ANI 490 - Intro. to Maya Animation

1. Appraise the software interface 
   1. Examine the graphical interface
   2. Demonstrate various methods to navigate and view in 3d space (zoom, pan, orbit, etc.)
   3. Select and toggle between different viewing modes
   4. Employ use of the spacebar to navigate menus
   5. Demonstrate how to open and save 3d files
   6. Distinguish between various file formats
   7. Examine importing and exporting 3d file options
   8. Change and manipulate files by using merging techniques
   9. Differentiate between common keyboard shortcuts
2. Create 3d objects 
   1. Review the creation of primitive shapes
   2. Demonstrate various selection methods
   3. Select and transform 3d objects using move, rotate, and scale
   4. Examine an object’s properties with the Attribute Editor
   5. Demonstrate how to use layers to organize a scene
   6. Revise by experimenting with managing selections
3. Evaluate polygonal modeling 
   1. Examine various polygonal modeling methods
   2. Adjust primitives in various component modes
   3. Select and transform shapes to create models
   4. Demonstrate how to create symmetrical 3d models
   5. Produce an object by joining shapes together
   6. Describe how to create a single-mesh object creation
4. Assess shading and texture materials 
   1. Demonstrate how to use Maya’s material editor
   2. Review the process of displaying materials in 3d viewport
   3. Assemble and apply texture to a 3d object
   4. Employ the process of using and editing existing materials
   5. Demonstrate how to create unique materials
   6. Distinguish between shading and material types
   7. Identify the difference between procedural and bitmap materials
   8. Examine the basic process for unwrapping a 3d model to apply a texture map
   9. Illustrate how to apply textures to both geometric and organic shapes
5. Evaluate animation techniques 
   1. Examine the difference between traditional process vs 3d process
   2. Describe the traditional principles of animation
   3. Identify the difference between inverse and forward kinematics
   4. Illustrate animating transforms using move, rotate, and scale
   5. Employ playing back an animation
   6. Demonstrate the creation of keyframes
   7. Implement use of the graph editor to adjust motion curves/splines
   8. Change a timeline to adjust keyframes
   9. Revise by viewing and editing an object’s motion path
   10. Demonstrate how to create repeating cycles
   11. Identify the process of creating an animation preview/playblast
   12. Examine various animation controllers and interpolation types
6. Incorporate character animation techniques 
   1. Review how to work with pre-built rigs
   2. Demonstrate how to create selection sets
   3. Apply the process of creating shelf buttons
   4. Examine how to zero-out animation controls
   5. Adjust animation layers to increase complexity
   6. Identify and compare various animation controllers
   7. Differentiate between several animation constraints
   8. Select and experiment with additional workflow techniques related to Maya animation
7. Appraise how to create a performance in the animation process 
   1. Examine the process of Idea / Thumbnails
   2. Differentiate between capturing and importing reference
   3. Apply importing audio options
   4. Review the process that uses traditional animation principles
   5. Select and experiment with blocking options
   6. Demonstrate how to use refinement and re-blocking techniques
   7. Employ polish to splines to smooth a motion sequence
   8. Illustrate facial animation and expressions
   9. Discuss the information received in an animation critique
   10. Explain the animation critique by filtering and prioritizing feedback
8. Determine different lighting fundamentals 
   1. Examine common lighting terms and definitions
   2. Distinguish between the traditional process vs 3d process
   3. Demonstrate how to create and edit a light
   4. Change various light properties
   5. Select and manage multiple lights within a scene
   6. Employ the process of controlling shadow properties
   7. Differentiate between excluding and including objects from lights
9. Evaluate utilization of cameras 
   1. Examine camera terms and definitions
   2. Identify the difference of traditional process vs 3d process
   3. Demonstrate how to create a camera
   4. Apply different camera attributes
   5. Examine the process of controlling the field of view
   6. Review the techniques of animating a camera
10. Perform the rendering process 
    1. Examine playblasts
    2. Differentiate between rendering types
    3. Demonstrate how to set up a render
    4. Revise by creating and saving a rendered image
    5. Analyze the process of creating and saving of sequenced images and movies
    6. Review how to improve rendering quality
    7. Employ the process of rendering alpha channels for compositing