computer time is particularly pertinent.
All material handed in with your name on it is to be your work. If it is not,
receive a zero for that assignment and the incident
will be reported to the Dean.
For more information, see the Academic
Honesty section of the Student Policies and Procedures Manual.
Withdrawal
Procedure
It is the student's responsibility to monitor his/her
progress in this course. If after consulting with the instructor,
the student
feels it becomes necessary to withdraw from this course, it is
the responsibility of the student to do so. Please check the Parkland
Academic Calendar to find out the final day for withdrawal
with "W" grade. If you have questions about the withdrawal
procedure, see the Policies
and Procedures Manual.
ADA
Statement
If you believe you have a disability for which you may need an academic accommodation
(including special testing, auxiliary aids, non-traditional instructional formats),
please inform the instructor as soon as possible, and/or contact one of the following
people for assistance:
For more information, contact the Office of Disability Services.