ATEC 4337

Assignment 1: One bouncing ball

Description

Study a ball which bounces a few times at the same location on a hard smooth surface and produce a playblast (or hardware rendered) animation of the ball's action.

Process book research (25%)

Part 1: Reference video. Find a ball that bounces at least half dozen times on a hard flat surface when you drop the ball.  Avoid a ball that is too big, too small, too soft, or too heavy. Find a hard smooth surface on that the ball can keep bouncing at the same contact point (i.e., the ball moves vertically but not horizontally).

Video tape bouncing actions of the ball until it comes to a complete stop. Videotaping your ball in front of a grid will help you figure out how high the ball jumps up for each bounce. Don't move your camera or its aim. Use a tripod if you have one. Bring the actual ball to the classroom on the assignment’s due date.

Part 2: Path of action drawing. Study the behaviors of the ball. Draw a path of action AS IF the ball were moving horizontally as well vertically. Indicate the keys and breakdowns in your drawing. Timing should be taken from your ball's re fence video (not from the sample drawing on the right or from a book).

Part 3: Process book. In your local working area (e.g., a hard disc drive of your home computer, in your account on the ATEC server, your USB memory stick connected to a computer in an ATEC lab, etc.), create a process book page for Assignment 1 in the html format. You can use Microsoft Word, DreamWeaver, or any application you like. The main page should be named as processbook.htm (not processbook.html -- the extension should be "htm" not "html".).

Your process book 's main page should have links to all the required elements specified above (i.e., a reference video and path of action drawing with timing.).

Submission:

  1. Log onto one of the machines in the ATEC building.
  2. Create a folder in \\Atec01\Midori\Drop Box\4337 and rename it as your last name, e.g. Kitagawa.
  3. Create another folder in the folder with your last name and rename it at A1.
  4. Copy your process book's main page, processbook.htm, and any other files that are linked to the main page into your folder A1.

Requirements:

  • Transfer your files to the specified folder before the class starts.
  • Your process book must be accessible from your name (link) in "student_works.htm" in \\Atec01\Midori\Drop Box\4337.
  • Your process book 's main page should have links to all the required elements specified above and the links must be made among the files in the specified folder, i.e., no links should point back to your local area. Make sure the links work before the class starts.

Due date

9/1/2009 - Presentation in class (The process book research is due on this date; the animation is due a week later.)

Animation (75%)

Produce a playblast (or hardware rendered) animation of a ball which bounces at the same contact point on a hard flat surface.

Requirements:

  • The animation should contain a complete thought on the ball. This means the ball's motion is followed through (i.e., the ball should be animated until it comes to a complete stop). The animation should not end abruptly.
  • Animate at least 120 frames.
  • Use half frame size, 320 x 240.
  • The height of a bounce should decrease gradually over time.
  • The amount of time that a bounce takes should decrease gradually over time.
  • The amount of squash should decrease gradually over time.
  • In the key frame for the moment when the ball bounces off the surface (i.e., when the ball is in contact with the surface), “break tangents" in the Graph Editor to make the curve a “V” shape, instead of adding more keys or leaving the curve in a "U" shape.
  • Squash is required (rotation is not).
  • For each squash, the attributes related to the squash must have keys in three frames: a) in one frame before the key in that the ball is in contact with the surface; b) in the frame in that the ball is in contact with the surface, c) in one frame (or two frames) after the key in that the ball is in contact with the surface. In this manner, each squash happens in two or three frames: A squash starts in a); The squash is at its extreme in b); The squash ends in c).
  • If you apply squash using scaling factors, the ball must be scaled up along the x- and z-axes and scaled down along the y-axis for each squash.
  • If you apply squash with a squash deformer, put the deformer in the ball's hierarchy so that it moves properly with the ball.
  • Transfer your files to the specified folder, and make sure the links work and the animation file is playable before the class starts on the due date.
  • If you really want to, you can render your animation using software renderer, but this assignment is about animation and you need to focus on animating.
  • Among the principles of animation, squash, follow through, arcs, and timing are required. (Apply other principles, such as anticipation, staging, and exaggeration, for extra credits.)

Submission:

1. Submit the following into \\Atec01\Midori\Drop Box\4337\your_last_name\A1:

  • Scene file (Maya binary file). (The file should be readable by the latest version of Maya available at the ATEC labs.)
  • Screen capture of Maya's Graph Editor with the ball's y-translation channel. (The graph should be scaled appropriately and readable.)
  • Quick time or AVI animation.

2. Create links from your process book's main page to files above and make sure that the links work.

Important note:

  • Do not save any files other than the ones you are required to submit in the class's submission folder. \\Atec01\Midori\Drop Box\4337 is not a work space.

Due date

9/8/2009 - Presentation in class