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Computer Animation:  2011-2012

Information

Lecturer	Stephen Cameron
Practical Coordinator	Irina Voiculescu
Degrees	Schedule C1 — Honour School of Computer Science Schedule C1 — Honour School of Mathematics and Computer Science Schedule C — MSc in Computer Science
Term	Michaelmas Term 2011  (20 lectures)

Overview

There will be three practicals.

Assessment will be by a take-home assignment, which will include a significant practical element.

The animation system used for the practicals will be Maya 2012.

Learning outcomes

• Basics of key-frame animation.
• Use of a modern software package for animation.
• Use of animation and simulation in other domains.
• Principles of collision detection and response.
• Skill extension through mini-project.

Prerequisites

No specific pre-requisites, other than familiarity with basic operations on matrices and vectors. Basic knowledge of 3D transformations is useful (e.g., from the Computer Graphics course), but not essential. Rigid-body dynamics will be covered, for which some earlier experience would be useful.

Synopsis

1. Introduction. Traditional animation. Use of computer animation. [1]
2. 2. Scene Composition. Revision of rigid-body transformations (notes provided for those who haven't seen this before in, e.g., computer graphics). Information required to render rigid objects. Transformation chains. Scene graphs. Scene description languages. [3]
3. Basic animation. Time-varying transformations. Interpolation and interpolation functions. Use of quarternions for smooth rotation interpolation. [3]
4. Frame-based animation. Use of the animation program. [4]
5. Moving the camera. Animation tricks. [2]
6. Collision detection and response. Dealing with simple geometries. The GJK algorithm. Dealing with large scenes. Physical response models. [5]
7. Challenges and the future of computer animation. [2]

Syllabus

Basic ideas of scene composition in 3D. Time-varying scenes; animation; animation frames and interpolation. Use of cameras. Animation tricks. Other uses of animation and simulation. Collision detection and response. Advanced topics. Challenges and the future.

Reading list

Course text

• Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques, 2nd Edition ISBN: 0125320000 Rick Parent 47 GBP

Supplemental Reading

• Introducing Autodesk Maya 2012, ISBN: 978-0470900215, Dariush Derakhshani, 34 GBP

• How to Cheat in Maya 2012, ISBN: 978-0240816982, Eric Luhta and Kenny Roy, 28 GBP

• Character Animation: 2D Skills for Better 3D, ISBN: 0240520548 Steve Roberts 24 GBP (More basic (non-computer) animation)

• Ideas for the Animated Short: Finding and Building Stories, ISBN: 978-0240808604 Karen Sullivan, Gary Schumer and Kate Alexander, 18 GBP

• Collision Detection in Interactive 3D Environments ISBN: 155860801X Gino van den Bergen 47 GBP