AiPD GA131 | portfolio

GA131 3D Modeling & Animation I

About the Course

In this course, students learned foundational concepts and skills for creating 3D content in Maya. The course focused on poly modeling using proper topology while avoiding and/or fixing geometry errors, applying textures using files and manipulating UV coordinates with projections, lighting with standard lights (spot, point, directional) while evaluating the role lights play in a traditional 3-point+ setup, animating simple objects using the principles of animation, evaluating how each task is woven into the production pipeline, and rendering using the Maya Software rendering engine. This course was ideal for those who were beginners to 3D content creation. Prerequisites: None

The projects below are representative of two assignments that bookended the course. Vehicles were their first modeling challenge in which students needed to create an imaginary vehicle using Maya’s polygon primitives and basic set of cutting tools. For most, this represented their first ever 3D project. The final stage assignment was a culmination of all they had learned in the course - project organization, basic modeling, 3-point lighting, texturing with projections, simple camera animations using the principles of animating and rendering.

Projects represented below:

Vehicle Challange: create an imaginary vehicle using Maya’s polygon primitives and three cut tools (extrude, cut, insert edge loop)
Stage: create a scene that consists of a stage with 3-point lighting, models from previous assignments, texturing and camera push. Scene must tell a story. Note the below samples are single frame renders only. Occlusion and higher end rendering not covered in this course.

Software used: Maya, Photoshop, After Effects

Credits: 3 | 1 Quarter

Student Examples: The below projects represent exemplary work for this course and point of progression in the program. For student privacy, artist names are withheld. If you'd like the name of a project author, feel free to reach out and I would be happy to attempt to pass along your contact information to the former student. Responding will be at the discretion of the graduate.