Announcements

• Please be prepared to discuss what you’ve been up to this week regarding 3DVE.
• NEW Items in the 3DVE Menu:
  • Recordings
  • Projects + Extra Credit
  • Coming soon: Data Sources
• New Office Hours link for March-May will be emailed later today.
• If you heard from me yesterday: please submit ASAP; letter grades are dropping.

Agenda

• 3:10
  • Chapter 2.2 and 2.3 of Designing Virtual Worlds. What was most interesting in this reading? Did you come away with questions? Are there passages you disagree with? 
  • Animation: simple keyframing and graph editor. Camera & lights.
  • Rendering: ALWAYS check your renderer and resolution before rendering. I suggest using Maya software and a low-res for initial renders of anything.
    • Using the script editor to check for errors
    • Command line rendering
  • Scripting
    • MEL Overview
    • Looking at built-in MEL scripts
    • Digital Universe and Constellation Vis
• 4:50 Break
• 5:00 Discussion
  • Follow-up on tech topics
  • Follow-ups:
    • Reference image in mindrider.
    • Complex tools and renderers: Not required! Less is more! KISS (Keep it simple, stupid)! Simple tools!
    • Prof D Reel was made all with very simple tools.
  • 3D and non-entertainment options
  • Deformers (if there’s time)
  • Why Data? (if there’s time)

Assignments

• Project 2 is due before class next week, on March 4.
• Technical Stuff.
  • Go through the very brief Beginning MEL Scripting tutorial, including the subtopics Obtain the transform, shape, and history nodes, Modify attributes with scripts, etc.
  • Before class next week, try
    • Loading the Ursa Minor MEL file into the Maya Script Editor and try to understand how this file was generated from the Digital Universe files stars.speck and constellationLines.speck.
    • Running the Ursa Minor MEL file and checking out the stars!
  • Optional: if you have time and feel ready, watch and follow a more advanced scripting tutorial on YouTube.
• Conceptual Stuff: None for next week! We will return to this after we look at scripting.

Announcements: Extra Credit

• You can now check the Projects +Extra Credit page for a running list of EC options.