Advanced 3D Computer Graphics

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Sandro Corsi's other classes: | Intro to 3D Computer Graphics | Basic Design |

These are 3-units classes that teach how to create 3D artwork using leading computer graphics software. ACG150 is repeatable, and can be taken twice for credit.

All three classes run concurrently, allowing each student to focus on specific topics and develop a unique project. To best take advantage of this format, some prior familiarity with 3D computer graphics is recommended.

The textbook provides detailed information on a widely-used general-purpose 3D program, Maya. A breakdown of its chapters shows how they relate to each class. The lab is also equipped with specialized software and hardware, allowing students to customize their learning experience and build up their portfolio. Directions for using these additional items are available through other resources.

• Class goals:
  • Demonstrate operative skills on the computer hardware and attendant peripherals used in the class.
  • Analyze, differentiate, and operate the controls of selected 3D modeling and animation programs.
  • Interpret scene descriptions to devise appropriate combinations of shapes, light sources, rendering attributes, and camera settings.
  • Interpret shot descriptions to devise appropriate combinations of object choreography, effects timing, and camera motion.
  • Produce perspective renderings for a variety of applications, evaluating the benefits and challenges of using 3D computer graphics techniques as artistic devices.
  • Produce animation segments for a variety of applications, evaluating the benefits and challenges of using 3D computer animation techniques as artistic devices.
  • Evaluate hardware and software suitable for creating and displaying 3D graphics and animation--identifying trends in the market and in the development of standards.
• Evaluation:
  • The final course grade will be based on the student's performance in class and in completing assignments. See the general info page.
• Required textbook
  • Mastering Maya 2009
    • by Eric Keller
    • Autodesk Maya Press, Sybex, 2009
    • ISBN: 978-0-470-39220-1

  The book will be available for purchase at the Fullerton College bookstore.

• Optional texts
  • A number of printed manuals are available in the lab: ask the lab aide for them, with your student ID in hand.
  • Several relevant magazines are available in the Graphics lab. These are especially useful because of their timeliness.
  • Program reference manuals:
    • A variety of books are available providing step-by-step instruction and reference information. Make sure that any books you choose match the versions of the software you use.
    • The programs available in the lab usually come with electronic manuals and/or online help, which you can view directly on the computer.

Topics

Review, for All Classes

• Chapter 1: Working in Maya 1
  • Maya Nodes 1
  • Maya Projects 30
  • Assets 34
  • File References 44

ACG106 (environments and effects)

• Chapter 8: Paint Effects and Toon Shading 421
  • Using the Paint Effects Canvas 421
  • Painting on 3D Objects 427
  • Designing Brushes 436
  • Creating Tubes 445
  • Add Growth 452
  • Shaping Strokes with Behavior Controls 457
  • Animating Strokes 460
  • Rendering Paint Effects 465
  • Toon Shading 468
• Chapter 13: introducing nParticles 711
  • Creating nParticles 711
  • nParticle Collisions 724
  • Liquid Simulation 728
  • Texture Emission Attributes 736
  • Using Wind 742
  • Shading and Hardware Rendering nParticles 745
  • nParticles and Fields 750
  • Rendering Particles with mental ray 767
• Chapter 14: Advanced nDynamic Effects 771
  • nCloth 771
  • Using nCloth with nParticles 787
  • nCloth and Rigid Body Simulations 795
  • Traditional Rigid Body Dynamics 805
  • nParticle Instancing 809
  • nParticle Expressions 819
  • Creating Smoke Effects 828
• Chapter 16: Maya Fluids 899
  • Use Fluid Containers 899
  • Create a Reaction 905
  • Render Fluid Containers 912
  • Fluids and nParticles 916
  • Create a Pond 919
  • Create an Ocean 927
• Beyond Maya:
  • Panoramic imaging
  • Image-based modeling (photogrammetry)

ACG120 (modeling)

• Chapter 3: NURBS Modeling in Maya 97
  • Image Planes 97
  • Understanding NURBS 103
  • Modeling NURBS Surfaces 110
  • Creating Realism 154
  • NURBS Tessellation 156
• Chapter 4: Polygon and Subdivision Surface Modeling 159
  • Understanding Polygon Geometry 159
  • Working with Smooth Mesh Polygons 160
  • Modeling with Deformers 181
  • Combining Meshes 186
  • Using Bevel Plus and Bevel Edges 190
  • Polygon Modeling with Paint Effects 200
  • Converting NURBS Objects to Polygons 206
  • Boolean Operations 211
  • Sculpting Polygons Using Artisan 216
  • Advanced Polygon Modeling: The Head 223
  • Creating a Character 239
  • Using Subdivision Surfaces 243
• Chapter 11: Texture Mapping 583
  • UV Texture Layout 583
  • Bump and Normal Mapping 616
  • Displacement Mapping 635
  • PSD Networks 641
  • Subsurface Scattering 645
  • Texture Mapping NURBS Surfaces 652
• Chapter 15: Fur, Hair, and Clothing 835
  • Add Fur to Characters 835
  • Add Dynamic Motion to Fur 856
  • Render Fur Using mental ray 857
  • Dynamic Curves 859
  • Add Hair to a Character 865
  • Style Hair 876
  • Hair Constraints 881
  • Render Hair 885
  • Create Clothing for Characters 886
  • Paint nCloth Properties 895
• Beyond Maya:
  • Virtual clay modeling
  • 3d scanning
  • 3d printing

ACG150A (animation)

• Chapter 2: Maya Cameras 51
  • Image Size and Resolution 51
  • Camera Settings 54
  • Custom Camera Rigs 73
  • Depth of Field and Motion Blur 79
  • Orthographic and Stereo Cameras 92
• Chapter 5: Animation 251
  • Using Joints and Constraints 251
  • Inverse Kinematics 260
  • Keyframe Animation 266
  • The Graph Editor 273
  • Playblast and F Check 290
  • Driven Keys 291
  • Animation Using Expressions 297
  • Motion Path Animation 301
  • Animating Constraints 303
  • Animation Layers 306
• Chapter 6: Animating with Deformers 317
  • Animate Facial Expressions 317
  • Create Blend Shape Sequences 335
  • Use Lattices 340
  • Animate Clusters 345
  • Nonlinear Deformers 351
  • Create Jiggle Deformers 356
  • Use the Geometry Cache 358
• Chapter 7: Rigging and Muscle Systems 363
  • Understanding Rigging 363
  • Creating and Organizing Joint Hierarchies 364
  • Inverse Kinematic Rigs 379
  • Skinning Geometry 393
  • Maya Muscle System 402
• Beyond Maya:
  • Motion capture data recording
  • Motion capture data processing

ACG150B (technical art)

• Chapter 9: mental ray Lights 475
  • Shadow-Casting Lights 475
  • Indirect Lighting: Global Illumination 487
  • Indirect Illumination: Final Gathering 500
  • Image-Based Lighting 509
  • Physical Sun and Sky 514
  • mental ray Area Lights 517
  • Light Shaders 520
  • Participating Media 527
• Chapter 10: mental ray Shaders 533
  • Ambient Occlusion 533
  • Shading Concepts 546
  • Using Reflections and Refraction Blur 551
  • Car Paint Materials 565
  • The MIA Material 569
  • Controlling Exposure with Tone Mapping 575
  • Rendering Contours 577
• Chapter 12: Rendering for Compositing 659
  • Render Layers 659
  • Render Passes 675
  • Batch Rendering 689
  • mental ray Quality Settings 701
• Chapter 17: MEL and Python 931
  • Use a MEL Command 931
  • MEL Scripting Techniques 934
  • Procedures 957
  • Use Python 962
• Beyond Maya:
  • 3d print rigging for stop-motion animation

Resources

• Class file server
  • Some of the resources listed below are on the class file server (only available while you are in the lab). Follow these steps to connect:
    1. Boot into Mac OS, in the Finder's Go menu choose the command Connect to Server.
    2. In the Server Address field at the top of the connection window, enter 10.101.5.28, then click Connect.
    3. For Connect As, choose Guest, then click Connect.
    4. Click on the volume 'sandro', then click OK.
    5. The icon for the server volume will appear on the desktop. Double-click it to find the items you need.
• ClayTools documentation
  • Download the ClayTools commands reference card to help you become familiar with the program.
  • Download the ClayTools tutorial to further your understanding.
• Maya to ClayTools to Maya workflow
  • Model a low-res quad mesh character, create non-overlapping UVs for it, then export it to ClayTools for detailing (add pores, wrinkles--same as ClayTools to Maya workflow, see below).
  • From ClayTools, export the detailed high-res mesh to Maya.
  • In Maya, use the Transfer Attributes feature (see Maya Help) to copy UVs from the low-res quad mesh to the high-res imported mesh.
  • Use the Transfer Maps feature (review it in Maya Help), with the high-res mesh as Source, and the low-res quad mesh you modeled previously as Target. This will let you transfer the appearance of the high-res mesh to the low-res mesh in the form of a displacement or normal map, or both.
• ClayTools to Maya workflow
  • Model character from scratch in ClayTools, possibly using a polygonal model as armature, then export curves to Maya to retopologize.
    1. Download a Maya file of a low-polygon human skeleton. You can modify and rig this simple model to create an armature for digital clay sculpting.
    2. Watch this demonstration of modeling a human torso using 2-D reference images in ClayTools. Your work will actually be easier, because you will be working from a 3-D reference (the skeleton), but this movie gives you an overview of the process of adding and reshaping bits of clay.
    3. To export the adjusted skeleton from Maya and import it into ClayTools, see directions in the ClayTools Maya Workflows manual. You can start on p. 16 (subdividing won't be necessary, since the skeleton will only be a reference). After File -> Import Model (p. 18), select your skeleton OBJ file, click Import as New, and change the settings on the dynabar to the following:
       1. Units = cm.
       2. Import as = Reference.
       3. Fill Style = No Fill.
       4. Click Apply.
    4. To add clay to your model, use Basic Shapes and Add Clay (both in the Construct Clay palette). For major reshaping, use Tug (in the Deform Clay palette). For blending and detail work, use the tools in Sculpt Clay.
  • After completing the basic volumes of your character, proceed to add finer surface detail (pores, wrinkles, veins, etc.)
    1. It's a good idea to save a copy of your sculpture withou surface detail. In many cases, this will provide a good starting point later for retopologizing.
    2. Before deciding on the kind of texture your character will have, you may want to bump map simple shapes in Maya. A quick render will give you instant feedback on how well your ideas work in 3D. Also, the bump map images you like best can then be reused for embossing in ClayTools (again, directions are in the ClayTools tutorial).
    3. Also, watch the ClayToolsDetailing.wmv video. While it shows the older version of the user interface, the basic workflow remains unchanged. This and other videos are on the class file server, in the ClayTools Documentation folder. Some videos may not play correctly in Mac OS. Copy them to your flash drive, then reboot into Windows.
  • To use the sculpture in animation, we need to change the type (from triangles to quads) and number (from high to low) of the polygons that make up its mesh. This process is called retopologizing, and it can be done in Maya or in ClayTools.
    • Retopologizing basics.
      1. This is an example of modeling a very basic humanoid mesh using only quads.
    • Retopologizing in Maya.
      1. Use Maya Help to find out about the Make Live feature, which lets you snap the vertices of the low-res mesh to the surface of the hi-res mesh imported from ClayTools.
    • Retopologizing in ClayTools.
      1. See the new_curves.2 video, which will show you how to create a network of curves along the edge loops.
      2. Read the first two parts of chapter 4 (pp. 63-76) of the ClayToolsMaya_Workflows PDF. This will review the construction of the curve network, and explain how to export it to Maya, where it can be surfaced with NURBS, then converted to a low-resolution polygon mesh. Note that the interface shown is for version 1.1. Consult the online help for discrepancies.
    • Regardless of which approach you choose, make sure to follow the flow of muscles on the figure with your polygonal edge loops.
• ZBrush manuals
  • Documentation for ZBrush is unfortunately scattered in various web sites, online forums, and in the program's user interface. The closest thing to a user's manual and reference manual are the two PDFs you will find on the class file server, in the ZBrush Documentation folder. These have not been updated in a while, but the information is still mostly applicable.
  • For miscellaneous information available online, start with ZClassroom and ZBrushCentral.
• Anatomy references
  • You will need to have some knowledge of anatomy to be an effective character modeler. Scott Eaton's site is full of thorough information for digital figure sculptors, including this list of anatomy visual references.
  • Another good source for visual references is this Musculo-Skeletal Archive. Scroll down to the Musculo-Skeletal Anatomy section for links to PDFs.
  • Useful images and a video regarding specifically facial muscles.
• Motion capture processing
  • Data cleanup with MotionBuilder.
• Keep an eye on new developments in animation
  • The quicktime trailers site has a section that includes many recent full-length animation releases.

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Created 2007-12-21. Last modified 2010-02-18. This document originally at <http://www.sanedraw.com/LEARN/ACG/ACG3DADV.HTM> Copyright 2010 by Sandro Corsi.