Introduction to 3D Graphics – ARTS 473

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

An introduction to 2D and 3D design concepts and terminology. Practical experience in the design and evaluation of 2D/3D still and motion graphics. Students gain practical experience by storyboarding, designing, animating, and rendering 2D/3D graphic objects, and Animations. Training in industry standard 3D graphics programs guided by principles of design. (Formerly "2D/3D Graphics and Animation")

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

Computer graphics, 2D and 3D graphics and animation in particular, expand our ability to communicate, giving the student the tools necessary to design more effective graphics that integrate easily with other imaging software. This is a fast growing area of graphic design and visual communication in general. It can be found in formats such as television, animation, graphics, special effects, and simulations.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the syllabus Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to complete 2 Discussions in this course. The student is required to post 1 thread of at least 200 words. In addition, the student must post 2 replies of at least 100 words to classmates’ threads. For each thread and reply, the student must support his/her assertions with at least 1 citation in current MLA format. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, or the Internet, and must have been published within the last 5 years.

Textbook Tutorial Assignments (7)

The student will complete each tutorial by following the step-by-step instructions given throughout the tutorial book. Completing 1 tutorial out of the multiple listed in each chapter of the tutorial book is required; however, the student will consider completing all of the tutorials per chapter for extra practice.

Application Assignments (3)

Using the skills gained in the tutorials, the student will apply what he/she learned by creating a model or scene. Once the model or scene is complete, the student will export the image as a .JPG and upload the digital file via the appropriate assignment submission link.

Animation Creation Assignments (3)

This assignment is completed in 3 parts to aid in the creation of an animation.

Proposal Assignment

For this part of the Animation Creation assignment, the student will create a proposal for his/her animated movie of 1 minute or shorter. The student will storyboard what he/she plans to animate, and describe the background, texture, and lighting that will convey the look and feel of the animation. The proposal must be at least 300 words, and contain no fewer than 10 storyboard panels.

Rough Draft Assignment

For this assignment, the student will execute the proposal for a 1-minute animated movie. This assignment will demonstrate the student’s cumulative skills learned during the course. The student’s animation will be submitted as a low-resolution MP4 video file.

Final Assignment

For this assignment, the student will submit a final, 1-minute, animated movie. This assignment will demonstrate the student’s cumulative skills learned during this semester. Incorporating any feedback received from the instructor after the student’s draft submission is required. This assignment will be submitted as a Quicktime movie file.