3D Animation Essentials

The essential fundamentals of 3D animation for aspiring 3D artists 3D is everywhere--video games, movie and television special effects, mobile devices, etc. Many aspiring artists and animators have grown up with 3D and computers, and naturally gravitate to this field as their area of interest. Bringing a blend of studio and classroom experience to offer you thorough coverage of the 3D animation industry, this must-have book shows you what it takes to create compelling and realistic 3D imagery. Serves as the first step to understanding the language of 3D and computer graphics (CG) Covers 3D animation basics: pre-production, modeling, animation, rendering, and post-production Dissects core 3D concepts including design, film, video, and games Examines what artistic and technical skills are needed to succeed in the industry Offers helpful real-world scenarios and informative interviews with key educators and studio and industry professionals Whether you're considering a career in as a 3D artist or simply wish to expand your understanding of general CG principles, this book will give you a great overview and knowledge of core 3D Animation concepts and the industry.

Table of Contents:
Introduction xv Chapter 1 3D Animation Overview 1 Defining 3D Animation 1 Exploring the 3D Animation Industry 2 Entertainment 2 Scientific 4 Other 9 The History of 3D Animation 10 Early Computers 10 1960s: The Dawn of Computer Animation 11 1970s: The Building Blocks of 3D Animation 12 1980s: The Foundations of Modern Computing 14 1990s: 3D Animation Achieves Commercial Success 17 2000s: The Refining of 3D Animation 18 The Essentials and Beyond 19 Chapter 2 Getting to Know the Production Pipeline 21 Understanding the Production Pipeline’s Components 21 Working in 3D Animation Preproduction 22 Idea/Story 25 Script/Screenplay 27 Storyboard 28 Animatic/Pre-visualization 29 Design 30 Working in 3D Animation Production 33 Layout 34 Research and Development 36 Modeling 37 Texturing 39 Rigging/Setup 40 Animation 41 3D Visual Effects 41 Lighting/Rendering 42 Working in 3D Animation Postproduction 43 Compositing 44 2D Visual Effects/Motion Graphics 44 Color Correction 44 Final Output 45 Using Production Tools 45 Production Bible 46 Folder Management and Naming Conventions 52 The Essentials and Beyond 52 Chapter 3 Understanding Digital Imaging and Video 55 Understanding Digital Imaging 55 Pixels 55 Raster Graphics vs. Vector Graphics 58 Anti-Aliasing 59 Basic Graphic-File Formats 62 Channels 64 Color Depth or Bit Depth 66 Color Calibration 68 Understanding Digital Video 71 Resolution, Device Aspect Ratio, and Pixel Aspect Ratio 72 Safe Areas 74 Interlaced and Progressive Scanning 75 Compression 78 Frame Rate and Timecode 79 Digital Image Capture 80 The Essentials and Beyond 81 Chapter 4 Exploring Animation, Story, and Pre-visualization 83 Using Principles of Fine Art and Traditional Animation 83 Modeling 84 Texturing/Lighting 87 Character Animation 93 VFX 104 Building a Good Story 105 Story Arc 105 Character, Goal, and Conflict 106 The Hero’s Journey 110 Other Storytelling Principles 112 Using Pre-visualization Techniques 113 Basic Shot Framing 114 Camera Movements 126 Editing 130 The Essentials and Beyond 132 Chapter 5 Understanding Modeling and Texturing 135 Modeling 135 Polygons 136 NURBS 150 Subdivision Surfaces 153 Modeling Workflows 154 Texturing 158 UVs 160 Shaders 163 Texture Maps 167 Texturing Workflows 173 The Essentials and Beyond 174 Chapter 6 Rigging and Animation 177 Rigging 177 Parenting 179 Pivot Positions 180 Skeleton System 182 Forward and Inverse Kinematics 185 Deformers 186 Constraints 190 Scripting 191 Expressions 191 The Basic Rigging Workflow 192 Animation 193 Keyframe 196 Graph Editor 197 Timeline 202 Dope Sheet 202 Workspace 202 Tracking Marks and Ghosting 204 FK and IK 204 Video Reference 206 The Basic Animation Workflow 206 Animation Techniques 206 The Essentials and Beyond 210 Chapter 7 Understanding Visual Effects, Lighting, and Rendering 213 Creating Visual Effects 213 Particles 214 Hair and Fur 216 Fluids 218 Rigid Bodies 220 Soft Bodies 222 The Basic VFX Workflow 225 Lighting 225 Light Types 226 Light Attributes 230 Lighting Techniques 233 The Basic Lighting Workflow 236 Rendering 237 Basic Rendering Methods 237 Global Illumination 240 Advanced Shader Functions 243 The Basic Rendering Workflow 244 The Essentials and Beyond 246 Chapter 8 Hardware and Software Tools of the Trade 249 Choosing a Computer 250 Choosing a Computer Type 250 Understanding Operating Systems 252 Selecting the Components 255 Using Monitors/Displays 260 Working with Graphics Tablets 261 Using 3D Scanners 262 Setting Up Render Farms 264 Finding Data Storage Solutions 265 Local 266 Local Networked 266 Offsite 267 Cloud/Internet 267 Choosing Software 268 Comprehensive 3D Animation Packages 268 CAD 269 Compositing 269 Digital Imaging 270 3D Specialty 270 The Essentials and Beyond 272 Chapter 9 Industry Trends 275 Using Motion Capture 275 Marker Systems 276 Markerless Systems 277 Creating Stereoscopic 3D 278 Integrating Point-Cloud Data 281 Providing Real-Time Capabilities 282 Real-Time Rendering 284 Real-Time Animation 285 Real-Time Motion Performance 287 Working in Virtual Studios 288 The Essentials and Beyond 289 Appendix A Answers to Review Questions 291 Appendix B Gaining Insight into 3D Animation Education 299 Linda Sellheim 299 Larry Richman 303 Steve Kolbe 307 Appendix C Learning from Industry Pros 313 Brian Phillips 313 Jim Rivers 316 Rosie Server 321 Index 327

About the Author :
Andy Beane is an animation artist who has been teaching and working professionally since 2002. He currently oversees the animation major at Ball State University and previously taught animation at the Art Institute of Orange County, California. His production experience includes a children's television show pilot with Xzault Studio, Korn's Coming Undone music video, and Barnyard from Paramount Pictures. He wrote curriculum for the Autodesk Animation Academy 2010 and is also a board member of the MG Collective, an Indiana-based motion graphics and animation community group. He has an MFA in computer animation from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.