Date OUT: Friday 1/18/02
Due Date: Tuesday 2/5/02 Noon (see late policy *here*)
Idea:
- Build a Rube Goldberg Type Machine USING MAYA
- Learn how to use MAYA, and more importantly understand what are the key
aspects of modeling, key-framing, interpolation, constraints, dynamics, etc.
with an eye on how to develop some specific module on your own later.
Motivation:
"The Rube Goldberg machines you build are different from the machines
people are used to seeing. A good Rube Goldberg machine incorporates the
everyday machines people are used to seeing and connects them in ways that
may seem idiotic or ingenious. It is your mission to construct a machine
that uses at least XX individual steps to
complete an assigned task, which
varies from year to year.
"Your machine may take some time to put together. Many machines undergo
months of strategy and planning; other are put together in a few days."
XX = 20 in original text, but I am OK with much
less then 10.
- See the following web pages.
Details:
- Design a simple set of balls, catapults, slides, disks, etc (be creative)
that are actuated by a simple step (could even be dominoes type of things).
- At least one element (more OK) should be actuated by dynamics. (Be warned
controlling an animation with a lot of dynamically simulated elements will be
hard to control)
- More complex the "machine" the better, but more important is that it work.
- ADVICE: Start small and do simple ones and then grow it. Keep it
simple at first ...
- LENGTH: The whole animation should be a MINIMUM of 15 seconds MAXIMUM of
30 seconds (longer means lower grade!, please check with me if you are going
over).
- RESOLUTION: 640x480, 30 frames/second.
- Do this resolution ONLY for the final render as this
maybe over 9Gigabytes, and slow to render.
- SUBMISSION:
- A movie file (rendered) in MPG/AVI/QuickTIME. (We'll go over how to
compress and make movies from MAYA OUTPUT files in class).
Put the final video in /net/cpl/classes/ca2002/ps1/submission/LASTNAME
(before the above DEADLINE)
- A hand drawn (or you can use your favorite graphics programs), 2D
diagram explaining what your animation is supposed to be .. A CONCEPT
Diagram!
Hand in a PRINTOUT in class and put an electronic version on your SWIKI.
- SHOW in CLASS: We would like to show these videos in class, so be prepared
to present your video and explain your ideas/intentions.
- ADVICE: Be creative, but be reasonable.
TA Office Hours:
Mark is setting up extra office hours to help with Maya and other stuff (you
still have to do your machine).
- Tuesday: after class to 4:00p
- Wednesday: 2:00 to 3:00p
- Thursday: 12:30p to start of class
|