Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), Carnegie Mellon University
Platforms: Maya, Arnold, ZBrush, Substance Painter, Photoshop, Python
I took a course on animation production pipelines, which gave me an introduction and overview of how animated films are made.
Video
I independently created a short scene from start to finish, working on all different parts of the pipeline. I learned how to design a character that visually fits its personality, its role in the story, and the world it belongs to. I found references and made storyboards. I did the box modeling, sculpting and re-topologizing, rigging and Python scripting to automate part of the rigging, animation and the rendering of the main character. I’m responsible for all aspects of the final video except for the background image and original audio files for the sound.
This course really helped me understand the different roles of 3D artists in animation and some of the unique challenges an animated film faces with the different requirements of each story and character. I feel I can better understand how best to build software that support artists and their work in CG projects.