Computer Animation Arts

When you use a wrap deformer in Maya it turns off  rendering ( Render Stats) preferences for the controlling object. This is an old Maya default. You will need to them back on by selecting the controlling object and going to the Render Stats tab in the Attribute Editor (see above). You will notice this problem when rendering. Your object will be missing from your render because it's Primary Visibility (amongst other settinging) has been switched off.

Please be aware that due to a series of course commitments this weeks timetable will change too... Year 3:  Wednesday's Maya Class will now start at 10am (to 12.30) instead of 2pm. In addition, anyone wishing to speak to Justin please read below (year 2). I will also be available all day Tuesday if anyone needs help with their project. Please inform anyone you feel may not see this post. Year 2: To confirm - The Character Design class will take place on Thursday from 10am. There will be no lecture/film or Maya class this week. However I will be available all day Tuesday if you need help with your Collaboration projects. Please inform anyone you feel may not see this post. Year 2 and 3: Please note, a new tutorial has been uploaded to the tutorial blog. It covers how to playblast using Viewport 2.0 to create Post-Visualisation shots. You can find it here - Thanks Alan

Texturing Tutorials Creating Demo Reel Shots (Preview) Attention all third year students - The Pipeline 1 (Jetpack Jones) texturing and turnaround tutorials have been updated to work with Arnold and Maya 2018+.  Many of you are reaching the stage where these tutorials are going to help support the next stage of your project. Including, helping you light, texture, and present your work for your submission where a 'demo reel' shot is a must. Please make sure you watch these to at least understand the possibilities and what is expected of you for January. The tutorial topics include... Texturing tutorials: Baking normal maps, setting up lighting. Creating Arnold shaders for clothes, skin (subsurface scattering), and normal maps. Blocking out colour maps, exporting geometry to Mudbox, painting in Mudbox, adding decals, and using Xnormal to create ambient occlusion maps. ( Link ) Demo reel (turnaround) tutorials: Rendering turnaround and static beauty, ...

Over the past year there have been a series of fixes and updates for Maya and Arnold. Including interface fixes, rendering updates, and the addition of new Arnold Shaders like the aiToon (shown above/top). You can update Maya 2018 (student version) for free by going to your Autodesk account and then 'Management' (above). Under your Maya license you'll find 'Updates & Ad-ons'. From the list select Maya 2018.4 update (the latest). There has been no news about Maya 2019 - although I suspect that will be announced very soon - so I'd recommend upgrading before the start of the academic year.

Welcome. Q: Which software will I use on Computer Animation Arts? A: Autodesk Maya 2018 & Arnold (included with Maya), Mudbox 2018, and the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Animate/Flash, After Effects, & Premiere). Q: What is Autodesk Maya, Arnold, and Mudbox? A: Autodesk Maya is virtual studio / workshop that allows you to create 3D films. It is the same software that Disney, Dreamworks, and Pixar use to make animations, and it is the same software used to make VFX work like in the Marvel films. Arnold is a rendering ‘plug-in’s for Maya that transform basic 3D objects into the lit images you see on screen. Finally, Mudbox is a virtual ‘high poly’ sculpting tool, which allows you create detailed models. Q: Can I get the software at home? A: Yes. A free student version of Maya (with Arnold) and Mudbox are available to download once you have enrolled onto the course. The Adobe Creative Suite can be purchased as a subscription. These...

Dear 1st years, As promised I have provided the list of Maya tutorials to date: If you notice that I have missed any that you have posted then feel free to send me an e-mail with a link to the appropriate post and I will update accordingly. I am aware that the majority have completed more that what is shown here, you probably just need to upload the images/ videos. Thanks and good luck on the final push, Simon

As part of the CAA experience the completion of tutorials is essential, this ensures that you have the knowledge required to tackle the various projects throughout the course. Below is a spreadsheet that shows the levels of tutorial completion throughout the year.... yes red is bad... Very bad. It is imperative that the spreadsheet has turned green by the end of study/reading week if you are going to progress successfully towards completing this project.

For reasons that will become clear, this month's all-new edition of Computer Animation Arts' PWTM begins with a few inspirational words about the invaluable merit of travel. Proust said "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes"  and Seneca agrees:  "Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind".   Taking the UCA lift from the ground floor down to the CAA suites on the lower 4th may not seem like 'travel' in the holiday brochure sense of the word, but our students take extraordinary journeys daily. There's always something new to look at, excursion taken or landmark reached.  Routines and comfort zones are interrupted with each new project brief or phase of production, with new routes charted, plotted and explored.  You might say every day on CAA is like a field trip to somewhere new and unknown. Our year one students have not long submitted their most ambitious, most chal...