104312 - 3D DESIGN

Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Rafael Suarez Gómez

Trimester: First term

Credits: 6

The subject of 3D design is the first approach to the three-dimensionality that the student has in the Degree. Thus, it aims to be the gateway to this technique and discover a technical-creative thinking in the world of three-dimensionality.

At the level of theory, this course will show the basic principles of this technique and delve into the creation and approach of ideas in the field of digital animation today (mostly in 3D). Not only will we talk about conventional animation, but we will also open the range to different more adult, independent and / or alternative genres. We will work on the production process, a brief history of the process that has followed the animation among its multitude of techniques to understand where it comes from and how it has come to the present, and finally the student will focus in the creative and artistic process behind pre-production as a fundamental pillar for obtaining a consistent piece of animation.

At a practical level, the first 3 phases of production of any piece of conventional animation will be worked on: polygonal modeling, texturing and lighting. Finally there will be a leap in the production process to reach the last phase which is the rendering. These will be the 4 basic pillars that will follow the course throughout the 10 scheduled internship sessions. 

This subject has methodological and digital resources to make possible its continuity in non-contact mode in the case of being necessary for reasons related to the Covid-19. In this way, the achievement of the same knowledge and skills that are specified in this teaching plan will be ensured. 

At the end of the course the student will be able to:

Main learning outcomes:

LO1 - Create 3D models and scenarios

LO2 - Apply textures to the model

Complementary learning outcomes:

LO3 - Differentiate the styles, genres and techniques behind a piece of 3D animation

LO4 - Understand the production process of a 3D animation piece

LO5 - Contextualize an animated piece in its historical moment

LO6 - Be able to work with professional 3D software

The structure of the subject divides the 6 ECTS into 10 working weeks. There will be 4 hours of theory sessions and 2 hours of laboratory practice sessions each week.

The theoretical concepts will be exposed to the theoretical sessions through presentations, video capsules and / or real practical cases in order to reflect the concepts in the clearest and most real way possible. In addition, in the theoretical sessions, evaluation activities will be carried out in order to motivate and evaluate the acquisition of knowledge by the student throughout the term (directed activities).

The internship work in the laboratory will be done through the Autodesk Maya and / or Autodesk 3D Studio Max software. These practices will be absolutely essential to link some of the concepts of theory with practical applications. It will be necessary for the student to complement the training in these laboratory practices with autonomous learning in order to acquire the desired levels; for this work, the student will have documentation on campus.

The student is asked to take an active part during the classes in order to make them more enjoyable and entertaining, as well as to be able to work in a less one-way way, and more reciprocally, that is, not just to have explanation classes. from the teacher to the student but also classes where to raise challenges and / or doubts to the student and to understand the possibilities of solution that can have.

It is highly recommended, whoever has it, to bring the laptop with the software installed in class, both in theory and in practice.

Classroom regulations

The front door will close ten minutes after the start of the class and will not be accessible until after the break (the break, by type of schedule is established after two hours). The front door will close ten minutes after the end of the break and the classroom will no longer be accessible. Please know that if you know these rules, do not call or try to enter the classroom and respect the operation of the class.

The use of new technologies is allowed in class (computer, mobile, tablet, etc.), as long as it is for a training purpose for the class being taught.

Practical classes will be held non-stop. The front door will close ten minutes after class starts. As in the previous case, please respect the regulations.

Documentation will NOT be uploaded to the virtual campus; sources and bibliography / filmography / webography will be provided for the follow-up of the course as well as articles, news and complementary documents that the teacher considers relevant. For the practice sessions, additional selected video tutorials will be posted for the training of students who so wish.

It will not be possible to eat or drink in class, especially (and under no circumstances) in computer labs.

Operation outside the classroom

Mail is an informative, not a consultative medium. Official inquiries by students to the teacher will be made during the consultation hours indicated on the first day of class and published on campus. Mail is an informative medium in both channels: student-teacher and teacher-student, nothing more. That said, the teacher does not have to answer emails about assessment practices, exercises and / or exams; these queries will be resolved at the designated and specified consultation time on the first day of class. Any mail that contains misspellings, misspelled or inappropriate will not be answered.

This course, due to the situation generated by COVID, some of the large group sessions will be held in hybrid format: face-to-face and online (via streaming). This will allow students to rotate to face-to-face classes, respecting the maximum number of students per classroom imposed by the distance measures. When they are not in contact, they will be able to follow the class online from home.

With regard to internship sessions in smaller spaces (such as laboratories, studios or sets), where appropriate, work will be carried out simultaneously in several spaces in order to ensure that the conditions established by the safety protocols are met.

T1. 3D and three-dimensionality

Description: basic terminology, operation and concept of 3D software, engineering and hardware: tools for working in animation

T2. The production process

Description: 3D production bases, stages and production monitoring, those involved - roles and departments

T3. From cinema to virtual reality

Description: Historical evolution of the animation side from the beginnings with "the masters of the crank" to the current boom of 3D movies. It will show a lot of unusual content to get away from the classics and / or to compare them with stereotypes and how they are broken or reformulated.

T4. The creative section, from blank paper to the conception of an idea

Description: the script in animation, the generation of content for different targets, creativity at the design level, pre-production documents, key pre-production tools for production

T5. Process planning and work environment

Description: the structuring of the roles, the traffic of the information, the management of the producer, how to generate a team of productive work ?, the figure of the freelance, the typology of producers

T6. Practical elements

Description: introduction of practical elements in theory sessions to complement the training received in the practice sessions

Description of the evaluation records throughout the course:

Theoretical exam (RA3 / RA4 / RA5)

Individual written test. In the subject there will only be a final theoretical exam where the obtaining of the contents of the sessions of will be evaluated theory and practice through a test-type exam and short answer. The exam will last a maximum of 1 hour 30 minutes.

The evaluation of this activity will be done through a numerical note.

Class activities (RA3 / RA4 / RA5)

In the theory sessions, different activities will be carried out that complement the strictly theoretical training in order to see practical applications, case studies or test simulations in order to see the obtaining and retention of theoretical contents and their possible application.

The typology of activity in class can be: questionnaires, activities of participation (individual or group), realization of works with start and end inside the schedule of class.

The evaluation of these activities can be: presented / not presented or numerical note, will depend on the typology of the activity

Pre-production report / Artistic dossier (RA2 / RA1 / RA4 / RA6)

The work at a theoretical level will be the preparation of a pre-production documentation of a practical case in the field of animation. In this sense, the interpretation of both artistic, technical and management needs and the organization of all this information in a report describing the processes and documents seen throughout the 3D design module will be valued. In addition, this activity will be linked to the practices and will have a continuation at a practical level by carrying out part or all of the design created.

The theme of the report will vary annually in order to adapt to the constant changes that the world of animation undergoes and make it attractive to students.

The evaluation of this activity will be a numerical note.

Practices (RA1 / RA2 / RA4 / RA6)

In the practice sessions 2 main exercises will be proposed. An exercise linked to the pre-production memory of free creation and semi-management in the classroom and with external dedication; and another exercise in the classroom in the last session to see the achievement of the concepts through a practical application that will have the two hours of class duration (it will be done and delivered within the session).

The evaluation of this activity will be a numerical note.

Percentages of the evaluation

The evaluation of the subject is broken down into a 55% evaluation of the theoretical part and a 45% evaluation of the practical part.

The percentages by activity are:

- Theoretical exam: 35% (individual)

- Theoretical-practical work: 45% (20% of the theory section and 25% of the internship section) (group)

- Final internship: 20% (individual / couples)

Evaluation regulations

To pass the subject, a minimum of 5 is required in the final grade of the theory and practice sections.

All the activities will have the description with the statement, format and date of delivery, in the virtual classroom of the asignatura. Any delivery that does not meet the requirements mentioned in the campus guidelines will not be evaluated (work or internship format, delivery date, delivery format, etc.) and will therefore be counted as undelivered / suspended.

Misspellings will NOT be penalized individually in the score, but a work that contains a written part with more than 10 misspellings will not be evaluated and will therefore be considered suspended (this criterion will not affect in the case to use English as the language of presentation / delivery of a work).

Attendance at theory sessions is NOT mandatory; in internships, however, you cannot miss more than 20% of the sessions to be evaluated in the internship part. A list will be passed to each session. Attendance is not an evaluative element, but conditional, that is, it does not add points, it only conditions the possibility of being evaluated or not.

Any detection of plagiarism and / or copying in any evaluation act can mean not only the suspension in that element but the suspension of the whole subject (and will be reflected as a slight or serious fault in the student's file) .

Recovery regulations

Due to the type of practices and exercises proposed, only the theoretical exam will be retaken (35% of the final grade). All other items will NOT be recovered.

By way of clarification:

- from 0 to 4,99: suspended with the right to recovery

- from 5 to 10: approved without the right to recovery or improvement of grade

The retake of the theory exam will consist of an exam and the conditions and% are the same as in the regular exam.

In case of confinement no changes will be applied with respect to the assessment. Both the exams and the assignments and the monitoring / control of the evolution of these assignments will be done in the same way and with the same system.

Kerlow, Isaac (2009) The art of 3D computer animation and effects - 4th edition. Editorial Wiley. ISBN: 978-0470084908

Bendazzi, Giannalberto (1995) Cartoons, 100 years of animated film. Indiana University Press. ISBN: 978-0253209375

Taylor, Richard (2014) Encyclopedia of animation techniques. Editorial Acanto. ISBN: 978-8495376022

Sullivan, Karen Schumer, Gary Alexander, Kate (2008) Ideas for the animated short. Focal Press. ISBN: 978-0240808604

Glebas, Francis (2008) Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation. Focal Press. ISBN: 978-0240810768

Cavalier, Stephen (2011) The World History of Animation. University of California Press. ISBN: 978-0520261129